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Big Time Music Trade Magazine Issue 4 Published November 1998 Dedicated to Kristen Smith.  The first interview was at a Hair Salon that has since closed. 
Jen Weymouth  Richards.
 
 
             Interview with
Jennifer Weymouth Richards
 
BTMT:  You just told me you were moving?
 
Jen :  Yes, Yeah.  I'm probably going to be moving right here.  Not in the very, very near vicinity, but I've been here 10 years and things just aren't working out with my landlord, so I'll be moving and I'll have a nicer building and I'm still going to have Hair World and the permanent make-up.  There will be two parts of the business.  It's Micro Pigmentation of Maine.
 
 
BTMT : Could you explain that to our readers? 
 
 
Jen :  Micro Pigmentation is called micro because it is a small minute needle permeating the first layer of the skin, unlike tattooing, it is done with 18 rounds.  And it is quite a different procedure.  It's not to be confused with tattooing- it is not tattooing.  And so many people get that mixed up, so I just wanted to clarify that.  Tattooing permeates one layer of the skin and permanent makeup only permeates one layer of skin.  And the permanent makeup is much more safe.  We don't auto-clave the instruments.  I used a different needle on every client.  I also require a patch test 72 hours before to make sure that nobody has an allergic reaction to the permanent makeup.  And the permanent makeup is done on the eye liner, lip liner and eyebrows because as a woman gets older, she loses the eyebrow and facial hair, and a lot of her hair, so it looks really, really nice to have those lines just penciled in and look natural, unlike an eye pencil.  A pencil would look artificial.
 
 
BTMT :  Is that caused from pollution and stress to the nervous system, the hair loss?
 
 
Jen :  That's correct.  The permanent makeup is also done for women that are really, really busy, and they just do not have the time to put on their eye makeup.  You can see mine.  It's just penciled so perfect.  You would never be able to do that with an eye pencil, so that's what is nice about it, too.  It's penciled on just nice and fine-lined, and it is just perfect.  You do not have to stretch or age the skin.  You don't have to take the time when you go swimming, you can just put it on and it is there, and your're good to go.  I love it.  You know how regular makeup gets in the corner of the eye?  It just stays right on the eye liner.  You never have to pencil those lines again. It is a simple, safe, natural-looking procedure and it's a lot lower in cost than a plastic surgeon.  I charge $500 for the top and bottom eye liner, or the eyebrows, or the lip liner, or $300 for just the bottom eyeliner.  Not everyone wants top and bottom.  See how it's lying across the top of the lashes?  Some women just wear bottom eyeliner.  So it is a lot lower in cost.  Plastic surgeons charge $3,000.  So it's really, really nice.
 
 
BTMT : Plastic surgeons are not cosmetologists, so how could they know what is right for a lady's face shape and hair style?
 
 
Jen :  You read my mind exactly.  One of my clients , in fact, went to a plastic surgeon and she wants me to now redo it.  I had done her lip liner and her eyeliner and she had her brows done by the plastic surgeon and he did a terrible job.  She wants me to fix this, the the State had stopped me from doing it at the time.  There was a lot of controversy and they told me I had to be a plastic surgeon or an M.D..
 
 
BTMT : Is that because of lobbyists on the plastic surgeon's sides?  They tried to block it?
 
 
Jen :  No.  Plastic surgeons didn't fight it.  I really, truly think that DHS had a concern with safety.  I wouldn't do anything unless I was qualified to do it.  I've been a cosmetologist now for over 15 years and I've done a lot of trade shows, all the way from New Orleans to Hawaii.  All these plaques - I used to think I needed a plaque to tell me that I was good.  I competed against competition, against 203 girls and I won first place.  So I know that I know how to apply cosmetics.  I was trained in cosmetic artistry by Sheryl Whitten, who had done Sophia Lauren, and Cher.  So, I really wouldn't do it unless I was qualified.  And that was their concern - making sure that it was safe and what not, but I've been certified in anything I do - from body piercing to clipper hair cuts, straight razor shaves, permanent makeup.  Anything that I do I get extra education in and I'm certified in.  Which I feel that you should do.  Unless tattooist.  They don't have to have any formal education whatsoever.  They buy a $50 license and hang it up and they can go do it.  Now explain that - I'm confused.  They permeate 3 layers of the skin and I only permeate one layer of the skin so it only lies on the dermis.  Eventually you can make it face it you want to with three ingredients - saline, glycerin, and alcohol.  You can put it on and it can make it fade.  I'm shining proof if that.  My eyebrows were done - I was a model for the Los Angeles Permanent Cosmetic Institute and my eyebrows were done, I'm blonde, and they came out brown.  I was like "Oh my God!"  I never had any eyebrows at all.  So I faded the heck out of them.  So that's a classic example.  It can be lightened it you want it to.  So that's what the state's concern is, I guess.  I don't do anybody unless they are over 18 and of a sound mind and body - they know that they want to do this.  It is not a service that I push or try to sell.  I think that somebody needs to want this because it is not like a hairstyle that will grow out or anything.  My eyeliner is six years old.  It is a commitment, but for career women who have no time, it takes the tedious task of applying the daily preparation of makeup.  The busy athletic woman - she's always perspiring, the makeup running way down her cheeks, and women with limited dexterity or vision, women with joint problems and things like that, they can't apply their makeup, so it's great as far as that goes.  

 


MODELS ARE NOT FROM ACTUAL ACTION DVDS.

BTMT : Probably for musicians on stage?  They perspire a lot from those heavy lights.
 
 
Jen :  OH yeah, it's really, really good for people in rock - n - roll bands.  They perspire and things like that, so they would really like it.  As far as ease and control.  Plus, they can write it off as an entertainment expense so that is really nice and they can look naturally beautiful day and night.  So that's really great.
 
 
BTMT : What's the ingredients used in the actual process?  Is it titanium pigmentation and stuff like that or is it the actual ingredients that go into the, I don't want to call it ink, but the pigment?
 
 
Jen : The Pigment, the color, is allergy tested and was approved by the FDA.  It is not an iron oxide.  It's different than the ink they use for tattooing.  It's all approved and allergy tested, so that's really, really nice about it.
 
 
BTMT : I just asked because I wanted to separate you from the hackers.
 
 
Jen :  That's really, really good.  Absolutely.  I also give people an allergy test.
 
 
BTMT : Do you sometimes recommend that they see a doctor before they come and see you?  For the sound mind and body thing.  If you're not quite sure if they are of sound mind, if they talk to a psychologist or something to see if this is what they want to do.
 
 
Jen : Well, to tell you the truth, I think that anybody that I find that would have any likely complications, I decide not to do them, but I've never had that happen.  They really need to be sure of it and I tell them that. We turned people away.  We said "you really need to know that you want to do this" and "Oh, I'm not sure about my husband" and this, that and the other thing.  And I've said "Then maybe this isn't the time to do this."  And I've probably lost two or three clients because of that, but you know, I want them to be sure of it.  I don't want to have to constantly be saying to them "Well this is it."  Nobody that I've done allergy testing to has been allergic to it.  They find that people who have been allergic to tattoos and things like that are not allergic to this product.  So that's nice.  Also, I pencil the lines on with a hydrograph pencil.  It's a medical pencil.  So, people know exactly what they are getting and  they coach me and throughout the whole procedure I say  "How does that look to you?   How does that look to you?  How does that look to you?"  And we keep sitting up and sitting up.  And some people for the top and bottom eyeliner it takes 40 minutes and for some people it takes two hours.  It feels like tweezers - a little irritating pinch.  But it's really, really nice to think about never having to pencil those lines again, ever.  I love it.  I love it.  It's the greatest thing in this industry and it's the greatest thing I've done for myself.  You know how good you feel after an exercise work-out for your body?  That's what I parallel this to.  I feel so good about it.  I've had women sit up from the table or dental chair and they hug me and kiss me.  It's an awesome feeling.  It's a neat thing.  I've really found it fulfilling, even more than cutting hair to be honest with you.
 
 
BTMT : Did you also mention that you also do permanent lip-stick?
 
 
Jen :  Yeah, permanent lip liner, which prevents the lip stick from bleeding and stuff.  Mine wasn't done.  I tried to do my own but it's hard.  I have my eyebrows done and my eyeliner and eventually I'll have lip liner.  I haven't got around to it, I've just been too busy.  I think the lip liner is great because it also helps women with real thin lip line.  She has a really thin lip line, (pointing to photo that was in the same magazine issue back in 1998.) it helps the lipstick bleeding.  It helps shape uneven lips, conceal scarring, and it gives a fuller look if you want a more voluptuous look, because we do it right on the vermeil line.  That's the line connecting the skin and the lips so it gives the lips a more fuller look.  I've been really ambivalent about doing mine because I have full lips anyway.  You have to really think about it.  I love it.  It's just been a great thing. 
 
Let's see.  I've covered time, cost, procedure, how the procedure is done.  I do an allergy test, and then it's just implanted dot...dot...dot - slowly at a time.  You walk through it with the client.  So it's just that simple.  After about 72 hours, you know, your eyes swell up a little bit; but some people go out that night.  So everyone's different, it's a little tender for the most part, but it's not like plastic surgery.  It's a very easy, healthy experience, like getting your hair done.  It's worth it.
 
 
BTMT : I'd like to ask a couple of questions about your hair salon.  Proper diet and healthy hair - is there a connection?
 
 
Jen  :   There is- there really is.  A lot of people don't realize it.  Your hair is nourished by your blood stream The number one reason for hair loss is hereditary, acidic stomach, which is nerves and diet, and you can change all that.  Those are the three reasons for hair loss.  I did a young lady this week and she was incredibly underweight.  I don't know if it was anorexia or what not, but she had hair loss of big, big chunks.  People don't realize that diet has a lot to do with healthy hair or not.
 
 
BTMT :  Is that why overweight women have really healthy hair?
 
 
Jen  :  A lot of it is hereditary, truthfully.  You have to eat a good diet to have good hair.  Just like good skin and if you are eating potato chips and everything.  Some dermatologists feel that is an old wives tale.  I totally don't.  I'm living proof of that.  The body cannot take too, too much sugar and you need fat to make the brain cells grow.  But like anything - in moderation.  Just like drinking too much might ruin your kidneys.  So it does make an incredible difference- having a good proper diet and sleep.  I know that sounds corny and cliche, but lots of sleep and just overall healthy, less stress.  Stress in a life and lose your hair.
 
 
 
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BTMT : Brittle hair too, is that from being sick all the time, like with a chronic cough every winter, it makes the hair less soft?
 
 
Jen  :  If you use harsh hair colors or you beat the crap-out of your hair, like blow-drying and curling irons and stuff like that.  Naturally curly hair is actually lacking in natural oils anyway so you have to do special things to take special care of it.  A lot of people don't realize that topically what you do to your hair does affect your hair a lot.  I'm not just trying to sell them something, but it does affect the hair.  It makes a significant difference.  Also, if you smoke, it dries up the hair. skin, and nails.  It stunts the growth of the hair.
 
 
BTMT  :  What about the use of drugs.  What does that do to your hair?
 
 
Jen  :  To be honest with you, I'm really not sure.
 
 
BTMT  :  It's probably safe to say that crack cocaine does some damage to your hair.
 
 
Jen  :  Oh Yeah.  I'm sure.  I can imagine very well because it does right into your blood stream.  It can slow down or stunt the growth of hair.  That a lot of people would find that funny, it's truly interesting, but if you look at drug addicts, it affect the hair a lot.
 
 
BTMT  :  Does the sun with its vitamin K help the hair a lot too?
 
 
Jen  :  The sun can dry out the hair.  It could very well be a bad thing.  It does and it lightens up the hair and the coloring matter of the hair is found in the middle layer of the hair shaft, so it's gone through one of the layers of the hair shaft to get there to lighten it up.  So think about it.  It makes sense, doesn't it?  It does dry out the hair.  A lot of people don't realize that.  they think that it's good for the skin, hair and nails, but it's really not.  I suggest when you're in the sun to put a conditioner right in your hair.  Yeah, leave it right in your hair, which is what I've done for the past couple of days.  Being in the sun, I just leave the conditioner right in my hair.  It makes a big difference.
 
 
BTMT  :  Is there anything else you'd like to add to the interview?
 
 
Jen  :  I think you've got most of it, don't you think?
 
 
BTMT  :  What kind of questions were Channels 13, 5 and 8 asking?
 
 
Jen  :  I was on Diane Atwood two years ago, and asked time, cost, why the state stopped me, what kind of clientele would be interested in the service, procedure, how it's done.  I think we covered everything.  Why would you want to have this done?  But beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  You may find time is no big deal.  Your wife or girlfriend may find it pleasurable to put on makeup.  Some women do.  Some women don't.  But everyone is different.  Personally, time is an essence to most people, or time is money.  I would much rather have extra time to do other things like fix my mop here.  You have naturally curly hair top.
 
 
BTMT  :  Yup.  Everyone I take keeps telling me to cut it.
 
 
Jen  :  Why?
 
 
BTMT  :  This is a conservative time in the world era and they say guys shouldn't have long hair and so forth.  I'm just like if you got it, you might as well grow it out and have it because I've got goldy lock hair.
 
 
Jen  :  I know how old are you Doug?
 
 
BTMT  :  27
 
 
Jen  :  In like 10 years you won't be able to, so you might as well do it now, right?
 
 
BTMT  :  What makes you say in 10 years I won't be able to?
 
 
Jen  :  Society, as you get older, expects a more conservative look.
 
 
BTMT  :  Yeah, I thought you meant my hair is gonna go.  I'm like, Oh My God.  But I've got too much.  Any you said blood flow helps the hair grow.
 
 
Jen  :  Yeah, you see that's why with a good scalp massage, your hair is nourished by your blood stream.  So if you give yourself a good scalp massage, that makes a big difference.
 
 
BTMT  :   So the way people rub shampoo through their hair?
 
 
Jen  :  Yeah, I gave him a good scalp massage...that gentleman earlier.  It makes a big difference.
 
 
BTMT  :  Now, does that also point to the fact of something like magnetic therapy massage, or acupuncture, or even chiropractic treatments can help the blood flow more which can help your hair grow faster or healthier?
 
 
Jen  :  No.  I wouldn't say thast at all.  I go to the chiropractor.  But people think those electrode treatments help the hair grow.  I don't know if there's much truth to that, but I just think good old fashioned, the balls of your finger tips, stimulating it in a relaxing manner.  Those electrodes almost shock the scalp.  I don't know if I would recommend it.  I wouldn't period.  We used to use them in the barber school that I went to and I think it makes people nervous, it hurts, I had it on my scalp.  They put it on and it was nasty.  But they wanted to experience the services that we sold.  Oh my God.  it was awful.  And some hair salons still use them.  They are are nasty,  It's just like electrolysis, killing the hair by the root of thenerve.  It is disgusting.  They give shocks inside the body and they kill it.  You might as well just use liquid hair removal like waxing.  That's so much better.  I do that.  I'm a full service salon.  I'm the owner of Hair World Incorporated, which is a full service beauty and barber shop.  I'm a family salon and I've been around since 1985 and I managed the salon at the mall from '81 to '85.  I worked for Zane for four years.  I was at my own business at the athletic club from '85 to '87 and i've been here for ten years.  I do it all.  I know a lot of musicians have kids.  I don't do blush.  I think blush has to be brushed on with brushes.  I only do anything that can be created with a line.
 
 
BTMT  :  She's not at all like a hacker.  She's got 20 plaques that I'm looking at.
 
 
Jen   :  You can see with me that it's there for the offering.  If you want it and you trust me, do it.  I'm not going to sell you the service.  I want you to want it.  If you feel comfortable, do it and if not go pay $3,000 to have a plastic surgeon.  I don't want you to hope and pray that I do a good job - I do do a good job.  I'm an award winning hairstylist from New Orleans to Hawaii, to Las Vegas.  I don't need a plaque to tell me I'm good anymore.  See I was rated one of the highest Redken Ambassadors.  It goes premier embassy and ambassador.  Ambassador Salons.  I'm sure you've heard of Redken.  It's the number one selling professional line.  That means I have the most anount of education and professional ethic, professional standards.  I am dedicated to the highest quality.  So that's how I got that.  I was honored in People magazine in 1993 for Redken Ambassador salons.  There's about 2,000 of them, and I was the 3rd one in line.  That means I sold one of the most amount of Redken in the nation.  That was pretty cool.  I'm pretty thrilled with it.  That tells you that I am committed to doing stuff that's good for the industry.  I want to be humble, but I really want people to know that I'm not a hacker.  That blows my mind that there are so many of those shows out there and people still don't research it.  If i was having plastic surgery, I'd be huntingh them down and making sure that...but everyone's different.
 
 
This is the end of Jen's interview.
While Augusta Maine will miss her Hair World, I'm sure she will be successful in her next venture.