Manikins

Often students tell me they don't like working on their manikins. But they are such a great practice tool. Who else would let us cut their hair, perm them, bleach them, color them all sorts of funky colors and God knows what else we do to torture these poor lifeless things! We have been doing pin curls and fingerwaves lately in class and the styles those poor manikins have been sporting is often tragic. Often times these poor things get so tangled it is difficult to work with them. Here is what we do in my classroom: shampoo hair and detangle. Set wet manikin in a plastic wash tub. Totally saturate the hair with a liquid fabric softener, cover loosely with a towel and set over night. Next day rinse manikin well. There will be a slight feel to the hair of the softener for a few shampoos but the hair will be tangle free and ready to work with. I find this especially good when getting ready to start haircutting classes. All those tangles distract from the goal and cause so much frustration when the subject itself is difficult enough.