Author: Penny Miller

Penny Miller started her cosmetology career in 1982 in Oklahoma. After a few years in the business she purchased a small barber shop in Pauls Valley known as Phase II Hair Design. With a passion for the Beauty Business, she grew her business, expanded her technical skills and her business skills and then later went back to school to learn the best methods to mentor others in the beauty field. Penny has worked and trained with several wonderful cosmetology professionals through the years, and has a true working knowledge of the Salon Business.
Once she graduated with her instructors license, she tested her methods, and then opened what is now known as Penny Miller Cosmetology Academy - Phase II. She offers cosmetology training in several different courses as well as intense Salon Business Building practices.
Penny still has a passion for the Beauty Business and enjoys helping others to find their path in Cosmetology. Her methods of teaching have been tried and true, as she still hold a 100% pass rate with her students at the state testing level.

Categories
Beauty Tips Hair News & Announcements

Bangs, Crowns and CowLicks – How to deal with them.

Quick & Easy How To’s

Bangs, Crowns and Cowlicks and How to deal with them.

We know it’s frustrating as your hair grows out, and you can’t get into your regular stylist, but here a few simple tips to help you with the transition.

If you like a shorter bang, and it’s getting too long, you can simply blow it out with more volume or curl it up to make it look shorter.  It’s better to adjust the length with curl instead of trying to cut it off yourself at home.  You can also back comb it a little at the base, and swoop it over to the side, for a modern asymmetrical look.

Crown too flat and volume missing?  This problem can also be fixed with a little backcombing and a few mists of hairspray as you back comb, to pump it up and replace that volume.  Again, much better to do this than to try to cut it and end up with a mess of craziness going on at the top of your head.

Cowlicks your issue?  This is an easy one, as hair grows out the extra weight will actually help to control those bothersome cowlicks.  These are just a few tips and tricks to help you during this already crazy time.

We know we will be able to get back to the salon soon and be able to help each and everyone of you with your special beauty needs.  Meanwhile, I thought this post might help you just a little with the transition.

If you like this post, or know of someone who would benefit from it, please feel free to share it.  I wish you all the best and hope to see you soon.

Virtual  Hugs and Kisses,   Penny

 

Categories
Beauty Tips

Holiday Gift Certificates Available

We are offering some very exciting Facial & Nail Specials for the Holiday Season.

Limited Time Only!

“PAMPER ME SPECIAL” – Includes an European Cleansing followed with exfoliation, mask, aromatherapy facial massage, facial steaming, toning, micro-dermabrasion treatment and finishes with a moisturizer and shoulder and neck massage. 

Value $ 105.00 – Special only $ 45.00. 

“THE LUX BROW MAKEOVER” –  Eyebrow design at it’s finest – includes waxing, tweezing, tinting & light moisturizer to help your brows make a statement, as they should, to frame your beautiful eyes …and make you look your best.

Value $ 40.00-  Now only $ 25.00

“ACNE FACIAL” – If breakouts are getting you down, then this is the facial for you- Gentle cleansing, steaming,light exfoliation and a mask to remove excess sebum and a ultra-violet light treatment to help to detoxify the skin and help speed up the healing of the skin.

Valued at $50.00 – Now only $ 35.00

 

 

 

“MANICURE/PEDICURE DUO SERVICE”-  We start with a warm soak in sea salts and aromatherapy blend to indulge your senses.  Pedicure includes polish removal, nail trim and filing, AHA callus reduce and buffing, sugar scrub on feet and legs and followed by a wonderfully relaxing foot and leg massage- finished with a beautiful shade of polish of your choice.   Then on to the manicure- Just relax and enjoy as our technician trims and shapes your nails, treats your cuticles and  gives you a calming hand and arm massage then finishes with polish application.  As a special bonus you will receive a neck and shoulder massage to finish up your service and help you feel de-stressed and beautiful.

$75.00 Value  – Now only $ 45.00

Are you having trouble with your Holiday List?  Do you need a special gift for that special someone?  We can help.  We can custom create a Gift Certificate just for you.  Just drop in or give us a call at 405-238-3426.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Beauty Business Cosmetics Hair Monthly Specials Specials

Fall Colors Bring Change

Ready to change your Color Story?

New wardrobe shades are available now for the fall season, It’s time to update Your Look.

Colors are fun and this is the perfect time to have a little change in your life.  The heat is about to break and cooler weather is just around the corner.  Warm up your color pallet with some soft tones of yellow, orange and red to add  a little interest, or you can cool down you look with beautiful berries, plums and wines to add a little depth and shadowing.  Highlights, lowlights, ombre’, or even the luxury of a deep conditioning color glaze, we can custom blend just for you.    We have so many shades to choose and custom blend for your hair!

Schedule a color consultation and we will help you see what will look best on you.

October Special –

Schedule a hair color appointment and receive a FREE Cosmetic Application Lesson!

Categories
Beauty Tips Hair How to Videos

Fun New Techniques

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Quick & Easy Up Styles

Upstyles don’t always have to be difficult. Hot weather is here and instead of cutting it off, why not try a few simple upstyles to get it out of the way for this summer heat???  “We needed a few styles that are quick and easy for our clients to do at home.  These styles don’t replace a hairstylist’s special touch, but they do give long hair some quick and easy fun variety.  We hope you enjoy them. The first one is the Princess Braid.

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CHI has Wonderful Products for all types of hair.

To maintain a great style it is always very important to prep the hair first.  A good cleanse with a stylist recommended shampoo and conditioner is very important to address the needs of your hair to get it to perform the way you would like.  I love CHI because they have so many different systems to work with different hair types, one of my favorites for fine hair is the Magnified Volume System.  It has a wonderful fragrance, & it give you wonderful volume without a stiff feel.  I love this for my clients with fine hair.  I think BIG HAIR is always in and this product does the trick!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!

Check out this Video Clip on How to Volumize Your Hair!

 

When styling the Hair – Up or Down, it’s always important to give it a soft set first. Prep and dry the hair with your choice of wonderful CHI Products, then curl or style hair into the desired shape for the volume and control you desire. Then you can move on to this Sexy Style that Anna is about to show. I hope you enjoy this clip from Anna Cantu, platform artist for Farouk Systems.

Categories
Beauty Business Featured Motivation News & Announcements

Why did I Choose Beauty School?

Why Did I Choose Beauty School?

Because I Love People.

I Love the expression I see on a person’s face when I finish their style, turn them to the mirror and see their eye’s glow in a way we haven’t seen in years.  The look you get when you help someone’s day get just a little better.  You don’t have to move mountains to make someones day better.  Sometimes just the little things.  The subtle changes.  A little caring.  What we feel is minor, others see as MAJOR.  What a great thing to do……Make someones day better!

THIS IS WHAT WE DO IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY!

Penny Miller – Owner and Educator of P.M.C.A. Let me help you with your Beauty Education.

Why Should YOU Choose Beauty School?

There are so many reasons to choose the beauty industry as a rewarding career!

You may have a job already so you probably know what it’s like to work and get paid. But what will it be like to have a career and work at it year after year? Will you come home after a hard day and complain to anyone who will listen? That’s not what anyone wants out of life. Think positive. Come up with some words you’d like to connect with your profession. Now look at the words associated with beauty professionals. See whether your words match these.

  • Beauty. Sure, that’s obvious, but being around beautiful things like nature and art really can enhance your life and make it easy to get up in the morning!
  • Happiness. Not too long ago a poll asked people of different professions to rate their general happiness. Guess what landed among the top? Hairdressers! Walk into any salon, and you’ll see a lot of smiling people.
  • Creativity. Having the chance to express themselves creatively is one of the top reasons people give for making beauty their life’s work. You get to work with your hands and come up with new ideas all the time. Every face becomes a fresh canvas for the make-up artist every head of hair a sculpting project for the hair designer.
  • People. Unlike some of the other arts-writing, painting-in hair styling and makeup application you don’t spend your creative time alone. In fact, beauty is about as opposite of a solitary career as you’ll find. And, of course, when you work on people’s hair and make-up you hear more of their secrets than you want to know!
  • Reward/Fulfillment. Ask hairstylists what they enjoy most about their day-to-day work, and you’re likely to get one response more than any other: it’s an absolute delight to make people feel great about themselves. Taking a client who’s looking, well, not her best, and seeing her face when she stares at the mirror after you’ve finished working your magic is incredibly gratifying! And unlike a lot of efforts that you work on a long time before you see the “fruits of your labor,” in beauty the gratification comes immediately.
  • Passion. That’s a word you’ll hear a lot from people who work in this field. They feel passionate about beauty, and they so appreciate that they can make a living from their passion.
  • Flexibility. You manage your own schedule. This is another thing professionals love about this business. People get their hair done on weekends, at night, early before work-whatever hours you want to work, there are clients who need you. It’s common for people to work part-time some years and full-time other years, depending on life’s twists and turns.
  • Personal Growth. Fashion trends change continually, and new techniques are routinely developed to create the new looks. To stay on top of everything, beauty professionals go to classes, read magazines, watch DVDs-anything that keeps them up on the latest/newest/hottest. When you’re learning, you feel connected and healthy. One hairdresser said, “When you’re green, you’re growing; when you’re ripe, you rot!”

  • CHI Educator Training
  • Opportunity. Once you’re a licensed cosmetologist  you have an open door to a world of opportunities. You can become a salon manager or owner, teach at a cosmetology school, work for a company to help formulate products, demonstrate products and techniques at trade shows (it’s called “platform work”), develop new looks called “trend releases” for product lines, create styles for magazine or newspaper photo shoots, work on the sets of movies and TV, or even branch off into fields connected to beauty and salons such as public relations/advertising, beauty magazine writing, retail merchandising and display, product sales and distribution and interior design. If you want to stay hands-on “behind the chair,” you can specialize-do mostly hair cuts, hair color, facials, nails or make-up, for example-or you can do it all.
  • Job Security. For decades now, there’s been a shortage of skilled, licensed salon professionals, so the industry has had virtually a 0% unemployment rate. It’s likely that you’ll never have to worry about being able to find a job, and even salons that are fully staffed are interested to talk to eager-to-learn young people coming into the field.
  • Financial Security. The average income for cosmetologist is about $32,000 per year, according to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools, with some sources estimating that figure at closer to $50,000. Many busy beauty professionals who work full-time earn more than that-into the high five figures and beyond. Not everyone does, and it may not happen right away, but if you do good work, have the people skills to get clients trying higher-end services like hair color and waxing, periodically raise your prices and continually market yourself to spread the word, you will make an excellent living as a beauty professional.
  • Giving & Caring. In addition to being “givers” when it comes to treating clients well, cosmetologists are known for their good deeds and community service. Salons routinely hold fundraising cut-a-thons, participate in charity walks as a team and volunteer to do the hair backstage for fashion shows that benefit all sorts of charities-children’s needs, cancer, AIDS, victims of hurricanes and other disasters, hunger and pretty much any cause that’s out there. It’s a charitable industry filled with generous people.
  • Fun. A lot of salon owners make sure the environment stays light and upbeat. They hold sales contests with prizes, decorate for holidays throughout the year, hold photo shoots and laugh a lot.
  • Teamwork. The day of the competitive, catty hairstylist is over! Today’s salons are all about building a team of professionals who help each other and play to everyone’s strengths. Older stylists help and mentor new people, and the whole staff pitches in if someone needs to take time away for illness or other personal crisis. A well-run salon becomes a second family-in a good way!
Categories
Beauty Tips Massage Nails Skincare

Did You Know? Facts about Nails.

 

Facts about Nail Growth and Structure.

Information on how to have beautiful, natural nails.

The primary purpose of the free edge of the nail is to protect the tip of the finger and or toe.

nail anatomy

The nail bed is attached to the bone by ligaments.

The nail root is attached at the base of the nail, under the skin and inside the mantle.

The skin that touches, overlaps and surrounds the nail is the perionychium.

The lunula is the half-moon shape at the base of the nail that appears white due to a reflection of light at the point where the nail matrix and nail bed meet.

Nails are an appendage of the skin.Nail anatomy 2

 

The cuticle is the loose and pliable overlapping skin around the nail.

The average growth of nails is 1/8th inch per month in adults.

Nails grow slower due to aging, winter months and or poor nutrition and tend to grow the fastest in the summer.

The growth of a new nail plate takes approximately 4 to 6 months.

Nail polish, applied correctly, can give the nail a healthy thicker appearance.

Hand massage with a good lotion will add much needed moisture to the skin and the nails, as well as, increasing circulation, blood flow, stimulation and relaxation to the hands and feet.

Over filing the nail and using too harsh of an abrasive or chemicals can thin and damage the natural nail.  Electric Files are meant to be used only on artificial nails.  Damage from electric files can harm natural nails.

In the salon, there are several quick fixes to get your nails looking great immediately, however, there is nothing better than prevention.  If you treat you natural nails with care, they will grow and be beautiful.  Regular manicures with quality tools, equipment and products is the best routine to get into if you want beautiful, natural nails.

 

 

Categories
Beauty Tips

2019 Enrollment Open House at Penny Miller Cosmetology Academy

Save the Date

You are Invited to Our 2019 Open House!

 

We are hosting the Enrollment Event on Saturday, February 16th 2019 at Penny Miller Cosmetology Academy from 10 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.  We hope to see interested future salon professionals and their families during this special event.

We will be offering major discounts on enrollment packages, refreshments, door prizes, guest speakers and more.  Educators will be present to visit and students and their families can find out about the exciting field of cosmetology.

In January of 2019 we celebrated our 16th anniversary as a Beauty College here in downtown Pauls Valley.  We have enjoyed teaching our students how to be young professionals in the beauty business and look forward to working with the next generation of young people.  We have several new innovations we have added to the curriculum since we opened in 2003 and we can’t wait to share these with our new students. This is an exciting time to be in the Beauty Industry, there are so many new innovative products and technologies.  For more information about this and other special events please contact Penny at 405-238-3426.   Can’t wait to meet you at the Academy!

 

 

Categories
Beauty Tips

OHHH Baby….It’s Cold Outside!

Winterize Your Skin

What can we do to off set Mother Nature’s wrath this holiday season?  MOISTURIZE!

Adding lotion is not always enough!

Simple Tips on How to Effectively Moisturize your Skin.

  1.  Add Water – Wash Skin, use a gentle soap and lots of water to plump up the skin and remove any foreign matter.
  2. Exfoliate – You don’t need a harsh scrub- A simple sugar scrub will work wonders!  To make a simple sugar scrub, use equal parts of basic sugar and oil.  Yes, you can find these ingredients in your kitchen.   Scrub your skin for just a few minutes and then rinse down the drain.
  3. Gently Towel Blot-  Blot off excess oil,  don’t rub and remember to be gentle.  Winter sensitive skin can sometimes be a little raw or chapped, so the key is to gently blot.
  4. Moisturize- This is the time to add lotion or creme.  Massage over skin, this seals in the hydration from the water and puts a barrier over the skin to protect it from the harsh effects of winter cold.  If you skin is sensitive try to select a neutral, fragrance free creme or lotion.

That’s all there is to it.  Easy Tips to Moisturize Your Skin, and keep your skin from having the Winter Time Blues.

If you like this article- Please like, and share it on your social media, footnote what articles about beauty you would like to see and I’ll do my best to share information and more tips and tricks with you.

Categories
Aromatherapy Beauty Tips Health Reflexology Skincare

Essential Oils in Aromatherapy

What are Essential oils and how are they used?

Essential Oils

Essential oils, or aromatherapy oils, are the fragrant essence of a plant. These highly concentrated liquid oils are the foundation of aromatherapy, which is based on the idea that the aromatic oil from a plant has healing properties. Essential oils should not be confused with perfumes or other fragrance oils. Essential oils are natural to the plant, whereas fragrance oils are chemically produced to mimic certain aromatic scents for perfumes, colognes, candles, etc.

Essential oils are extracted one of two ways: either by steam distillation or expression, or pressing. Distillation is the most prominent method used to extract aromatherapy oils, however. This technique involves steaming the plant matter until it breaks down. The byproduct of this breakdown phase is the plant’s fragrant oil, which is cooled, separated from the water and finally filtered into its pure essential oil. Some aromatherapy oils are too concentrated to apply directly to the skin. In this case, the oil is combined with a ‘carrier’ oil or lotion to dilute its strength. Applying stringent oils to the skin can cause harmful reactions, such as rashes or burns. And, certain essential oils should be avoided if you are pregnant or have been diagnosed with a specific illness.

When the essential oil is extracted via the expression method, it is actually pressed from the plant source the same way lemon juice is pressed from a lemon. There are various types of essential oils, including lavender, tea tree, patchouli, jasmine, rosemary, etc.  Learn all about the most common essential oils here.

Aromatherapy Mood Blends

 Aromatherapy is based on the principle that natural fragrances, or essential oils, from certain plants or flowers can affect our moods, and consequently how we think or feel at any given time.

In fact, practitioners of Aromatherapy base their entire belief system on the ideology that essential oils, or aromatherapy oils, have medicinal benefits including antidepressant and antibacterial properties, and plenty in between!

Certain essential oils can trigger physical or emotional effects on their own. For instance, lavender is a widely known calming agent, whereas peppermint is a mood lifter. Other oils are blended to achieve a desired physiological or psychological effect. Blending ylang ylang with grapefruit relieves stress.

The following are popular essential oils (and blends). Add a few drops into a diffuser, a pot of hot water, or simply to a cotton ball to achieve the desired effect.

*Do not apply drops directly to your skin; blend with carrier oils or lotions if you want to apply it that way. You can also create some wonderful room sprays by simply mixing a few drops of essential oil with a few ounces of distilled water.  

Stress Relief
Bergamot, Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Patchouli, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang

Anxiety/Fear
Bergamot, Chamomile (Roman), Cedarwood, Frankincense, Jasmine, Lavender, Neroli, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood

Self Esteem
Bergamot, Cypress, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Orange, Rosemary

Sadness/Grief
Bergamot, Chamomile (Roman), Clary Sage, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang

Fatigue
Basil, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Ginger, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood

Agitation
Chamomile (Roman), Lavendar, Mandarin, Sandalwood

Isolation
Chamomile (Roman), Bergamot, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Rose

Memory Boosters
Basil, Cypress, Lemon, Peppermint, Rosemary

Aphrodisiac
Clary Sage, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang

 Safety With Aromatherapy Oils

 CAUTION!!!  Aromatherapy has many benefits, but it is imperative that safety precautions are taken when handling essential oils. While they may seem harmless (they are extracted from plants, after all), most need to be diluted before applying directly to the skin.

 

Safety Tips

  • Read all label warnings and cautions.
  • Keep essential oils away from your eyes. If an oil comes into contact with your eye, flush it out with large quantities of warm water and immediately seek medical advice.
  • Keep essential oils away from children, who may think they can ingest them because of how they smell.
  • Use only the suggested amount; misuse can lead to headaches and/or nausea. If you suspect you’ve used too much, drink plenty of water and get some air.
    1.  Essential oils should be diluted before being applied to the body. Because they are so concentrated, it is not advisable to rub essential oils directly onto the skin. This can cause redness, burning, itching and irritation. If the oil comes into contact with your skin, coat the area in a cream or vegetable oil and then wash with warm, soapy water.·
    2.  Never consume essential oils, unless called for in specific recipes. If you do ingest the oil, drink and rinse mouth out with milk, and seek medical advice.
    3.  Read the warnings on essential oil packaging; some oils shouldn’t  be combined with other medication or alcohol, or taken if you have certain medical conditions (like epilepsy or low blood pressure).

Essential oils have wonderful medicinal benefits, but if used improperly the effects can be hazardous to your health.

How can I tell the difference between a true essential oil and a “fragranced oil”?

Generally true essential oils are labeled as a pure essential oil and packaged in a dark, glass container. They should be labeled 100% pure essential oil and they should also list the species of the plant.  Example 100% pure, lemongrass “Cymbopogon citratus” .  Fragrance oils can be purchased in a variety of stores and are labeled several different was such  as perfumed oil, fragrance oil, oil blend, infused oil etc.  Beware of cheap synthetic oils, that are not natural as chemicals used to fragrance these oils can be dangerous to your health.  When using true essential oils, they are very concentrated, and it takes very little to get the job done.

Where can you purchase Aromatherapy Oils?

 The answer is almost anywhere, please check out your source, not all oils are the same, some can even be counterfeit, so it’s important to purchase from a reputable person or business.

I personally purchase my oils from a pharmacy,  NOW ESSENTIAL OILS is an excellent source. Remember at a Pharmacy you can ask for more information if you have any questions or concerns about possible drug interactions.

If you like this post and would like to see more posts about this type of information, please like and share on your social media.  We would love to hear from you and what you think about our information- Have a blessed day!

 

Categories
Beauty Tips Hair How to Videos

Turbo Styling

Quick & Easy How To’s

Do you have a need for speed when you are styling your hair at home?  Do you start out good, but then get tired when you get to the other side?  Do you feel like you style one side great, but the other just so,so?

If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then here is an article just for you.

TURBO STYLING.

So what is Turbo Styling?  Simply stated, Turbo styling uses advanced techniques with the highest quality products, tools and techniques to dry the hair faster without compromising the integrity of the hair.

First of all, you should ask your personal stylist for recommendations on what products he/she suggests for your particular hair type. Stylists are trained on what products to use for different types of hair, and for different effects.   Often poor product selections is why the style does not work.  It all starts with a good shampoo and conditioner, we love CHI 44 Line to protect your hair from heat when thermal styling. When you finish your scalp and hair cleansing and conditioning you should gently towel dry and then apply your styling product,  comb the product through for even saturation, and then direct the hair the way you would like to style it.

Second – The Blow Out.

As we said earlier – direct the hair the way you want it to go.

Do You want VOLUME?  Do You want Movement?  Do you want Curl?  This is the time you need to decide the direction your style is to take and what tools to use.

Check out my earlier article on combs and brushes for the proper brush selection.   Now for the Blow Out.  Start your Blow out at the nape section of the head, gently blow dry the hair using your fingers as a tool at this time, dry until the hair is almost 80% dry before switching to your favorite brush.  As you can see in the diagram, the hair cuticle is what you will be dealing with the most when you are blow styling your hair.  Think of the cuticle, like tree bark, a young tree has a smooth bark, where as an older, weathered tree has a rougher bark, sometimes parts are chipped away and void.  This happens with hair too.  If you apply too much heat, if you dry the hair opposite of the natural cuticle, it will rough up the cuticle risking damage, and frizz.  It is important to always dry the hair in the direction starting at the scalp area toward the ends, this will keep the cuticle in tack, resulting in a smoother, shinier style without frizz.  After you finish the nape, work upward on the back section of the head until you reach the crown, now go to each side and finish with the top and bang area last.  Once your blow out is finished you can go on to your hot styling tool.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally – The Hot Tool

Select your hot tool according to the finish you want to achieve.  If you want curl, use a curling iron or hot rollers.  If you want smooth and straight, use a flat iron.  Once you have mastered your curling techniques with the basic tools, then you can move on to the 3 in one tools and adding curls with the flat irons.   The metals on each tool will give you a different result.  Ceramic tools are excellent for smoothing the hair, but if you have hair that really needs volume don’t overlook the gold irons, as long as they have an adjustable setting, and please, please, please use the proper heat for your type of hair.  If you have extremely fragile hair, I suggest the basic silver tools, they don’t get as hot, but heat is not always your friend.  Too much heat for too long will damage the hair.

Check out CHI’s new lava tools- excellent lower heat needed do to the lava- infused with minerals to help fortify your hair. Less damage, and better color retention.