Jossie asked me to write a bit about techniques and methods. I suppose, since I wrote a book about the blend, people think I’m dogmatic. Well, I’m pretty much like Art Hinkel.
Art was my mentor and he always had an open mind. I remember after I’d been in business a few years, he wondered if I’d found out what “worked better.” Art was an experimenter — nothing written in stone. He had made a “flash machine” (the model F) and he made a 27-megahertz unit way back in 1938! We fiddled with all kinds of units.
I just had a student here for a “brush up” and she was stunned (actually angry) that I was “not sticking to the rules in my book!” Well, that’s because those are NOT rules! They are guidelines. It’s like this: when you learn a language you study the grammar and often think about “the rules” before you speak. Once you know the language, you don’t think about the rules - you speak intuitively!
Never forget that a lot of what we do is by pure intuition. That’s why electrolysis is not so easy to perform and get superior results. (Also why I’m a fan of “chair-side” training.) I did a class in New Zealand a few years ago and there was a big controversy. An electrologist/author, Neil Blok, was leading a “rebellion” against me because he believed in “leading with the DC.” The class was amazed because I told them that’s a good technique and I use it most of the time — and that Blok was correct! “End of the Rebellion!” What utter silliness about nothing.
Jossie was pretty much surprised that, for the most part, I use a 1 - 1.5 second exposure to the HF (the DC is just “going along for the ride”). I seriously don’t need to defend what I’m doing because it’s all about what works! Anesthetic creates a new technique.
Folks assume that I’m against thermolysis. And, again, that’s so silly. I was a Kree operator (HF flash) for 3 years before learning blend. For 25 years I had several different machines and was proficient in all of them. It’s fun!
When it comes to electrolysis, I’m agnostic! Skeptical, but agnostic. I will say that my feelings are hurt when folks assume that “my work is bad” or that “the blend causes red marks,” or whatever. I talked with a very admired colleague a couple days ago (Dectro user) and she said — “well, I know you use anesthetic and you are probably overtreating everybody.” I could have cried! She has never seen my work — EVER — and I wonder where such an idea came from?
I think we dismiss others too quickly when we do not actually know what they are doing! Still, I have never met an electrologist I didn’t like. I just think we should all keep an open mind. Sometimes what we believe is not actually true! Because you are getting results does not mean the other person, with a completely different system, is NOT getting excellent results — maybe better than yours! I mean, this is electrolysis; not religion or politics! It’s the science of hair removal, not the philosophy of hair removal!
(Is that enough Jossie?) Sorry for the long-winded post! Rainy day in Santa Barbara! Love it!