Atlanta ABCH Exam Results: Congratulations to our newest ABCH!
Atlanta was the last examination of this year and we welcome 12 new ABCH Certified Haircolorists. Many waited until the last exam of the year to retake a portion of the examination, giving themselves more time to study and practice. Half of the candidates were retakes and as a result we had an outstanding pass rate.
Courtney vonBerg and Jay Marshlick were the evaluators with Tamara Dahill being the exam Captain.
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2014 ABCH Examination Dates:
Chicago .......... March 23 Boston ............... August 17
Denver ........... April 13 Washington DC..... October 12
Los Angeles ..... July 13 Atlanta ............... November 9
Links for more info:
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2014 SUMMIT TALENT PACKED ROSTER FILLED
The difficult part of putting together the Energizing Summit is getting commitments from individual educators so long before the event. We will be presenting many new educators participating in the 2014 Energizing Summit, as well as your favorite educators of the past years.
Haircolor education has many aspects and there are many points of view on the same haircoloring services. Whether you are a beginning haircolorist or veteran, there is always something new to learn. To often, we get stuck behind our styling chair, surrounded by the same people and never get out among new people to see what is fresh and current. What makes the Energizing Summit unique is that you are learning from your peers.
Registration for the 2014 Energizing Summit starts Feb.1st with a 20% discount for the entire month.
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The Economics of KT
KERATIN STRAIGHTENING SLOWS DOWN
It could be that the big launch is over or that all of the bad press the Keratin Treatment service is receiving, but the sales of keratin services have slowed. Whether the scares are justified, it has yet to be determined. It could be the some of the clients are realizing broom straight is not all it is cracked up to be. While still a viable service in salons, when done with proper ventilation, it is should be safe. It would be a shame if OSHA outlaws it entirely.
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The Science of KT
More Technology for Clean Salon Air
Fume extraction is the technology that addresses the formaldehyde vapors created during Keratin Treatments. The welding industry also deals with the release of toxic fumes at their workstation and uses ventilation units and face masks. Similar salon units are available to help scrub the air both at the work station and the larger units, for the entire salon. But this safety measure comes with a pretty steep price tag.
Here is an informative article by a Fume Extractor vendor:
The salon industry is notorious for having improper ventilation in place to protect salon workers ...
read more
If you prefer a video over an article, here is a YouTube ad from a similar vendor. view here
Of course, old school ventilation (where available) can also do the trick, but not all salons have outside doors or open windows. Pat Helmandollar, ABCH and salon owner, warns other salons:
We had a kindly visit by OSHA in North Carolina and found out exactly how to handle formaldehyde in the salon. It is a requirement that the air quality be measured "before" employees are exposed to the fumes. We had already decided, before the visit, to move our Keratin treatments to our training room. We set up a station near the back door, which we try to keep open during a service. We use both a fan and an exhaust unit during the treatments.The OSHA rep. measured the air quality during a treatment and found that we were well within our limits for the service; however, since we did not measure the air quality ourselves prior to exposing our employees to the service, we were fined $450. This is minimal compared to what the fine would have been had we not been in compliance.
This is a letter to the ABCH Editor regarding the the Fume Iron mentioned in the last newsletter.
ChemRisk of Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA published a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 8:686-699. In this study, they collected air samples and tested them for formaldehyde content at various locations around a salon during fume-producing BKT services. Air concentrations of formaldehyde were more than 3 times as high during blow dry as they were during flatironing. Concentrations ranged from 0.08-3.47 ppm and 0.08-1.05 ppm respectively for blowdry and ironing.
While I applaud the innovation and intent of the fume capturing flatiron, I question the positive impact in this situation. I am concerned that it may be mistakenly perceived as a complete solution to formaldehyde exposure during a BKT, which may lead to more people being unwittingly exposed to this cancer-causing substance without their knowledge or consent.
Cindy Van Steelandt, Zerran.com
Whether you choose to invest in a fume extractor unit or irons for your salon, or open the windows and doors, or avoid offering the keratin treatments completely, please understand that OSHA is not the bad guy and is looking out for the best interest of ALL of us. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Clean air for everyone is more important than straight hair and profitable hair services.
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