Category / Beauty

Find all you need to know about the history of the beauty of the word of Cosmetology.

by Chantel Chansa

The Cosmetology Industry

Castor Oil Infused with Mint

I have chatted about how I got started in cosmetology, but this post will be in a different direction of cosmetology. That post was about me, personally. This post is about the industry and how it works and what I was taught 13 years ago. I know some things have changed, like, now they are monitoring barbers and they have to be licensed to cut hair, just like a hairstylist. The last time I checked, you could get a simple license just to shampoo hair. A few years back, a college classmate told me that they had taken away the Instructors’ License level and is now the same as a regular hairstylist license. I felt bad for her because she spent money on those extra hours and extra money to receive that special license. This goes to show you how corporations can change the rules in a heartbeat whether you think it’s fair or not. However, I am glad that the Barber shops are now regulated.

This industry is all about the Cosmetic appearance of a person. What this means is things like make-up, haircuts, updos, hair colors, products to use to achieve what you want for your hair, skin, nails (fake or real), body lotions, scrubs, scents, and more. I was taught so many things, in depth, about hair, skin, and nails. How to identify infections, conditions, and problems of the skin, scalp and nails. We are not allowed to give a diagnosis, although we may know what it is, we have to refuse service and refer them to a specialist that is suitable for that condition. In cosmetics, we are to try our best to achieve what our client wants or has in mind. We may not get that identical look in the picture shown to us, but, that we try to do our best.

We are taught how to identify hair types and the care requirements to upkeep the elasticity of healthy hair and the products to use to achieve this. We are taught what hues go best with skin types, weather it is hair colors, make-up, or clothing. You just wouldn’t believe how much we are taught in just a one short, year of full-time student cosmetology college course. We are taught how to make a person look absolutely beautiful or handsome. This industry can make a cosmetologist well to do financially.

Now, what we were not taught, all the chemicals that are used to achieve these gorgeous looks comes with health risks. Not only are your commercial shampoos harmful, but the hair colors, face creams, nail polish, and makeups are harmful if they are not made from a natural source. Those chemicals can cause hair loss, scalp or skin conditions, thyroid problems, heart issues, and even cancer. The list of problems that these chemicals can cause is not limited to what I have listed. I have done research on several of the ingredients of shampoos and body washes and was astounded at all the unnecessary chemicals that are in our everyday products that we love to use. Even the fragrance of your hair or body products can cause you harm. I stumbled on a site about toothpaste and decided to look at the ingredients and was shocked to find a couple ingredients used in the toothpaste also used in shampoo. Now why is that???

So, after digging and researching these chemicals, it made me decide to start making my own shampoo, conditioners, body washes, lotions, hair, and oral care products. Let me tell you, I love making my own because I know what’s in my products,, plus most of the time it’s cheaper and I can create my own scent using essential oils or plant-based flavor oils, which is so, so, so, much healthier. I have been on this journey for a year now and am loving it and I want to tell everyone about it. Here is what I feel a cosmetologist should do for their client: yes, make them look absolutely beautiful, but also using healthier products. Not giving them harmful tips of products to use or use products that are going to harm them at any given time. Whether it be in just one month’s time or five years down the road. This is my goal as an honest cosmetologist because I know and have searched for healthier options, not only for myself, but for future clients who want this option. I can say I do learn new natural alternatives each time I research and create a new natural product.

The products I have made are not many, yet, but my list of experience and formulation is expanding as I learn. Below is a list of the items I have made.

  • Hair Growth Oils
  • 3 Ingredient Lavender Shampoo
  • Peppermint Shampoo
  • Lip Scrub
  • Coffee Hand & Body Scrub
  • Basic Castile Soap Shampoo & Body Wash
  • 3 Ingredient Toothpaste
  • Rosemary Hair Rinse
  • Rice Water Rinse
  • Coffee Infused Oils
  • Castor Oil Infusion
  • Oatmeal Body Scrub
  • ACV ( Apple Cider Vinegar) Hair Rinse
  • Lip Balm (with lanolin)
  • Coconut Milk Shampoo
  • Whipped Shea Butter Lotion
  • Turmeric Face Scrub

I did add some additional ingredients, like glycerin and vitamin E oil, in most of the shampoos. I did this to help improve moisture retention and as a preservative. I can tell a difference when I use these ingredients than when I don’t. After using any of these natural homemade shampoos, I use the ACV Rinse as my conditioner. Doing this leaves my hair soft and it balances my hair and scalp ph.

I know I still have lots more to learn as I travel along this natural journey of cosmetology. My heart’s desire is to educate you with what I know so I can help you find healthier alternatives to live a healthier life. The more people know about these options, the more you could possibly save on doctor’s visits, medications, and possibly surgeries. One day you should just take one of your beauty products and research the ingredients and see for yourself just what I found. That is if you are curious enough to do this.

I now love cosmetology even more now than I did in the beginning. I have always found cutting hair, styling, and giving Updos so much fun, but it just was not a passion of mine as it is for others. The reason I love it more now is because I love to create and learn. And most importantly, I love helping people by teaching them whatever knowledge I can pass along.

by Chantel Chansa

A quick recipe for hair loss with great benefits

This concoction I found by accident online during some research on the names of chemicals that we find in our commercial products, so I decided to write it down. I have no need for hair growth, but these ingredients are very good for just hair and scalp health. A few days later, I was speaking with a couple of coworkers who were telling me they both were trying to regrow their hair and the results from what they both were doing just was not productive enough for them. I offered to make this for the ladies to see if it would get them the better and quicker results that they were wanting. After I gave the oils to them, I decided to give it a try myself, just to experiment with my own hair. I applied it twice a week and left on for about an hour. As the beginning of the third week came, I noticed major results with my hair growth and hair health. I did not apply anymore after those applications. Why? Because it made my hair grow too fast and made it thicker. I liked that because my hair is fine and feels like silk. I have Type 1 hair.

This recipe has only three ingredients, but you can add or replace whatever oils you want to fit your need. I know this combination works, not because I have the education, but from experience from myself and others. One tip I can give is, if you do not like the smell of Tea Tree oil, replace it with Rosemary oil. Rosemary is another great natural hair growth ingredient to add or replace with. You can store any remaining oils in any type of container, but preferably glass and in a cool dry place.

3- Ingredient Hair Growth Oils

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 2 Tablespoons castor oil
  • 5 drops tea tree oil
  • makes about 4oz

How to make and use

Mix all ingredients together and apply to scalp. Massage scalp with pads of fingers working the oils into the hair strands.

Leave on for 20-30 minutes. You can also use a shower cap to help the oils penetrate into your scalp and hair strands. This can be done prior to showering or after showering. Rinse and dry your hair has you normally would.

This treatment can also be used as an overnight hair mask. Apply as directed and wrap hair in a silk wrap or a shower cap.

These oils can also be used on the body after showering as a great dry skin moisturizer and will smell amazing if you replace the Tea Tree oil with Lavender oil or any oil that you wish.

My suggestion on how often to do this would depend on the severity of your hair loss, hair damage, and hair type. If you are using this just to make your hair look and feel healthier, shiny, and soft, use once a week. For those who are needing help with regrowth or chemical/heat damage, use 2-3 times a week.

****Important tip****

When rinsing hair of oils, especially coconut oil, make sure you allow your water to run as hot as you can for 2-3 minutes. This will help the coconut oil to wash completely down the drain. If you do not do this then you risk a hefty plumbing procedure to be done. Continued use of coconut oil down the drain will clog the drains.

If you make this and use it, please share your experience with me and others.

You are welcome to subscribe to my blog. I do not spam with multiple emails in a day or even a week. When you subscribe, you will receive anything I post directly to your email. Thank you for taking your time to read my blog.

by Chantel Chansa

What is the purpose of hair?

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I want to share with you some knowledge about hair. Hopefully, you will find this information interesting and useful. Now days with all the tools, products and chemicals, we can achieve just about anything we want with our mane. However, not everything we do to our hair is good. I will probably have to give a series about hair because of all the information there is, it would make just one post extremely overwhelming.

I first want to start off with, “What is the purpose of hair?” I’ll give you four top reasons for its purpose. The purpose of hair is first and foremost, it was designed to be protection for our body. Protection in the means of being a thermal regulator. Hair regulates body temperature, being in cold environments makes our muscles contract, causing them to pull the hair into an upright position. When this happens, the erected strands trap air and serve as insulation to protect the body from the cold. This is why when a person who has long, or thick. hair feels warmer than someone who has little or no hair. Hot temperatures give an opposite effect. As sweat glands secrete sweat, it evaporates to cool the body. This effect makes the muscles relax and causes the hair to lay flat in order to release heat.

The second very useful function of our mane is it extends our sense of touch. It is astounding to know that we may feel an object before it even touches our skin. In 2012, a study was published by John Hopkins University School of Medicine. In that report, it stated how the brain processes and collects information through hair on the skin. David Ginty, Ph. D., professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins, says more than 20 classes of mechanosensory nerve cells in the skin is what detects everything from pain to temperature. I find it absolutely amazing how the design of our body can physically detect the feelings of the changes from our atmosphere, to knowing there is an object near you before it comes in contact with your skin.

Now, for the third reason of how our hair serves a purpose. Having body hair which covers almost our entire body except for the palms of our hands, soles of feet, and lips. Aside from providing cover from the environment, body hair such as eyebrows, eyelashes, nose, and ear hair helps keep dust and foreign matter out. This is how we are able to feel something near us without it touching us. Those tiny, itty-bitty hairs that cover our body are called vellus hairs. Vellus hair is also referred to as baby hair, or peach fuzz, and is translucent and much thinner than the hairs on your other body parts.

The fourth reason why hair is important is it gives you a sense of identity. For many centuries, hair has been a significant part of a woman’s physical feature of adornment and attraction, which it still serves the same today as such. Hair is the first feature on a person’s body that most people see and judge on its appearance.

Now, you have four reasons why we have hair and its design of use for us. It serves a mighty and essential purpose for us. It is important to take just as great care of your hair as it is for your outer and inner body. Everything that we do to our body has a great effect on our well-being. No matter if your hair is long or short, you still have those sensory follicles. I may suggest being aware of what you are applying to your hair.

by Chantel Chansa

Skin and Within

I chose to chat about skin in this next series because of how vital it is to take care of it, inside and out. Everything we eat, drink, and put on our skin affects the quality of its appearance and your confidence. Our skin is the largest organ of the body. It serves many purposes such as protecting our anatomy and protects us from Earth’s natural elements, like microbes. Another very important function it has is, it regulates out body temperature and allows us to feel sensations such as touch, heat, and cold. Here is a link I would suggest to further your knowledge about skin and in-depth details of its functions. I just wanted to share a small amount of knowledge. https://www.britannica.com/science/human-skin

Our skin has three layers, all which serve as a function of the body. These layers all have names: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous.

  • Epidermis layer – is the outermost layer, which provides protection for the entire body, is waterproof, and carries our skin tone.
  • Dermis layer – is the second layer of the skin, which sits beneath the epidermis. This layer contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles, and sweat glands.
  • Subcutaneous layer – this layer is the deepest layer of our skin. This layer of the skin is a tissue (hypodermis), made of fat and connective tissue.

As I mentioned above about how vital it is to be mindful of how we care for our skin, I will add details, or examples, of what to keep mindful of. This also means you can research the ingredients of cosmetics and other products that I will list below. Everything we ingest, and apply topically, is absorbed into our bloodstream. Find a product that has the fewest ingredients on their label.

  • Foundations, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, eyeliner, mascara
  • Lotions (hands, feet, body), sunscreen, body sprays, bed misting sprays
  • Soaps, body wash, shampoos, conditioners, body scrubs
  • Medical and Rx topical cream, moisturizers (face), deodorants

I know this is a lot, but all the products that I have listed, about 90% has harmful chemicals in them. Now, I can’t say that I don’t use any of them, but I do use them only when necessary. Like makeup, I only wear it when I go to work, and as soon as I get home that mess comes off. I do not like cheap cosmetics, but that’s just what is in my current budget. The products that I do use make my face feel suffocated and yucky. But who’s to say that even the expensive ones will be any better. This will have to be a search for more natural or better ingredients for the cosmetics that we use.

So now for the lotions, I don’t use lotion much since I use certain oils as a moisturizer. However, every now and then I will use scented body lotions, just for the scent. What I use does contain not so good ingredients, but like I said, I don’t apply them often at all. What I suggest for daily use for dry, chapped, and cracked skin is Coconut oil. I have used coconut oil for cracked skin, but it didn’t work as fast as I wanted it to, but I love it for its nutritional properties. What I did use for cracked skin is Eucalyptus and Lavendar oil and a hand glove. Another very good natural product to use is vegetable glycerin. There are many oils that can be used for whatever skin condition you need to address.

Moving on to the sunscreens, I personally do not use any. I could count on both hands how many times I have used a sunscreen anywhere on my body. My reason for not using it is because I never felt comfortable with it. Then about 10 years ago is when it started with the rumors of some of them causing cancer, mainly of the skin. There has been recent research about sunscreens that I have found saying that there is a chemical that is indeed cancer causing. I have provided the link of the site that I felt trustworthy of the most recent research about this product. If it is a concern for you, please take a read of this article from Yale University. /www.yalemedicine.org/news/is-sunscreen-safe

Soaps, bodywashes, scrubs (exfoliants), and shampoo & conditioners are not good for your body, or hair, because all the chemicals are absorbed through your scalp. Making your own can be costly, compared to the ones in the Supermarket, but it is much better. You will know exactly what is in the products that you create for yourself/family. I still say, less ingredients are best. Scrubs/exfoliants from the store are not good for your skin. It may appear that your skin looks good, but just keep in mind what chemicals your skin is absorbing. Face, foot, and body scrubs can be made at home and work much better than the ones you buy at the store. However, with those, you have a shorter time span to use but I’ll talk about how to make natural beauty products in a future post. I understand that not everyone has the time to create their own formula for yourself, so my suggestion is that you find someone who does this as a small business and give them the support, if you choose this route of skin care.

In conclusion, I hope that I have provided enough information to have you intrigued enough to research for yourself and find what works best for you and your family. Everything we put on our body, and in it, has an impact to our well-being, whether we know it or not. No, we are not perfect, and will many times go to products in stores because of the convenience that is readily available for us.

***DISCLAIMERS***

  • I AM NOT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL AND CANNOT DIAGNOSE ANY CONDITIONS
  • I AM A PROFESSIONAL COSMETOLOGIST AND CAN ONLY ASSIST IN BEAUTY KNOWLEDGE AND GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
  • THIS INFORMATION IS FROM MY EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND RESEARCH
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by Chantel Chansa

How I got started in the beauty industry

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Let’s start with the definition of Cosmetology. Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatments which include: hair, skin, and nails. All three are serviced by a licensed, trained professional. All three of these services can be branched out into a different career path. For hair, the most widely common service is hairstyling, which those services are normally haircuts, hair coloring, and formal hair styling (UPDO’s). Skin care, for the basic cosmetologist, is applying make-up to one’s face. Most of the time they are referred to as a Make-Up Artist. And lastly are the nail services. Nail services are commonly done by what is called a Nail Technician. Nail Techs give basic manicure of shaping and styling a person’s nails (hands and feet) and can go further into decorating nails with a color polish, glitter, overlays, and gems.

Now that we know what a cosmetologist is, here is where I will begin my story.

In January of 2012, I enrolled in the Cosmetology program at Virginia College in Huntsville, AL. I had no clue what a cosmetologist was or what they did. Neither did I know that a hairstylist was labeled as a cosmetologist. I had initially enrolled to see if they had a culinary program, but they did not offer that program at that location. So, I had discussed this with my family and they all encouraged me to enroll in the cosmetology course. The course was for 12 months for full time and 18 months for part time (night school). I chose the full time. To be a licensed cosmetologist, Alabama requires you to complete 1,500 hours of training in a school of cosmetology before you can even take your state board exams. I did better than I expected in this program and am still very proud of myself, today. I completed my program in December of 2012, and walked the stage as an Honors Graduate in February of 2013. About a month later, I was able to take my written exam and in April or May I took my practical exam. I scored in the low 90’s on both exams and received my Cosmetology license about 6 weeks later.

In May, I was hired as a Stylist with Cost Cutters. I enjoyed cutting hair and seeing the transformation on people. Well, about a week into my new job my health took a turn for the worse. This bad turn took many arguing doctors months to figure out what was going on with me. I had to take water therapy to help me gain my strength back into my legs. Doctor visits, specialist, and all that sorts. I was in bad shape in all aspects of my life. A few months went by and I went to see a neurologist in Cullman. He is the one who diagnosed me with MS.

Back to the salon job I had. After a few weeks off, because I had been in and out of the hospital, they asked me to resign due to my health. I sadly agreed. They did ask me to come back after I was well enough to, but only with a written doctor’s release. I only did hair for people who would ask me. A couple years later I did apply for another salon job, but, did not get hired due to the fact that I was “too slow.” This is true, sadly, but I blame this on the MS and how much it has affected my cognitive speed. I kept my license up until 2021. I am thankful for the opportunity to have received this education and knowledge. I still do hair services and nails, from time to time, but with me not having a license, I cannot work in a salon, nor run a business out of my home. I do enjoy doing hair and nails, but it is not a passion of mine. I am willing to extend my skills and knowledge to help others.

So, in light of all that has been said about my story of cosmetology, I can write about it with professional knowledge to give to you. However, much as been updated with products and techniques that I do need to inquire to stay up to date. I am educated with the basic foundation of cosmetology. That year program covered a lot of curriculum. In future posts, I will be covering about the beauty of cosmetology and the branches and details of services.

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