There are many rewarding experiences that come with working at a hair salon. Watching your staff grow as hair designers and seeing their client’s faces light up when they see their new look are definitely at the top of the list. However, nothing beats the experience I had recently.
I was in my office doing paper work when one of our designers asked if they could borrow my Caboki. Caboki is a product we recently discovered made out of cotton fibers that magnetically clings to your hair and hides balding or thinning spots. See https://onesalonlife.com/2014/10/caboki/. “Of course”, I said, “who needs it?” The designer replied, “I just want to see if the color matches my clients hair.” Thinking nothing of it, I again replied, “Of course, take it, use as much as you want.”
About 10 minutes later the designer returned and asked in an anxious tone, “Um…do you think my client could buy the rest of your Caboki off of you?” I whirled around in my chair and said, “OK, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” And the designer told me the following story: Her client was an 8 year old girl who was recently involved in a bizarre, yet harrowing accident. While she was was blending cookie mix, her long, beautiful, brown hair got caught on one of the beaters and was torn out of her scalp right on her part line. Amazingly, this wonderful little girl had been just parting her hair on the other side as her scalp healed and her hair grew back.
After hearing this story, I jumped out of my chair, walked out onto the floor and approached this little cutie. I said, “Hi, my name is Craig. I want you to have this.” And I handed her the bottle of Caboki. “Look you can’t even see it anymore!” she exclaimed, leaning forward to show me her hair. “It’s like magic isn’t it? Did they show you how to put it on?” I asked. “Yes, thank so much,” she replied. At that point her mother started tearing up, the designer tearing up and this cute, little spitfire just sat there grinning from ear to ear. If that is all it takes to make a little girl happy and feel good about herself, I would do it 1000 times over. Tis the season. Give back.