Nicholas Carbonaro is a hair stylist based in Ithaca and this week at Rose Cafe, he gave some helpful tips and tricks for college students about self-care. His expertise really shined through as he gave advice to individuals specifically geared towards their haircare questions. Surprisingly, there was not a large difference in the number of female and male students who showed up to the event.

One question that I asked is how I can put in the least effort, least amount of money, and maintain the health of my hair (i.e. avoid bleaching and harsh chemicals) but add color to my hair as a change from the all-black natural hair that I currently have. He recommended that I try balayage. I decided to research more into this style and I discovered some interesting things. For instance, this style is also known as “painting” for its natural look, lightened highlight look. Leading experts recommend the balayage look for people with natural short hair that is curly/wavy in texture. This is the exact type of hair that I have (look below!)

Some other points that I found interesting is the economics behind hair dressing. For instance, Carbonaro explained why female haircuts are so price heavy, it’s because it takes longer for the stylist to cut the hair, and you are paying them hourly rather than by the amount of hair they are cutting. Also, I found out that many of the shampoo products that exist under large companies such as L’Oreal which have high end brands (salon luxury brands) and lower end brands (i.e. Garnier) use essentially the same ingredients. Finding the the shampoo and conditioner best suited for hair type is the key to maintaining healthy hair. Also, I found out that curly hair has more surface area exposed to the air/sun/environment which is why it easily gets damaged. So, conditioner is very important for everyone but especially people with curly hair.

Carbonaro also made the interesting connection between opportunity cost and self-care. People often complain about the high price of a good haircut, but they don’t realize the value or worth of the money. For instance, someone is willing to spend money on a night out partying, but when it comes to self-image, and self-care, they become very considerate about pricing. I guess the overall message was that life is about decisions, and self-image is something that should be valued highly especially in certain industries related to business which is what I am interested in.

Also, a side note, Carbonaro was the Madame Toussads artist who made Donald Trump wigs and he told us that they received over 100 page document of corrections to the Trump statue that they had created (even though, everyone would agree the statue looked like a replica of Trump)!

The talk with the stylist from Julia Stone’s salon was really enlightening. Nicholas Carbonaro brought up a good point, which is that we are all college students, and so we have to strike up a balance between professional and practical. Most of us don’t have the time or money for a high maintenance look, but we still need to look nice for internships or other professional events. It made me think about my own hair and what I can/should do to look more presentable in the future. Something he said that stuck with me was that you can’t expect a $100 haircut for $15. Most of us look for the cheapest hair cut and then complain about how bad it is, but we need to realize that the amount of time a stylist spends on your hair is time they could be spending with other clients, and so they need to be compensated accordingly.

As far as Nicholas Carbonaro’s life goes, he has a ton of experience under his belt. He’s worked on just about every hair type, but also has hair experience from working on wax statue hairpieces where he would have to punch in each strand of hair. Nicholas knows a lot about how to make your hair work for you personally, with different products according to your needs. I think it was a great cafe and taught me a lot about how to take care of your appearance without expending a ridiculous amount of time.

When I reflect on how his advice applies to me, it makes me realize that I don’t think about my appearance in a professional context at all. So far in my life, it hasn’t been necessary. Now that I’m entering a period of my life where job interviews and internships are going to be common, I’ll need to make sure I actually look professional, which is going to require investing in my appearance. Maybe appearance shouldn’t matter, but right now in our society it does. If you want to make a good impression and be taken seriously, you can’t look too unkempt.

I attended the Rose Cafè with stylist, Nicholas Carbonaro and it was very interesting.  He was obviously extremely passionate about his work as well as extensively trained.  He had been working on his portfolio for years before settling in Ithaca, which included working at Madame Tussad’s Wax Museum in the city!  I especially enjoyed listening to him talk about his interest in theater because I share that passion with him.

My biggest takeaway about beauty advice from a professional was to care enough to look presentable but don’t overdo it unless you know you can keep it up.  College kids are notoriously broke yet always try to have the latest trending hair colors or styles- which are normally extremely expensive to upkeep.  I am an example of this phenomena as I dyed my hair bright red last year.  It was super time consuming, required lots of maintenance and faded like 3 days after I dyed it anyway.  It wasn’t ideal for me personally and color that would fit me AND be easy to keep up with did make my life much easier.  Basically, his message was: do what works best for you time-wise, financially and personally satisfying.

Mr. Carbonaro’s talk provided me with new ways to address the problems with my hair — whether it be dry or curly. What I enjoyed most about his talk was how enthusiastic and supportive he appeared to be about hair and styling in general. I’m excited to get my hair cut by him and hear his suggestions!

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Nicholas Carbonaro’s discussion on how we can make the best impressions of ourselves with our style.  I found this talk interesting because it brought to light the simple ways in which people can take care of themselves to present the best versions of themselves. This could be through using certain conditioners for your hair, or wearing certain clothes that display your personality. I found this discussion interesting, because Nicholas described how certain subtleties in your appearance can depict a lot about your personality and can affect jobs, and future opportunities that people have. For example, I didn’t think that the way in which people presented their hairstyles would depict certain characteristics about yourself such as whether you are a risk taker, an introvert, etc.  I also thought it was important how Nicholas said that in order to develop into our “idea professional self” in the future, we have to start preparing for that role in the clothes that we wear, the hairstyles we choose, etc. A lot of times when I imagining the type of “professional” I want to be in the future, I often forget that forming this “persona” of myself is going to be a journey and not a persona that I can immediately acquire over time. This discussion has allowed me to evaluate how I can be the professional that I hope to be in a few years and the steps that I can take to achieve that in evaluating the types of clothes that I wear, how I wear my hear, etc.  Although someone hearing this may think that these terms sound superficial, the way Nicholas was explaining these ideas, it didn’t sound that way.  Thinking about how you present yourself to the world is a big indication of how you take care of yourself which for me personally is difficult to balance in college. However, I’m realizing that to embody the “persona” I want to be in the future, I will have to start working towards that right now.

Additionally, I was interested by how Nicholas formed his career in hair styling, restoration, painting, wax figures and wardrobe. I thought it was interested hearing how he had formed his career based on taking skills he had in design in a unique context by working in Broadway and working with wax figures. I was fascinated by how Nicholas extended the “traditional” boundaries of what design entails to his current career, because typically when I think of designers they of people working with hardware/software, or in the fashion industry. Nicholas has encompassed, fashion, art, hair-styling, as all interdisciplinary topics that depict him as a designer. As I am also interested in pursing a career in design, this discussion got me thinking about how I can encompass a wide variety of my interdisciplinary passions and still be a designer. In my case, I would tie together my interests in environmental science, health, writing, and game theory.  Overall, Nicholas brought to light the importance of changing my daily schedule to accommodate how I want to present myself to the world which was a helpful reminder to me.

The Rose Cafe with Nicholas Carbonaro was extremely interesting and was a promise come true.  Professor Blalock promised more events on professional development and, through this event, he delivered. Going into the cafe, I was nervous because I thought that it would be an actual physical evaluation but, Nick’s friendly persona easily put me to ease. His easy-going nature and cute presentation was entertaining. I liked how he and the owner of his salon (?) opened up their business as a place where Cornell students could go and get the professional makeover they’re looking for.

Nick’s points about hair and taking care of one’s hair was extremely helpful. He was right in pointing out that, as college students, we shouldn’t be damaging our hair with bizarre colors or costly hair cuts that need to be maintained. It is true that one should get a trim every 6 months but, one should also care for one’s hair through certain products. Growing up in an South Asian family, we traditionally use coconut oil to “hydrate” our hair. I didn’t realize it until Nick mentioned that coconut on hot days actually starts to fry your hair. Now, I remember why I used to argue with my grandma about putting oil in my hair. Another suggestion I found extremely useful was braiding up your damp hair with silk ribbons and night to enhance wavy hair. I have wavy, almost bordering curly hair, and Nick’s suggestions for curly hair helped a lot. I think I’ll definitely pay him a visit for a consultation.

Before this rose cafe talk, I thought that artist is very far from my real life. However, after seeing Carbonaro, I realize that artist is actually everywhere in my life, especially in Ithaca, such a small and beautiful town. As a barber, Carbonaro seems a little different: He does not have very strange hair style different from normal people. I was very impressed by his fruitful experience: As a Drama major, he graduated from Ithaca College. He used to work in Broadway, in museum, ect. I totally agree his idea about how people choose their outfitting/hairstyle: According to different budget, we should choose the hairstyle that does not burden us to maintain it. It may not be expensive, but we feel comfortable with it.

Because I am preparing for an interview, I also benefit from his advice: As a student, we devote most of our time studying. However, that does not mean that we do not need to care about our looking. The reason is that we need to present others what we want ourselves to be, so that we can be confident and successful.

Carbonaro is an artist, not only a barber. I love his view about hairstyle and lifestyle.

Last Wednesday, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear House Fellow Nicholas Carbonaro discuss his experiences in hairstyling, from Donald Trump’s wax figure to Broadway stars to newly-graduated Cornellians. Going in, I was a novice – I’ve never had my hair professionally cut before, and my only knowledge of hairstyling comes from binge-watching Guy Tang’s Youtube videos after every prelim. As such, I was excited to learn more about professional hair treatments, but also mildly terrified that he would recognize the sad state of my hair.

After the event was over, I was still a novice, and only had my novice-ness reaffirmed. The ease and efficiency with which Mr. Carbonaro dealt out treatment plans for everyone who had a question was impressive. One only needs to hear him speak about hair to realize that he is very, very good at what he does – and he knows it.

However, I didn’t leave with just a renewed sense of appreciation for cosmetologists; strangely, I was also left with feelings of self-validation. Throughout the evening, he emphasized that how each person styles their hair should be in accordance with not only their own style preferences, but also with the amount of time and money they want to spend on maintenance, as well as with the space they occupy in society – be it in a college or work setting. While he didn’t hesitate to criticize some of the choices people make about their hair, it wasn’t in a “This is ugly and you should feel bad” kind of way, but in a “This isn’t what you want, so why are you doing it?” kind of way. It was refreshing to realize just how much control I have over my own self, in the middle of a tumultuous prelim season that has been making me feel like a car without a steering wheel swerving on an icy road. At the same time, it was also a bit concerning (enlightening?) for me, because I found myself asking the same kinds of questions about my entire life – why do I do things I know won’t make me happy, or I know won’t work out in the long run? Is one cause of my stress the fact that I’m following a daily routine that doesn’t fit my schedule or my lifestyle?

Overall, I didn’t gain any solid, life-changing insight into styling my hair (except to avoid DIY purple dye at all costs), and I definitely don’t feel a need to invest in professional hairstyling yet, but I did walk out a little more conscious of myself – hair included. Do I present myself in the way that I want to be seen? Do I present myself in a way that’s sustainable and manageable for me? Would I look good with ombre hair?

Actually, maybe I will stop into Julie Stone Salon sometime – not just for the hairstyling tips, but also for an audience to vent to about my newly-developed quarter-life crisis.

Getting ready for the day is something that just, well, happens. It’s subconscious. We have a routine, we have a look, so we stick to them and move on with everything else in life. As students, it takes time to change routines. And time is something we don’t often have. But Nicholas Carbonaro put all this into the context of a world where how we present ourselves sends a message. He talked about a sort of sixth sense that we all have. Whenever we see or meet someone, we often get a sense of who someone is based on the way they present themselves. Sure, an interviewer may see that someone has the skills, which is great. But that person’s hair may still be wet from the shower he or she frantically took a half-hour before the interview started, or it seems like that person is trying to make this style work when it’s really not working. Subtleties like that factor into decisions like, do we want this person at our company? Is this person professional? Is this person put together? This kind of discussion is in sync with what’s coming up in our lives. Carbonaro stressed that he makes these insights about humanity all the time because he encounters all sorts of people every day in the salon. But whether it’s about how we present ourselves or how others present themselves, these insights matter. They can help us to figure out how to best communicate who we are to the world. And they can help us to be comfortable with who we are whenever we go out into the world.

During the Rose Café on Wednesday, Nicholas Carbonaro came to talk to us about how to look our best. He talked about when you are confident in an interview, it will show. He also talked about how everything is connected like when you are stressed, it will show. He also gave individualized tips on what to do with certain hair concerns to people who also attended the café. In the future, I will definitely make sure that I take better care of myself because it is easy to get carried away with prelims and problem sets and forget to take good of myself. I will also try to make sure that I am getting enough sleep and that I am drinking enough water. The next time that I need a hair cut or need tips on how to look good in an interview, I will go to the Julie Stone Salon to see him.

The coffee chat this week, we have an amazing stylist Nicholas Carbonaro as the guest, who now is a stylist at Ithaca, to talk with us about learn to present ourselves in the professional world. He has been working in New York city, and his pieces are even in Madame Tussaud’s.

This was a very rewarding and interesting expereince to have hi talk with us because he is so knowledgable about the hair style in the professional settings, and we really need to know this common standard that when we step into the interview or doing an intern, our apearance is the first impression we have on others, no matter we like it or not. It’s so important subconsciously, yet normally when we enter into a career info or advise session, people normally wouldn’t talk about it, and we are expected to know. However, despite we might know what a good looking professional appearance is, we don’t think about the cost and time commitment that comes with it. Stylist Carbonaro told us about to keep a well-done hair style, it takes up to once or twice every two months, to go to the salon, and do the style. This is a very high and expensive commitment that normally, as a college student, we are unable to obtain. Therefore, he introduced to us several hair style that is easy to maintain by ourselves, and gave several individual advises which are super helpful.

He also introduced how to take care of the hair, and the importance of using conditioner. I especially like the advise he gave to us about the simple way to take care of hair, good shampoo and conditioner, and we don’t need all the extra hair product to do the hair. They are too extra, and wouldn’t necessary do the job.

All in all, it was a very nice time, though I think it would be even better if he could give more specific advises for each of us, and I enjoyed it a lot.

I went to the Cafe event last Wednesday where I learned about hair and how to care for your hair.  I know a lot of people think that hair and the way it looks is silly, but that really is not the case.  Dress for success and other organizations that help women look their best are super important because a hair style or a certain piece of clothing can make someone feel better about themselves and give them a confidence boost.  When I was in high school, my hair was unmanageable and looked messy a large percentage of the time, and I was self conscious about it.  I found two or three products (through a lot of experimentation) that I now use regularly that removed my frizz and make my hair look shiny and healthy and it made a huge difference not only with the way I saw the world but with how I felt about myself.  Not only did I feel more professional, but I felt that people would take me more seriously.  As dumb as it may sound, the hair products and makeup products I use regularly help me feel better because this world is so focused on the way we portray ourselves, that I feel more normal if I look more put together.  I enjoyed hearing the advice Nicholas had for us about how to look more professional, and what certain hair products can do for the way we all present ourselves.

On Wednesday night, we met in Rose Cafe and listened to artist and cosmetologist Nicholas Carbonaro share practical advice on how we can look and feel our best as college students on a budget and crunch for time. I am still awestruck to have met someone who has previously worked for Madame Tussauds. His story inspires me and is a reminder that I can be anyone or do anything in the future as long as I am passionate in my work. It is easy to get caught up over our physical appearances nowadays, especially when social media is at play, but Nick helped put things in perspective by reminding us that as college students, our priorities should be our academics, and that there will be more time further down the road to experiment with our physical appearances.

This past Wednesday, I attended the Rose Cafe lead by Nicholas Carbonaro. I actually found it to be really interesting, informative, and reassuring. I have never really taken much of an interest in fashion, so I do not really know much about any sort of related industry. In addition, growing up with parents who were always hesitant to spend more money than necessary, I always had the impression that one should always try to get the cheapest version of something that you needed. So I would have never considered trying any hair product that costs more than $10 a bottle–that is, until my mom gave me a bottle of leave-in conditioner that typically costs far more (she had bought it on sale). I noticed the improvement it had on my hair almost immediately. In addition, I have noticed that the cheapest conditioners do not work effectively on me–I have started relying on my own stash, instead of on whatever cheap product my dad happens to have in our shower at the moment. Throughout all of this, I always felt a bit guilty. I always felt like I was wasting so much money. However, last Wednesday’s talk made me realize that certain types of hair have certain needs, and those needs are often only met through more expensive products. I have long hair that tends to dry out fairly easily, and so having an effective conditioner is necessary for me. However, my hair does not have any particular problems when it comes to washing it, so any shampoo works fine. So I should stick with the more expensive conditioning products that work for me, while buying the cheapest shampoo I can find. In fact, I have found that by switching to a higher quality conditioner, I actually use less of it. As a result, the bottle lasts longer. So perhaps it is not that much more expensive after all.

I found the Rose Cafe with Nicholas Carbonaro particularly interesting because he looked at an issue that many students struggle with – transitioning from student life to life as a young professional – from a very specific point of view – hair styling. This cafe stood out to me from others because this is the first that I have attended where the featured individual had a background primarily in art, not business or academia.

Humans seem to universally apply cultural significance to hairstyles. In every culture, past and present, one’s hairstyle signifies something about oneself. In Qing dynasty China, queues were worn to represent acceptance of the Manchu rule. In modern America, a black woman might choose to maintain her natural hair in a rejection of oppressive white beauty standards.

It’s common for a change in hairstyle to represent a change in one’s own life, such as a coming of age. An iconic example of this in cinema is Mulan cutting her hair before she joins the army in Disney’s Mulan. It’s interesting that Nicholas recommends that students partake in this culturally ubiquitous ritual as well by changing their own hairstyles when moving between life stages.

Nicholas gave some general descriptions of the differences in hairstyles for students and professionals, while still maintaining that his recommendations would vary depending on the individual’s needs. He mentioned that student hairstyles generally needed to be low maintenance, requiring infrequent cuts and little daily care, but could have a lot of variety; bright colors, “hippie” styles, and extremely long hair are all accepted in a college environment. On the other hand, young professionals normally need sharp, clean, natural-looking, conforming hairstyles that demonstrate that they can fit into a company culture. Many professionals have strict maintenance routines for their appearance, and if a new professional wants to impress, they will have to develop their own routine in order to keep up and save time.

What I find interesting about the differences in his recommended styles is how he suggests dealing with limited time. For students, he suggests choosing something that requires little attention and few appointments, while for professionals he suggests picking a style that can be maintained with a strict, invariable routine so they don’t have to spend time thinking about what to do while still obtaining consistent workplace-ready results. He expects students to be worse at making appointments and keeping up a daily routine, which makes sense, because students’ schedules are much more irregular, and they don’t need that same consistent level of presentability that professionals need.

Looking your best according to your role in life was one of the many points Nicholas Carbonaro stressed during his talk about style and life. For instance, a business professional would need a fancy haircut due to his job, but a student wouldn’t need, and probably couldn’t afford, an expensive haircut, as Mr. Carbonaro discussed. However, out of the many points he raised about style, I particularly was attracted to the point that our daily activities can impact our appearance.

It is no secret that to be healthy, you have to live a healthy lifestyle. But Mr. Carbonaro stated during his talk that many people, particularly college students, are not acting healthfully, and this adversely impacts our appearance. For example, not drinking enough water can decrease one’s complexion, and not managing stress, in combination with a lack of healthy diet, can result in actual hair falling out, as Mr. Carbonaro described. Additionally, Mr. Carbonaro’s example of the football players having psoriasis but not initially going to a professional to treat the problem is another instance of how important it is to properly take care of ourselves in order to increase our wellbeing and appearance.

Even though it is important to look good for both health reasons and for our roles as students seeking to go out into the professional world, Mr. Carbonaro stressed that it is important to take care of our appearance in a way that is both affordable and sustainable. He stated that us students wouldn’t need or have the time and money for a professional soccer player’s haircut, as it is expensive and needs constant attention. This was another idea I connected with, since I cannot afford to maintain an expensive hair style, so it was reassuring to hear a hair professional discuss how to look good within our means. Overall, after this talk, I will pay even more attention to the small details in my daily activities, like drinking enough water and eating healthy foods, knowing the impact it can have on my appearance. Also, I will take more steps to look my best within my means so that I am ready after I graduate to look good advancing into the professional world.

Today, Nicholas Carbonaro divulged what he had learned from his years of experience. From wax figures to Broadway shows, and now Ithaca’s hair, his experience ranges throughout. However, Nicholas says that it all comes together– one’s outer appearance not only presents identity, but also inner thoughts and health. Over the hour, Nicholas talked about the importance of grooming for interviews, taking care of oneself in the face of others, and the importance of conditioner. However, the main takeaway from Nicholas’s years of experiences has to be his emphasis on health. Many do not consider the importance of hair health, of consistent conditioner, doctor’s visits, the works. This hour definitely helped me recenter myself in the importance of proper self-care and helped me not feel too guilty about wanting to spend a little extra on hair-care products.