About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tuesdays Tip #11 Big Sexy Hair

Big Sexy Hair!?!
You want to know what in the world I am going to talk about today, right?

I am going to talk about the poodles, poodle want-to-be's, bichons, cock-a-poo's, any dog we get in that only have about 12 hairs on their heads, and their owner wants you to make it into a nice poofy head.



 Like this old guy.

He sadly passed away a few months ago.
I groomed him for around 17 years.

His owners had been told that he was part Poodle.
They wanted him cut like one with a clean face, poodle feet, and a poodle topknot.

How do you make a topknot out of flat, straight hair?





With Big Sexy Hair Spray Mousse!
Hence, Tuesday's Tip.

With just a little mousse, I can give that flat hair in the above picture a pick-me-up.

At least till he walks out the door with his owners.





After putting the mousse on his head and a blow dry, I got some poof.

At least enough to scissor a round top on his head.

Not too bad.
The mousse lifted the hair enough to pull off the poodle look.

Side Tip:  When trying to get a round top to a head that has flat hair, scissor a little tighter then you normally would.
Be careful not to go too short.
Take a little off at a time till you get the look you want.
The less weight the hair has on it, will help it to stand up.


Any Mousse will work, and I have used many different ones over the years.

Yes, it is a people Mousse.
I have not ever had a dog have a problem with it.

(I just knocked on wood.
Sorry, superstitious.)

I like the mousse I have pictured here.
It does not have a strong smell.
It is a spray mouse, so I don't have to worry about the top breaking off like some other cans of mousse.



This particular brand is expensive, $17 a bottle, but it take about 3-4 months to use the whole can.
So it breaks down to around $5.70/4.25 a month.

This is how I use the Mousse.






This is 'Abby'.
Her topknot still has a little humph to it, but the hair is thinning out.






After the bath, and before I start drying, I spray a little mousse into my hand.






The amount of hair the dog has and how straight the hair is determines how much mousse I use.

Because her hair is thin I use a little more.






Sometimes I rub it on both hands or just use one hand.








I rub it on the top of the dogs head, being very careful not to get it in the eyes.






I rub the mousse into the hair only.
I don't rub the mousse into the dogs skin.

Work it through the hair all the way to the ends of the hair.





I let the mousse set in the hair while I dry one side of the dog.
If the dog allows me to use the HV Dryer, I dry the hair from the back and side towards the middle of the head, to help the hair stand up.
Do not point the dryer straight down on the top of the head.
You don't want to create a part in the middle of the head.




Wala.
A nice round topknot.
How long will it hold up?
I am not sure.
Long enough for the owner to see it is okay with me.

WARNING: Do not kill the owner when they rub the dogs head and smash down the topknot right in front of your eyes.

I have always been afraid that one of these days I will snap.




 "Live at 5."
"A dog groomer killed one of her customers today. As the groomer was being lead away by police, she was heard to be mumbling; 'they smashed it, they smashed it, I worked so long on that topknot, they smashed it...' When asked, no one knew what the customer had smashed. This is Tim Tooten reporting."

I am not sure when I first started using mousse for topknots.
I do know it has been for at least 20 years.
I don't remember how I found out about it either.

I do remember the first dog I started using it on.
She was a very pretty black miniature poodle named 'Babette'.
Her Mom was very particular about her grooming.
She did not want anyone grooming 'Babette' but me.
'Babette's' Mom also liked a very full topknot.
As 'Babette' got older, the hair on her head started losing it's curl and thinning out.
I started using the mousse on her head.
It worked great, until...

One Christmas Eve 'Babette' was in for her Christmas appointment.
I had run out of mousse and had forgotten to buy more.
It was way too busy to leave the shop and go get some.
So I groomed 'Babette' without the mousse.
I did the best that I could with the topknot.

The first day back after Christmas, 'Babette's' Mom called.

"Who groomed 'Babette'?" she asked my husband angrily.
"Lisa did as always." he answered.
"NO, she didn't," the owner insisted.
"Yes, Lisa is the only one who ever touches 'Babette'." my husband told her.
"This is NOT Lisa's work," the owner insisted.
"Why do you think that?" my husband asked.
Exasperated, the owner said; "The top of her head is FLAT!"
"Hold on, let me ask Lisa."

After talking to me, my husband went back to the owner and explained to her about the mousse that I used to help 'Babette's' topknot look nice.
He explained that we had run out and been unable to get more at the time.
He also told her that I DID groom her dog, and that I would make sure to always use the mousse on her dog from now on.

When 'Babette's' owner came in the next time, I went up and personally apologized.
"That is okay, you were busy, but don't ever let anyone else groom 'Babette' again," she said firmly.

From that day, till pretty 'Babette' passed away, as the owner dropped her dog off, she would say; "Make sure Lisa does her this time not the other person!" 

Ooooookay.

I use the mouse on Poodles, Bichons, Cock-a-poos, and any other dog that I want a poof on the top of the head.





EXTRA TIP:




Use the mousse on Pom Poms to help the hair stand up and out so that you can scissor a nice round ball.










I hope this helps someone.  :)

Happy Grooming, MFF

3 comments:

  1. Starting a dog grooming business now would be a great investment. The industry is growing. Statistics show that the percentage of pet owners is to increase about 10%-20% by the year 2012. Most pet owners love to spoil there animals. If you have a solid business plan and the right education, you will more than likely succeed with your dog grooming business.

    Mississauga Dog Groomer

    ReplyDelete
  2. could the big sexy root pump moussse be put on the whole dogs body? or is there another recommend for that? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shelley,
      I only use it on the head, because the dog can not lick its head. I personally would not use it on the body, because it is a people product. There are volumizers for dogs. Davis makes a nice one. So does Chris Christensen has Thick-N-Thicker too.
      Lisa, MFF

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