The Beauty Industry

book-cover04

Do you really want to know what it’s like to be in the beauty industry?

After being in the beauty industry for thirty three years I think I’ve learned a thing or two.

My novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, a kindle book, is my interpretation of the beauty industry and what it’s like to really stand behind the chair of a hairdresser.

Being a hairdresser working in the beauty industry is not just about cutting hair and beauty school doesn’t prepare you for the real world of dealing with the public and being a confessor.

 Towel Dry and a Good Cry  will walk you through the life of, Josie Capelli, a new to the business hairdresser in the early 1980’s, her crazy best friend and her drama filled Italian family.

Hairdressers in the beauty industry, world-wide, would agree it doesn’t matter what country you live in the hairdresser/client dynamic is always the same.

I invite you to join Josie as she navigates her life as a hairdresser in the eighties through laughter and tears with this heartfelt story about truth and trust and love with a tangled web of characters. Some you’ll love some you’ll hate and some will leave your jaw hanging open!  Watch the book trailer:  www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

And as John Steinbeck so eloquently put it in this quote, is my sentiment exactly.

comment on hairdressers Steinbeck

80’s Hair Trends

One thing’s for sure, whether you did or didn’t live through the eighties hairstyles and fashion,  Towel Dry and a Good Cry, my kindle book, will walk you through the eighties with the main character, Josie Capelli, a new to the business hairdresser, her crazy best friend and her drama filled Italian family.

Dorothy Hamel

Two driving forces led the way to the hairstyles of the eighties, The Dorothy Hamel haircut and the Farrah.

Dorothy Hamel’s haircut, in the mid-seventies, changed the history of hair. Her cut was considered a “blow cut” or precision haircut and back then I didn’t even know what that meant, but I wanted one.  The key to making the cut look fuller was blow drying it for volume.  So, everyone and their brother bought a blow dryer and sought out going to a salon for a blow-cut.

In the beginning of my kindle book, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, Josie Capelli describes her hair as looking like Farrah Fawcett’s. Farrah’s cut, of the late seventies, was the onset of the big-hairstyle craze of the eighties and women bought a variety of curling irons and hot rollers to create her look. Curling your whole head was a lot of work and woman wanted more staying power, perms were the answer.

Farrah

The idea of the perm was to give more staying power, more volume and more hair to tease out.  It was like the bigger the better hairstyle contest.  Some wore their perms blown out and finished off with the curling iron. Others wore their bangs teased up high and the perm was left curly on the sides and the back of the hair.  Carving out sideburns was also popular.  When the sides of the hairdo were pulled out and teased away from the face, the sideburns gave a little something near the ear which also added character when the hair was pulled back in a scrunchie or bow.  Men mostly sported their perms curly.

big hairmall bangs and side pony

A girl’s best drug store friend for the hairstyles of the eighties became Rave and Aqua Net hairspray.

80's hair

When Josie goes to the New York Hair Show she learns the newest trend, the bi-level, aka mullet or as I like to call it the moo-lay.  The bi-level was cut short to severe on the sides and the back of the hair was worn longer.  This style either was worn blown out and curled with the curling iron or just the front was blown out and the perm in the back dried curly.mullet

If you wore a short hairstyle in the eighties, the back of it usually had a diamond shape to it so that part could be worn big, also.sculpted

The hairstyles of the eighties gave way to many new hair trends including the Jerri Curl and hair accessories, such as, scrunchies, bows and the banana clip.

Michael Jackson on Victory Tour

In my opinion, the best mullet was worn by Billie Rae Cyrus because he wore his way after the trend was over and was notorious for it.bille rae mullet

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

book-cover04

Hairstyles of the Eighties

One thing’s for sure, whether you did or didn’t live through the eighties hairstyles and fashion, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, my kindle book, will walk you through the eighties with the main character, Josie Capelli, a new to the business hairdresser, her crazy best friend and her drama filled Italian family.

Two driving forces led the way to the hairstyles of the eighties, The Dorothy Hamel haircut and the Farrah.

Dorothy Hamel

Dorothy Hamel’s haircut, in the mid-seventies, changed the history of hair. Her cut was considered a “blow cut” or precision haircut and back then I didn’t even know what that meant, but I wanted one.  The key to making the cut look fuller was blow drying it for volume.  So, everyone and their brother bought a blow dryer and sought out going to a salon for a blow-cut.

In the beginning of my kindle book, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, Josie Capelli describes her hair as looking like Farrah Fawcett’s. Farrah’s cut, of the late seventies, was the onset of the big-hairstyle craze of the eighties and women bought a variety of curling irons and hot rollers to create her look. Curling your whole head was a lot of work and woman wanted more staying power, perms were the answer.

Farrah

The idea of the perm was to give more staying power, more volume and more hair to tease out.  It was like the bigger the better hairstyle contest.  Some wore their perms blown out and finished off with the curling iron. Others wore their bangs teased up high and the perm was left curly on the sides and the back of the hair.  Carving out sideburns was also popular.  When the sides of the hairdo were pulled out and teased away from the face, the sideburns gave a little something near the ear which also added character when the hair was pulled back in a scrunchie or bow.  Men mostly sported their perms curly.

big hair

mall bangs and side pony

80's hair

A girl’s best drug store friend for the hairstyles of the eighties became Rave and Aqua Net hairspray.

When Josie goes to the New York Hair Show she learns the newest trend, the bi-level, aka mullet or as I like to call it the moo-lay.  The bi-level was cut short to severe on the sides and the back of the hair was worn longer.  This style either was worn blown out and curled with the curling iron or just the front was blown out and the perm in the back dried curly.

mullet

If you wore a short hairstyle in the eighties, the back of it usually had a diamond shape to it so that part could be worn big, also. sculpted

The hairstyles of the eighties gave way to many new hair trends including the Jerri Curl and hair accessories, such as, scrunchies, bows and the banana clip.

Michael Jackson on Victory Tour

In my opinion, the best mullet was worn by Billie Rae Cyrus because he wore his way after the trend was over and was notorious for it.

bille rae mullet

I invite you to join Josie through laughter and tears as she navigates her life as a hairdresser in the eighties and what she didn’t learn in school was that she was about to hear confessions as part of her job.  This is a story of truth, trust and love surrounded by a web of characters.  Some you’ll love some you’ll hate and some will leave your jaw hanging open.

Watch the book trailer:  www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

book-cover04

Towel Dry and a Good Cry

Thanks to my friends I’ve found a Capelli’s Hair Salon in Franklin, Tennessee and a Noggins Salon in Middleton, Massachusetts! Wouldn’t Josie Capelli, the main character in the novel Towel Dry and a Good Cry be proud?

Capelli Salonphoto_1

 

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Hairdresser

Do you really want to know what it’s like to be a hairdresser?

book-cover04

After being in the hairdressing business for thirty three years I think I’ve learned a thing or two.

My novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, a kindle bookis my interpretation of what it’s like to really stand behind the chair.

Being a hairdresser is not just about cutting hair.  Beauty school doesn’t prepare the hairdresser for the real world of dealing with the public and being a confessor.

 Towel Dry and a Good Cry  will walk you through the life of, Josie Capelli, the main character, a new to the business hairdresser in the early eighties, her crazy best friend and her drama filled Italian family.

Hairdressers world-wide would agree it doesn’t matter what country you live in the hairdresser/client dynamic is always the same.

I invite you to join Josie as she navigates her life as a hairdresser in the eighties through laughter and tears in this heartfelt story about truth, trust and love with a tangled web of characters.  Some you’ll love some you’ll hate and some will leave your jaw hanging open!  Watch the book trailer:  www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

And as John Steinbeck so eloquently put it in this quote, is my sentiment exactly.

comment on hairdressers Steinbeck

Must Read Poem For Sandy Hook

 

angels1

This poem was sent to me by a friend and I was so moved by it I had to share it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Sandy Hook Elementary School

Twas’ 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38

When 20 beautiful children stormed through Heaven’s gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy; they didn’t know what to say.

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

“Where are we?” asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

“This is heaven” declared a small boy. “We’re spending Christmas at God’s house”.

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their Savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

And in that moment was joy, that only Heaven can bring

Those children all flew into the arms of their King.

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

One small girl turned and looked at Jesus’ face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had

He gently whispered to her, “I’ll take care of Mom and Dad.”

Then He looked down on Earth, at the world far below

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

“Let My power and presence re-enter this land!

“I’m taking back my nation. I’m taking back my schools! ”

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

“Come now my children let me show you around. ”

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

“In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT.”

The Barber and The Barber Pole

red and white barber pole

Josie Capelli, the main character in my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, had a grandfather that was a barber for over fifty years.  Josie learned a lot about the profession of hair from him.

Barbering is one of the oldest professions going back six thousand years.  A barber, back in the day, performed other things besides cutting hair and shaving.  It was common for a barber to pull a tooth or surgically do a bloodletting.  They were known then, as Barber Surgeons.

When barbers did bloodletting they rinsed the blood soaked cloths they were using and hung them in front of their businesses to dry.  The symbol of these stained white cloths waving in the wind became the reasoning behind the idea of a barber pole, symbolizing that a barber was on duty. The original barber pole had red and white stripes.  The barber pole that we know today has red white and blue stripes representing our country.

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

 

 

 

 

The story of the Candy Cane

In my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, Josie’s mother is a woman steeped in tradition with deep religious roots she has tried to instill in all her children.  The story of the Candy Cane would have been a story she would have told at Christmastime, for sure.

candy cane

The Candy Cane Story

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would remind people of the true meaning of Christmas; so he made the candy cane to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker then shaped his cane into the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to the earth as Savior. It could also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down to reclaim the fallen lambs who, like sheep, have gone astray.Manger

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Christmas Tree Trivia

Christmas Blog

I just learned something today I thought I’d share in light of the Christmas season.  Each year, 3.5 million American families bring real Christmas trees into their home.  This custom was first introduced in the United States in 1842, by Charles Minnegerode at Williamsburg, Virginia. His tree was described as “splendidly decorated” with strings of popcorn, gilded nuts and lighted candles. The 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was the first president to set up a Christmas tree in the White House.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

A quote

I’m famous for writing things down I hear or read that appeal to me. The problem is, I usually write them down on whatever I can get my hands on, at the moment, and I end up finding little notes all over my house. Today, in a basket I keep my kitchen scissors in, I found one of those tiny pieces of paper with a quote written on it. I have no idea who wrote it, but I thought I’d share it anyway.

“His heart rose up briefly, like a scrap of paper on a breath of wind, then quickly settled back to the ground.”

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It’s a time to be thankful for what we have, not think about what we don’t have. I was moved by this quote and thought it worthy of sharing.

“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”

H.U. Westermayer

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an official United States holiday that honors armed service veterans. Unlike Memorial day, which honors American service members who died in service to our country, Veterans Day pays tribute to all veterans, living or dead.  It’s a time to give thanks to all the living veterans who served our country during war and peace. We give thanks for the sacrifices that come with that job and the sacrifices their families and loved one’s have to endure.

I truly appreciate and thank all our U.S. Veterans including my husband, a USMC vet.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

 

Creative perms of the early 90’s.

My novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, takes place in the early eighties and Josie Capelli, the main character, is in the thick of the perm era. The boom in perming in the late seventies and throughout eighties seemed to happen over night.

Hair in the nineties became long and straight and the general public viewed perms as out of date. The science changed and brought better technology in the perm solutions making less damaging perms such as perms with no ammonia.

Stylist’s found new ways to incorporate perms into a client’s look in the nineties with new wraps and perming tools. Creative perming moved from the old-fashioned perming machines…  circa 1934

to stacked perms… created by Dwight Miller

and one of my own creative perms from the nineties.

Even today, with all the relaxing and keratin straightening that is being done, perms are still not a thing of the past.   They’ve been re-invented again using names like, texture perm, partial perms or body waves. I’m curious to see what the next decade will bring.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Something for the Museum

Every fourth weekend of the month the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, in Nashville, hosts a flea market and sellers come from all over the area bartering for their treasures.  This past weekend’s October flea market is known for being the largest of the year.  This is an event I always look forward to. I never go to the flea market with the intentions of buying anything in particular, but I always manage to pick up a little something, for the right price.

The junk or the rusty gold is my favorite to look at. Everything has a past and a story to be told about it.

In my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, Old Lady Cavendish tells Josie and Sadie a story about each piece of her furniture as they walk through the old lady’s apartment.

Here’s the little something I picked up at the flea market for my photo Museum of Hair History on my website.

Minipoo Dry Shampoo, circa 1947

Davant Men’s Talc, circa 1945

Paris, Tennessee

 

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.