Hairdressing is all about cutting hair… or is it?
The Hairdressing DEP includes many modules in which students must master the theory before they start their practical work.
Posters of the Human Skin and Hair
Essential to hairdressing, students demonstrate their understanding of human skin and hair by building a poster which includes more than fifty biological elements. Biologically correct in all aspects, some student’s creative abilities became apparent as these posters became impressive works of art.
This knowledge prepares students to communicate with their future clients and be credible while explaining the nature of scalp and hair disorders and their choice of products and procedures.
The Bonds of the Human Hair
In human hair, bonds keep elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur attached to each other in a very unique way. Hairdressing services affect the way in which these bonds are organized while subjecting hair fibers to physical and chemical situations.
Students presented a model of these bonds to show their understanding of these elemental notions which ultimately affect the type services and products chosen for their clients.
Soap Making
The hairdressing department was transformed into a laboratory where students experimented with the concept of pH while making homemade soap (shampoo is liquid soap). Masks, safety glasses and gloves were worn while working with a reactive solution of water and sodium hydroxide.
A solid understanding of how changes in pH can affect changes in the scalp and the hair of clients is important to hairdressers. From mild physical and chemical reactions such as the correct choice of shampoo and conditioners to extreme treatments such as perms and relaxers (which can have a pH of 13). The choice and use of the appropriate neutralizing solutions makes all the difference.
Stephanie Tremblay
Coordinator/Teacher
NOVA Career Centre