There’s something we do in the studio every single week, and it dates back to almost the very beginning of Garnish. It’s a practice that means a lot to us so we wanted to share it with all of you. We call it our “Tuesday Gratefuls” aka “Gratituesday.”

When Garnish first opened, it didn’t take long for Candice to realize something different was needed to really create the environment she desired. Each week the salon would open up, the stylists would get to work, and there would never really be a chance to connect or talk to anyone else on the team.

At the time, Candice was investing in a lot of personal coaching and therapy, and she noticed a theme in her coaching sessions. “What was she most grateful for?” She did some research on gratitude and realized that it helps in pretty much every possible way. It reminds people that there’s something they can be thankful for, and gratitude is at the center of living a fulfilled life. She thought it was a bomb ass philosophy and she wanted to adopt it into Garnish.

Candice started incorporating 30 minute meetings at the beginning of each week. She wanted to focus on something that would take the center stage as the week began and carry through over the course of the work week. As we enter our sixth year in business, our 30 minute gratitude session is still something we look forward to every Tuesday.

It’s our time to connect as a team, talk about our weekends, discuss upcoming events, and truly practice gratitude. It gives everyone a sense of calm and helps them feel grounded as they move throughout the week. Not only has it made a difference for each team member, but it’s also helped us support one another. Often our “gratefuls” are centered around what’s going on in our lives and sometimes we dive pretty deep. When we know what’s going on in the lives of our team members it helps us foster an even better salon environment.

If you have a small business, we highly encourage you to try this practice out. There’s something truly profound about waking up and giving gratitude for everything you’ve got going on in your life. It changes your perspective and impacts how you move through the world.

What are you grateful for today?

The Garnish Experience

In just a couple of months we will celebrate our five year anniversary. A lot has changed since the inception of Garnish Hair Studio. We grew as a salon, transitioned into our niche of hair extension transformations, and continue to evolve as the triangle’s premiere extension studio. There is one aspect of our business, however, that has never shifted—what we call The Garnish Experience.

If you’ve been into the studio, you already know what we’re talking about. That signature scent when you walk in the door, being greeted by our receptionist, and offered a beverage of your choice. The personalized care and dedication to details that each of our stylists offers when you sit in their chair. If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience this for yourself, we wanted to take a moment and give you some insight into what we believe sets us apart in terms of our experience. Beyond just the ambiance of Garnish—the plants everywhere, the clean, natural décor—there are three major aspects of the experience at Garnish that we believe make us different than your average salon.

The Team

Each one of our team members—stylists, assistants, and our receptionist—were chosen because they bring good vibes, positive energy, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for hair extensions to the studio. We LOVE to have fun; we are constantly dancing, laughing, and having a good time. It’s our belief that when you love what you do, and have fun at work, the work you do is elevated to a different level.

Our team is also all about supporting one another. We help each other out, we view each guest as a guest of Garnish, and every single stylist will be a part of your service, even if it’s just by offering a smile as you walk by. Because we share this unique mindset of treating each guest as a studio guest, we can also offer more flexibility in terms of scheduling. We welcome you to sit in any of our chairs, every stylist is willing and able to help out if you need a quick fix, and you never have to feel bad about seeing a different stylist in our space.

The Depth of Our Process

We recognize that if you’re new to the world of extensions, the Garnish Process might seem a bit extreme. Beginning with our application, continuing with our consultation, the paperwork we utilize to ensure everyone is on the same page—it could seem like a lot just for “some hair extensions.” The reality is that high quality hair extensions are an investment, and require both attention to detail and expertise from your stylist to ensure an incredible experience for you, our guests. We have spent years crafting our process to ensure the smoothest experience within our studio.

When you leave your consultation, you will have a thorough understanding of the extensions that we offer, along with the investment required in terms of both time and finance. If you have any questions, we WELCOME you to reach back out and ask us. We want you to feel informed and educated throughout the entire process, and we have implemented the steps we take to ensure this happens. In our experience, the more you understand up front, the better you will feel about the entire experience. And our goal is for you to feel AMAZING when you receive your extensions transformation.

The Expertise

Hair extensions are having a moment, and we LOVE this because they are our passion. This also means that a lot of stylists are becoming certified in various methods of extensions. This is awesome for our industry, but it also means that there’s a lot of opportunity for some less than stellar experiences with hair extensions. When we chose to specialize exclusively in hair extensions, we knew that we were diving into a niche market. We welcomed this because we understand how intricate the process of hair extensions can be. Everything from the health of your natural hair, to your hair goals, to the color blend, to the blend cut has to be considered and executed perfectly for you to truly fall in love with your hair extensions.

By choosing to specialize, we have spent countless hours training on these exact things in order to provide the highest quality extensions services. Our owner, Candice Motley, has spent nearly her entire seventeen year career learning and specializing in hair extensions. This level of experience is unparalleled in our area, and she has passed her knowledge and training along to our stylists as well. Each person who works for Garnish is passionate about hair extensions, so you know that when you sit in our chairs you will be receiving a service from someone who cares about you and each step of the process to ensure you have an amazing hair extensions experience.

In the service industry, it can be challenging to find a space where every single person who works there shares the same passion for both the service offered and the quality of experience. Here at Garnish, we take extreme pride in both aspects of our business. Not only will you walk out feeling like you can take on the world with your new amazing hair, but we will have taken care of you every step of the way so that you feel great about every aspect of your hair extensions experience. If this sounds like just what you’ve been looking for, let’s get started. Fill out an application, and find out for yourself just what the Garnish Experience is all about!

Scenario:
You show up for an appointment with your new stylist—you’ve been waiting weeks for this appointment and you’re READY for your hair transformation. You arrive and show the stylist your goal photos telling them how excited you are for your new color. They glance at their watch and give you a look… then you hear the dreaded words: “I don’t have time for that particular service today.” They offer you a compromise or the ability to reschedule. Obviously, you’re devastated. All of this could’ve been avoided if you could have just spent a few minutes chatting with your new stylist before scheduling.

Enter: The Garnish Hair Consultation.

We know. Coming in for a 30 minute appointment prior to getting your hair done isn’t the most convenient thing ever. And we get it. YOU have a crystal clear vision of what you want your hair to look like and what you need to schedule. Maybe you’ve even done this same color before and your last stylist ALWAYS took exactly 2 hours. Trust us, we hear you. Just indulge us for a few minutes and let us explain exactly why we value the consultation appointment SO MUCH.

Consultation Reason One

Communication is EVERYTHING. And not just for hair… in life! But let’s just focus on the hair aspect. There are a bunch of words associated with hair that we’ve learned everyone interprets a little differently. Warmth, icy, caramel… even dark and light mean something different to each person. Meeting in person allows you and your stylist to talk about your color goals, look at swatches or pictures, and really ensure you’re on the same page. You can also discuss the details of your cut, any concerns you have with the health of your hair and scalp, and your hair history. Covering all of this information during a consultation allows for your stylist to have a better understanding of your hair along with being fully prepared for your first service.

Consultation Reason Two:

Timing is important. Because we respect YOUR time along with the time of our stylists, we want to ensure your appointment is booked for the correct amount of time. The consultation allows the stylist to see the length and texture of your hair and gauge how much time they will need for a particular service. It’s important to note that each stylist may take a slightly different amount of time to perform a service just as it would take different artists different amounts of time to create similar works of art.

Consultation Reason Three:

We prefer to provide an EXACT quote for your service rather than a vague guesstimate that could potentially be completely wrong. We are big believers in “the details” and we would much rather go over everything in detail such as cost of the base service and cost of other factors such as a glaze or Olaplex treatment. We find that knowing exactly how much it will cost makes everyone feel more comfortable about their color or chemical service.

Basically: We value the consultation so highly because we believe visiting the salon is about so much more than leaving with shorter or different colored hair. We believe in making your hair dreams come true, in actually caring for the health of your hair and scalp, and in making sure you feel amazing about your salon experience. If you’re ready to schedule your complimentary consultation with one of our colorists, give us a call!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we wanted to share with you a very special story from one of our beautiful guests. Lisa first came to Garnish in December of 2016. Her journey with us began by sitting down with Candice to talk about her experience and her hopes for what might be possible with her hair.

Lisa has allowed us to share in her own words how Candice was able to transform her life through extensions following her chemotherapy. Lisa also allowed us to document the process she went through with Candice.

In April 2015 I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer which is a rare form that is not genetic. It was a very hard time for me and my family as it was completely unexpected. My support system was amazing and they held a “Shave to Save” event for me. I shaved my head in front of over 100 friends and family as I did not want to go through treatment and have my hair fall out into clumps during treatment.

If we fast forward to 1 ½ years later my hair was grey and very short. My husband mentioned that I should investigate salons who specialized in extensions so that I would not have to look in the mirror every day and be reminded of what happened the previous year. I was very apprehensive, but I started my internet search for salons and I came across Garnish Hair Studio.

I reluctantly made an appointment as I wanted to explore my options and my husband joined me when I met with Candice Motley. I had big plans in my head of immediately being satisfied and having long hair immediately and back to my original color (blonde). Candice was very sensitive to my situation and listened to my story very intently. Candice understood exactly where I was coming from and my need to have some sort of peace when I looked in the mirror every day.

You will see the picture of where I started and Candice talked me thorough what we could do initially and where I would be a year later. It took me a few minutes to digest as my immediate need for that day was not being met. However, Candice walked me through the initial process and step one for me which was to bring my hair back to blonde and putting in the initial set of extensions.

We had to start with the hair I had to work with at the time. We ordered the extensions and set-up my next appointment. I left that day feeling hopeful that I was on my way to feeling like my “old self”. I talked to my husband after we left that day and how happy I was and that I trusted Candice to lead me in the right direction. It was very important that I had that trust as I had been through so much.

The whole team at Garnish was working with me to make sure I felt comfortable during the whole process. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated this as it alleviated my anxiety of the process and they took me through step by step. The transformation that I saw after my appointment was incredible and I felt like a new woman.

You can see by the pictures that in the past year I have come a long way and I have the ponytail that I had been dreaming about. My life has transformed not only with my hair, but my confidence in myself and my outlook on life. I owe all of this to the team and especially Candice Motley at Garnish Hair Studio as she has made my dreams come true!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Garnish team is collaborating with Sharp and Timeless for our Annual “Pink Gloves Event!” Help us in the fight against breast cancer and show your support with a pink hair extension. Book an appointment during the month to get your free pink hair extension with your $25 donation.*Appointments are required so please call us to make yours today: 919-793-4008.

January is National Blood Donor Month and Garnish Hair Studio recognizes the lifesaving contribution blood and platelet donors make to modern healthcare. Through the month of January Garnish will be honoring blood donors with a chance to win a $100 gift certificate.  After you donate blood, bring your proof of donation (ask for a receipt after your donation) into Garnish, and we will then enter your name into the drawing. A winner will be picked at random on February 1st.

Donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with types AB, O, B negative and A negative. Help save lives by donating blood. Your blood donation could save your life or someone you care about!

Here are the important facts why donating blood is so important:

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
• Sickle cell disease affects more than 70,000 people in the U.S. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
• More than 1.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Click here to learn more about donating blood to the American Red Cross.

Schedule your blood donation appointment with the American Red Cross.

Image: FreePik

Friends,

Our good friend and client Denise Fowler is an Ovarian Cancer survivor. We felt if was important to have Denise share here story with all of you. As you know, September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and we want to help everyone understand this terrible disease and we hope you will share this information with the women you love.We hope you’ll take the time to read Denise’s heartfelt story and share it with others.  

An Ovarian Cancer Survivor’s Story

by Denise Folwer

If you are a woman or if you know a woman (that should cover everyone!), this information could save a life. One in 58 women in the US have a lifetime risk of ovarian cancer. It is not as rare as we have been led to believe.

In October 2000, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was one of the very few lucky ones with a diagnosis in stage I. After the usual major surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy, I am cancer-free and have been for nearly 15 years. I had no symptoms and no family history for ovarian cancer. My cancer was found by accident.

Ovarian cancer is known as “The Silent Killer” and is the deadliest gynecologic cancer.  The symptoms are vague and often confused with other diseases. In fact, many women visit several specialists who look for gastrointestinal causes. 75% of ovarian cancer cases are found in stages III or IV, when the 5-year survival rate is poor. Another important fact to know is that while there may be a family link, that link accounts for about only 10% of cases.

Early symptoms include:

• Pelvic or abdominal cramping, swelling or pain
• Persistent gastrointestinal problems
• Nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea
• Persistent bloating
• Eating less and feeling full
• Urgency or frequency of urination
• Unexplained weight gain or loss 
• Pain during intercourse
• Ongoing fatigue and backaches

While most women have these symptoms from time to time, you know when something is not normal. Please take action and see a doctor and ask about ovarian cancer if any of these symptoms persist more than 2 – 3 weeks. Please don’t be shy about asking questions and getting a second or third opinion!  78% of patients with early stage ovarian cancer diagnosis report the following symptoms most commonly:  abdominal / pelvic pain and/or bloated feeling. 

A pap test does NOT detect ovarian cancer!

There is no general screening for ovarian cancer. If you have persistent symptoms noted above, please ask your gynecologist to do a transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 blood test. 

Most importantly, take charge of your health care. Had I not taken charge, I would not be here today … and would not have had the opportunity for Candice to always work her magic! One thing I learned after losing my hair was to never complain about a bad hair day.

In memory of my friends Harva, Nancy, Chris and Crispin, and the countless other women who lost their battles with ovarian cancer and left this world much too soon, thank you for passing this message along to the women in your lives.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to talk

With love!
Denise Fowler
DeniseFwlr@aol.com

It warms our hearts to think that every last present under this tree was given out of pure kindness as a donation. What a pleasure it was to watch the pile grow.
TODAY is the last day of the toy drive. If you have purchased a toy and need to drop it off before the deadline please come by the salon today before 5 to put it up underneath the Garnish Tree
All donations will be dropped off at InterAct Raleigh this weekend!! Thank you again for your generosity!
The winner of our Garnish Holiday Drawing will be announced on Monday, Dec 22cnd! Happy Holidays

We are wishing everyone a very happy holiday season here at Garnish! We will be CLOSED Thursday, November 27th thru Monday, December 1st to spend time with our families..

And a big thank you to everyone who has already dropped off a toy for our 1st annual Garnish Toy Drive! Hoping we can make a difference in someone else’s holiday season this year. And for those of you who are wondering, you can drop off your toy anytime before December 20th, or just bring it with you to our HAPPY EVERYTHING HOLIDAY PARTY!!

See you Soon!

Hello All and Happy Holiday Season!!

As we enter into the notorious holiday season, we’d like to take this opportunity to do something special with the salon and community for our very 1st year.  We will be hosting a Holiday Toy Drive for the women and children of InterAct Raleigh . From now until the 20th of December, we are accepting new, unused, and unwrapped toys to put under our Holiday Tree. Everyone who finds it in their heart to bring a toy into the salon, will be entered into our Garnish Goody Bag Raffle. This is not just your average goody bag, it’s filled with a ton of Garnish quality products along with a $250 gift card to the studio.

We could really use your help making the holiday brighter for families rebuilding their lives after leaving an abusive environment!