keeping hair back

do you use clips or just hold the hair off the face while you paint? (I have been using clips on my kids)..just curious how others handle this?

On girls I use bobby pins, and they keep them after. For boys...they suddenly get a billion times more self-conscious with clips in their hair (doesn't help that their parents are standing there giggling ), so I usually hold their hair back with my hand, turn their baseball cap around, or, if I have to, I'll put one clip in, with many reassurances that as soon as I'm done, it's out!

I buy the cheap packages of little butterfly clips from the dollar store and they all keep them afterwards.... for the boys, I still do it if necessary, but they can take them off as soon as I'm done. I never reuse them though.

Metal duckbll clips - the long ones like these http://salon.wimexbeauty.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=74019&Category_Code=7030

Are big enough and strong enough to hold back long heavy hair, easy in/easy out, just drop in my alcohol to sanitize... take up very little room in my kit.

I find bobby pins too hard to handle (I have grip problems) and they don't hold back enough hair.

I just hold the hair back and then avoid details in the area that is going to be covered anyway. But do have some bobby pins in my kit, that I sometimes remember to use =)
A little spray of water in fly away hair can do miracles.

I do NOT want to touch their hair.... I trained as a make-up artist and the rules were DO NOT TOUCH THE TALENT... ever. You have to use santized/sterilzed tools and applicators...

And.. have you SEEN what some kids have in their hair???? I put the clips in...and take them out... that's the most contact I want.

I use clips like Shannon's in a cup of sanitized water. Probably overkill because lice need a rough surface to grip onto and there isn't a rough spot to be found on a metal clip, but you never know...one of those little buggers might be a special forces type of bug...

I've been fortunate to not have encountered any lice. I don't know that I'd paint the kid if I did simply because I get itchy just talking about lice and I wouldn't be able to paint them without imagining 100 of those bugs with grappling hooks and repelling cord making the leap to my head.

Yeah... I've been told lice don't jump but... I dunno... I watch tv, they show bugs jumping all the time!!!!!!!!!!!

I work as a makeup artist also, and use a hand sanitizer before and clean everything. But this is kids we talk about.
And yes I'm very aware about lice. If you want to see me panic then take a hat someone have worn and try to put it on me. That is why I don't allow them to touch my hair. But the risk that lice is jumping from their head to your hand (that is more or less without hair) and then to your own hair is really small.

i'm not worried about them getting to me, i'm more worried about passing them to the next kid with my hair accessories. I use the head band cuz it's plastic & solid so one wipe with sanitizers kills all.

I like to use the bobby-pins, they've worked well for me. I bought a container of 300 ct. for a few dollars and let the kids keep them. I had some left over little pom-poms in my craft room from a project and decided to glue them to some of the bobby-pins for fun....the girls really liked it and they felt like they were getting a bonus when I said they can have them hehe.

LoneWolf wrote:I work as a makeup artist also, and use a hand sanitizer before and clean everything. But this is kids we talk about.
And yes I'm very aware about lice. If you want to see me panic then take a hat someone have worn and try to put it on me. That is why I don't allow them to touch my hair. But the risk that lice is jumping from their head to your hand (that is more or less without hair) and then to your own hair is really small.

What if I have hairy hands?

i use plastic clips from dollar tree or the metal ones from the beauty supply place... easy and cheap.. just give them away. little girls love keeping the clips.. i use ones that match their outfit(always run out of pink first!)

wow, that's a lot to think about. i've been using the stretchy hair bands from the dollar store, but i guess the lice thing never crossed my mind...eeeewww. guess I'm going to the dollar store for some clips and LOTS of sanitizer!!

I normally rest my other hand on the paintee's chin and I never touch their head or hold their hair back while I am painting...most of the time I luck out and the parent offers to hold the kid's hair back, but if not, I usually just pin their hair back and let them keep the bobby pins or throw them out afterwards if they don't want to take them. Yeah, I'm petrified of those little buggers so if I suspect that a paintee has them (which I haven't had to do yet...knock on wood!) I wouldn't embarrass the kid, just say something like "You're itchy?"

Just make sure your hair doesn't touch theirs. They dont jump,they need to climb from one hair to another. I was reading an article about it. And putting conditioner thickly through your hair leaving for a while then combing through is the best way to get rid of them. I have waist length hair and keep it tied well out of the way.
I usually perch my fingers on heads to stop them moving and keeping hair out of eyes. Like the water idea though.

I use a headband with velcro.

Can you, or would you refuse to paint a child that you could see had nits or lice? I honestly wouldn't really want to put my hands in contact with that situation for the five minutes or so necessary. I've never been put in that situation yet, and wonder how you all deal with it?

Am I being squeamish not to want to do this?

Kat

i was at a drop in center for low income families a few years back, doing a tad of cheek art, when this youngster sat in my chair and as i started to paint i could see critters crawling on their scalp. My first thought was to jerk back and refuse to paint them, but that would only cause them more suffering and a sence of guilt, as if they dont have enough of that all ready in their life. So i very carefully painted the design away from any hair, keep my mouth shut, and boiled my brushes when i got home

OMG, I'm a head holder when I paint. Never thought about the lice. Not too worried about getting them, more concerned about spreading them to the next kid.

They basicly have to climb from hair to hair. They DONT jump. I keep my hair well tied back up in a bun with fancy hair toy. Use thick conditioner on your hair let it sit for a bit then comb through carefully with a fine toothed comb.
They are a very common problem in the primary schools up here. They are always having campains about them. Also comb through after with a little tea tree oil. You dont need all those heavy chemicals. The little blighters prefer clean hair to dirty. easier to walk through hair.
So no I dont refuse to paint a child with nits. I also have "Chux" cloths to wash dirty faces.( Aus brand wipe up cloth) Just wash them up when I get home.
Kath I have probably been more exposed to this. Youngest daughter used to get them regulary in the first few years of school. Long blonde hair and heads together as little kids do. all parents in class had to do heads preferabley at same time.And then through the family as well. You dont need to hot water wash bedding towels etc. They can't live on them.
this information comes from health dept.
Cheers
Juanita

When there is a break out at the school, I used a few drops of tea tree oil in the family bottle of shampoo. Be ware though, as it does have antibacterial properties to it and as we all know, not all bugs need drugs, so don't use for long periods of time.

-side note-
Wicked awesome avi, Criss!

I went down to the dollar store last month and bought 45 of those stretchy headbands for $3. I love them because I can just hand them to the child (older) or mom/dad and they band back the child's hair. Then the child leaves with a nice present. For boys with the short hair, I've found that spritzing their hair with water and having them mimic me as I pretent to brush my hair up works great (and I always tell them they look like a movie star with their hair all spiky) for some reason the parents get a kick out of watching their kids spiking their own hair...I'd be flummoxed.

if you are painting a kid with nits you are asking for trouble IMHO. You are not only risking your reputation you could get in trouble with the health dept. if someone tried to turn you in (not that you have a license to face paint but they can likely fine you!)

so oh yes I'd refuse a child with lice! or if I was in the middle I'd certainly not finish. In the salon industry you must ask them to leave ASAP. I have no regrets on this. I certainly am not going to spread lice!

koolkatkiwi wrote:Can you, or would you refuse to paint a child that you could see had nits or lice? I honestly wouldn't really want to put my hands in contact with that situation for the five minutes or so necessary. I've never been put in that situation yet, and wonder how you all deal with it?

Am I being squeamish not to want to do this?

Kat