News Archives - Sky Parlor Salon

Doing the Right Thing: Why We Have Switched to Gender-free Pricing

Hair care products, shampoo, conditioner, styling products, hair treatments - Sky Parlor Salon

“I’d like a men’s haircut.” “I need a women’s cut and color, please.” For decades, this is how we’ve all had to make hair appointments. First, we identify our gender. Then, we select the services we need.

Here at Sky Parlor Salon, we’re throwing that old, antiquated system out the window. We’re moving to a gender-free service model. Our pricing will be based strictly on the amount of time you spend sitting in our stylist’s chair getting that perfect cut or amazing color. We believe this is a much more equitable and inclusive approach, because let’s face it – hair has no gender. It may be long, short, thick or thin, but it isn’t male or female. So, why would we charge as if it was? We want our clients to feel good about themselves when they’re in our salon. And, that goes beyond loving how their hair looks. From the moment they come to our website or call our phone number to schedule an appointment, we want them to know they are welcome here – no matter how they identify.

Our new menu will also be fairer to our clients, as well as their stylists. Consider this. Under the gender-based pay model, if a woman requested a simple buzz cut, she would have two options – be overcharged as a woman or pay the men’s rate. Is that fair? No. Similarly, a man with a more complicated hairstyle would be undercharged, unless he paid the women’s rate. And, those who identify as non-binary wouldn’t know how to budget for an appointment, because they don’t fit neatly into a single gender definition.

Our new time-based pay model eliminates the inequity and the confusion. That’s good for everyone. Here’s how it will work. Our new menu of services will break appointments down into 15-minute increments. Clients will then pay their stylist’s hourly rate to the nearest 15 minutes.

This list shows examples of our services and the length of time to complete them:

Bang trim (must be styled upon arrival) – 15 minutes
Basic clipper cut (one guard) – 30 minutes
Faded clipper cut (multiple guards) – 45 minutes
Salon cut and style (includes blow out) – 60 minutes
XL Salon cut and style (includes blow out for extra-long or very thick hair) – 75 minutes
New client haircut (consultation, styling, product knowledge, finishing cut) – 90 minutes
Transformation haircut (big length/style change, plus finishing cut) – 90 minutes

Every new guest must book a new client haircut for their first appointment, and our stylists will determine how to schedule appropriately for the next time. This transition is important to us. Time-based pricing is our way of inspiring change in an industry that has been bound by traditional gender roles for years. We’re proud of be part of the push to revolutionize that mentality.

If you have any questions about the change, please don’t hesitate to ask. Again, your comfort is our top priority.

June 2, 2021

News

Your Scalp, Your Garden: how to stop flaking, shedding, and irritation on your scalp

Women's Wash, Haircut and Color, Hair Salon Raleigh - Sky Parlor Salon

Flaky scalp? Excessive shedding? Irritation under your hair? You’re not alone

One of the most significant concerns we see in the salon on a daily-basis is scalp issues. Issues like flaking, excessive shedding, and irritation are common irritants. Most of these problems can be traced back to one of two things: internal or external factors. Imagine your scalp like the soil in your garden. Gardens need daily tending, nutrients, and proper care. So does your scalp. Follow along and I will explain!

What causes Scalp Irritation: External factors

First, let us start with external factors since it is one of the easiest to decipher. External just means things that affect your scalp from the outside of your body. This can range from how often you shampoo your hair, how well you shampoo your hair, how well you rinse out the shampoo/conditioner from your scalp, the amount of pressure you use when scrubbing your scalp, air quality in the places you visit, how you put your hair up, and even down to if you wear hats very often! All these things can affect the overall health of your scalp.

Keeping your scalp clean

Remember back to my analogy of the soil in your garden? Think of what you would do to keep a garden healthy: you would try your best to keep the soil as fresh and clean as possible, so plants would have the best environment to grow. Think of your scalp as the same.

How often to use shampoo

Paying attention to how often you shampoo can make a huge difference. Now the time between shampoos can vary depending on the person. It depends on how quickly your scalp produces oil and what type of environmental conditions you are exposed to daily. For example, if you have a very oily scalp, you will need to shampoo your hair more often than someone who has a dryer scalp. Just like someone who works outside in a dusty environment daily would need to shampoo more regularly than someone who stays indoors where there is usually less particulate floating in the air.

Back to my analogy, think of this like leaves building on the ground – you would want to remove the leaves to keep the soil in good shape, right?

So, keeping your scalp clean is a good thing. If you have an oily scalp, utilize lots of products, or work in an area where there would be more air particles floating around, you should begin by shampooing more often.

How to shampoo (yep, there’s a process)

This leads into how you shampoo. Most people assume shampooing is getting your hair clean. They don’t focus much on the scalp. The focus of your shampooing technique should be the opposite: without a healthy scalp, you cannot have healthy hair – so show your scalp some love!

When shampooing your hair, make sure to focus on massaging your scalp. Massaging your scalp will loosen dirt, left-over product residue, and dead skin cells. And an added plus: not only is this good for your scalp, but it feels amazing.

Your scalp contains lots of blood vessels that are supplying your hair follicles with nutrients and taking away toxins. As you massage, you are forcing fresh blood into the area – this is great for keeping your hair follicles healthy. Think of it just like you would for your nightly routine for cleaning your face.

Going back to my original analogy of soil, look at your garden: would you allow leaves and other debris on the surface to smother your plants’ roots growing through?

What causes Scalp Irritation: Internal factors

Now that we have mentioned the blood supply, let’s talk about the internal factors that affect your hair! A good rule of thumb to follow is: “Whatever you put or do not put in your mouth affects your hair growth.” Let me explain.

Your blood supplies all the oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles which give them the energy to grow well or not so well depending on what is being delivered to them. So, for example, the foods you eat or don’t eat have a big effect on what nutrients are being supplied.

Medication and how it affects your hair

Another big factor is any medication that you are taking can also have a significant effect on the overall health of your hair follicles. Back to my garden analogy, think of this like the water you give your plants, or the “fertilizer” you use to make the soil more nutrient-rich. (See why I use the “garden” analogy so much when talking about this subject? Usually, about this point, a light bulb moment happens with my clients!)

Hormones and your hair health

When we talk about nutrients or “chemical imbalance” it is important to mention hormones! Hormones can play a huge role in the overall health of your hair/scalp, hijacking the body’s normal process of oil production and hair growth. If you have ever been pregnant you know exactly what I mean.

Menopause will show changes in hair growth. Teenagers as well, that all-too-well known puberty changing their body’s composition. Suddenly teens can start to see a dramatic difference in oil production on the scalp, which we discussed earlier how that can affect the hair and the overall health of your scalp.

The Scalp Routine

So, as you can see your scalp is an especially important part of your body and the overall health of your hair. Without a healthy scalp, you may end up with some flaking or itchiness, or even, premature hair loss.

So next time you are about to jump in the shower, remember to show your scalp some love:

Take time to shampoo well, massage, and rinse well.
Do not forget that proper nutrition is also important, so think about your diet.
Ask yourself if you are getting all the nutrients that you need?
Should you add in supplements?
Are your medications affecting your hair?
Are you going through any hormonal changes, puberty, pregnancy, or menopause?

March 27, 2021

News

Your Safety, Our Priority

If 2020 taught us anything, it was to not take anything for granted. The pandemic has truly shown us all how we can have everything taken away from us so quickly. We all learned the value of what it means to be “neighborly” and care for those around us and has opened our eyes to see just how important everyone around us could be and how we all affect each other.

Before the shutdown, 2020 was gearing up to be our best year yet. It is funny how things can change so fast. During the shutdown, we all had a chance to look back at our past, prep for the future, and try our best to live in the moment. A lot of things changed during 2020, many people realizing the path they were on was not right for them and they made changes. The rest of us found renewed focus and charged full steam ahead. As for Sky Parlor Salon, we decided to fight back, to not let this pandemic keep us down. And this started with our number 1 priority, Your Safety!

During the shutdown, like most places, we took the time to update many things within the salon. We took the time to research what it would take to make your visits with us at the salon as safe as possible. Let’s go over a few of those things we are doing to ensure your visit with us is as safe as possible. We want you to be able to relax while in our chairs, knowing we have done all we can for your safety.

Cleaning the air and surfaces

First on our list of issues to solve: sanitizing the air and surfaces in the salon. Synexis.com was the system we had to have. Though pretty expensive, once you hear what it is all about you’ll understand why the price tag was of no concern when we were thinking of safety.

Synexis BioDefense System is a microbe-fighting machine designed to attack the viruses and bacteria hiding in our daily lives. This unit has been proven to destroy viruses and bacteria in the air and on surfaces. When you read the stats below you will see why this was a must-have for our salon:

Viruses
Coronavirus (MS2 Surrogate): >95% in-air reduction after 60 minutes
Influenza Type A: 99.8% reduction after the first 60 minutes
Norovirus (feline calicivirus surrogate): 99.5% reduction after 2 hours

Bacteria
Clostridium Difficile: 51% reduction after the first 72 hours
Escherichia Coli (E. Coli): 99.99% reduction after the first 4 hours
Enterococcus Faecalis: 98.37% reduction after the first 6 hours
Listeria Monocytogenes: 97.36% reduction after the first 3 hours
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA): 99.15% reduction after the first 6 hours
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: 82% reduction after the first 3 hours
Salmonella Enterica: 99.13% reduction after the first 6 hours

Masks on, thermometers up

Synexis alone would be enough for some places, but not for us at Sky Parlor Salon. We chose to continue to take it up a notch and do everything we could for the safest space available for you.

Before you even hear the hum of our Synexis unit, you will first be required to wear an approved face mask to enter the salon. Do not worry if you forgot yours, we have you covered! We have disposable masks upon request.
Then you will be greeted with a huge mask-covered smile and a temporal touchless thermometer to ensure that no one entering the salon is running a fever. This includes a daily check of our team as well.

Next, you will be asked several questions concerning any possible covid contacts you may have incurred. This is to ensure that everyone entering the salon is safe to come in.

At this point, you have only made it into the front door. You can already see the changes we have made to keep you safe. And let us not forget the awesome new outdoor seating area we added to the front of the salon so that you can feel more comfortable waiting outside for your appointment to begin if you would feel more at ease being in an open environment.

Touchless safety

Throughout the salon, you will find other additions to allow touchless safety. Such touchless additions are found in the bathroom with a touchless faucet set to the perfect water temperature, an antibacterial soap dispenser, and touchless trash cans. We have also switched over to bottled water and can sodas, and limited other drinks to a minimum so that we limit times while a mask may be pulled down. Even while sipping on your drink, we have straws for you to use under your mask.

Cleaning

You will also find hand sanitizer stations throughout the salon, as well as 2 sanitizing stations for the team to use. The team will be sanitizing their stations, chairs, and tools in between each client. Towels and capes are cleaned and sanitized between each client. Shampoo bowls have dividers between them to stop the flow of airborne particles. Shampoo bowls and chairs are being sanitized and thoroughly wiped down between every use.
The Sky Parlor Salon Team will also be wearing masks and having our temperature checked throughout the day, as well as using hand sanitizer between each client.

Our number one priority

2020 was a year for reflection, learning, and most importantly, gratitude. As we look to the future, know that we are profoundly grateful for each person that walks through our salon doors, which includes our teammates, our lovely clients, and our new friends trying us out for the first time. We want you to know how much you mean to us at Sky Parlor Salon. Your safety is our number 1 priority, and we intend to show you each day!!!