Project Showcase

For my project we were supposed to:

• Use a mannequin to demonstrate at least one cosmetology skill we learned in class
• Recreate an artist/ logo we are passionate about with the use of hair color and makeup
• Reflect on how this project relates to us

My character that I created for my showcase is the rap artist Rico Nasty. She is very out there. Her style is original and different from what most African American female rappers would choose to present themselves.

Throughout the whole course of cosmetology I have learned so many things from infection control to how to properly handle a hot tool. I was having trouble trying to achieve this hairstyle but my wonderful teacher showed me how to keep her hair standing up. Hair spray and a flat iron. I would’ve never thought!

The most important lesson I learned in the project is that you have to be consistent in what you are doing. If you are not satisfied with your results. Start over. Your client is the one paying you. Not yourself. I treated my mannequin as if it was actually Rico Nasty. I know she wouldn’t settle for anything less than what I present to you today. I learned many things throughout this project. A few are:  untreated/uncolored hair going lighter, color all over, and the ratio for bleach to developer. These are very important in the cosmetology industry. If you do not take your time and do your color procedure the right way you will mess up. It is very important that you take your time and pay attention to what you are doing when you are handling bleach and following a color procedure or you will mess up and your client will be very upset. You want to make sure that the bleach is not on the client’s scalp or neck. If it is, it will burn your client. With hair color, if you get it on your client’s scalp or neck he or she will have a stained scalp and neck for a few days, maybe even weeks! Who wants that? It’s not cute and it will throw your whole look off. This is very unprofessional and should not be done if you expect your client to pay full price.

This affects my culture by showing my fellow people of color that you can go outside the box. I know it’s something we wouldn’t do or to even be so bold but there is so much to the colored community than just box braids and hair weaves. We can do color! We can do exotic make up and bold colors! Who told us we couldn’t?! Society? This world changes everyday and so should we. Be bold and own who you are!

One thing I would have done differently is the untreated hair going lighter procedure. I continued to use the same developer which didn’t show me a difference.

With everything that is going on in the world right now, racism just seems to stand out over all other problems. In the African American culture it is very rare that you will see a woman of color with green hair and dark pop culture makeup, like the famous group KISS. Rico Nasty breaks down the boundary of culture and shows that you can do or be whoever you want despite how your culture “should be”. There is nothing wrong with being different!