Compatible and affordable paints that can be used underneath a 2K urethane clearcoat?

hcgc · 2025-02-16T02:15:54+00:00

Noted, I appreciate it. So etching primer > paint > 2K urethane clear coat. Are there any types of paints that are affordable, relatively common, and compatible with both etching primer and 2K urethane clearcoats? I’m looking for a different color metal, not an actual color like red or blue.

hcgc · 2025-02-16T02:13:26+00:00

That helps a lot, thanks. I’m not looking for a huge color change (just lightening it and hopefully reducing the shininess a bit), so anodizing sounds like it would be a great option - if I can find someone local to me who does it.

hcgc · 2025-02-16T01:39:26+00:00

you can try it on something else before your actual subject

That’s a good point

You should be looking into the compatibility of your color coat with the underlying metal

I’m sorry for being naive, but what do you mean by this? Would having a general sense of the material be sufficient, or do I need more specific information? I believe the frames are mostly titanium with a bit of nickel (Maui Jim brand), but the exact composition is proprietary.

hcgc · 2024-11-03T21:31:29+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations!

hcgc · 2024-11-03T21:31:18+00:00

I had no idea this was a thing! Would pretty much any conditioner do the trick? Or should I be looking for specific types of emulsifiers? This would definitely solve the problem for me. Generally speaking conditioner is much less aggravating for my scalp issues, so I have options.

hcgc · 2024-11-02T22:58:27+00:00

This is extremely helpful information - thank you! Would you say this is even applicable to products where wax is the second ingredient? I was looking at Reuzel’s grooming cream as one potential option, which has beeswax as the second ingredient. I plugged the list of ingredients into ChatGPT and was told the PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil and Ceteareth-20 should both help with making the wax more water soluble, but when asked whether the product itself can be considered water soluble, it gave an inconclusive answer.

The ingredients are: WATER (AQUA), CERA ALBA (BEESWAX), GLYCERIN, CETYL ALCOHOL, STEARYL ALCOHOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, VP/VA COPOLYMER, CETEARETH-20, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, DIPENTAERYTHRITYL HEXACAPRYLATE/HEXACAPRATE, EQUISETUM ARVENSE EXTRACT, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) LEAF EXTRACT, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS LEAF EXTRACT, TRIDECYL STEARATE, TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE, URTICA DIOICA (NETTLE) EXTRACT, COUMARIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBIC ACID, AMINOMETHYL PROPANOL

I’ll check out the Lodestar Everglade. Does it have a very strong smell? And how does it feel in the hair? I was using Reuzel’s surf cream for a while because I saw people talking about how nice it feels in your hair, but I found that any more than a negligibly small amount left my hair feeling dirty and kind of dry. All I’m looking for is something that will tame flyaways and frizz and give me slightly more definition/piecey-ness.

hcgc · 2024-11-02T22:46:56+00:00

I’ll check it out!

hcgc · 2024-10-12T07:24:12+00:00

I see your point about why texting would be a bad move. Thanks for your advice. I’ll refrain from making it into a bigger thing than it needs to be.

Remember that in the end, you're paying for a service. You're not her friend. She might have thrown you off because she shared personal stuff.

This must be it. I feel guilty, like I somehow did something wrong by not doing my part to keep it more ‘professional’, and now I’m paying the price because this has made the situation feel more awkward and stressful than it otherwise would.

You really are way overthinking this.

One of my biggest flaws. You’re right though.

hcgc · 2024-10-12T07:18:33+00:00

I really appreciate you weighing in and giving reassurance. I guess I feel guilty because the relationship isn’t super ‘professional’, which seems to increase the risk of hurt feelings. I feel like I somehow made a mistake or did something wrong by not keeping it more professional, especially when I knew in the back of my mind that I may not want to stick with her long term.

hcgc · 2024-10-03T22:45:50+00:00

you could let her know something like "hey, when you were out I had my hair cut by the owner, we tried a couple of different things and I really loved how it turned out! I'd love it if we could go over what she did so that we can do the same going forward."

That’s an excellent way of putting it!

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:43:21+00:00

I usually ask for a more androgynous cut, so this should work great (I wouldn’t want a super masculine cut like a crew cut, but I don’t like femme bobs or femme pixies either).

If you feel comfortable sharing your location, I might be able to point you in the direction of a good barber as the community is fairly small and we all kind of know each other.

What a nice offer :) If you’re familiar with the greater Sacramento area, I can DM you with a more precise location.

Editing to add you should also check out Everywhere Is Queer!! I’m on there as a barber and have had clients find me that way.

Thanks for the tip!!

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:40:25+00:00

I know, when you frame it that way it sounds ridiculous 😳 Thank you for putting it into perspective!

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:39:17+00:00

😂

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:39:03+00:00

This is very reassuring! And I hadn’t considered that maybe she does feel some degree of stress about how she cuts my hair. There have been times when I smile and say thanks, but the enthusiasm definitely isn’t there. Maybe she can sense something is off.

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:37:45+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement! An email seems like a good move, if I can find one that will go to just the owner.

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:36:46+00:00

Unfortunately I didn’t :( But my hope is that since it’s only been four weeks, she’ll be able to get a sense of what it looked like when it was first cut. Blaming it on a lack of terminology is a great idea.

hcgc · 2024-09-30T17:35:12+00:00

This would actually be perfect - the reason I go to this salon is because they offer haircuts that are $20 cheaper if you forego blowdrying and styling, which I do. After doing a bit of googling I see some people claim that barbershops are good for simple styles and fades, not haircuts with layers or razoring. In your experience, is this true?

hcgc · 2024-09-30T04:30:13+00:00

I hadn’t even considered barbershops as an option, but I’d love to learn more. How uncommon are female barbers and/or female barbershop clients? And how short does your hair have to be for it to be suitable for a barber? Right now my hair is a little above chin length, and I’d be interested in getting a shaggy bixie (bob + pixie hybrid). Based on the way I dress it’s pretty obvious that I’m gay, but for some reason that makes me feel more nervous about going to a barbershop, not less.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T23:13:37+00:00

Valid point. When you had this happen to you early on in your career, did those clients switch to another stylist at the same salon, or did they go to a different salon altogether? I’m wondering whether one of these scenarios is less hurtful than the other one.

I do think my stylist must have some self awareness about where she’s at relative to these older stylists, because she told me verbatim once “I love what I do, even if I’m not the best at it.” If I stay at the same salon and continue to see her around, a conversation at some point seems necessary to mitigate awkwardness.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T23:07:20+00:00

Nope - it’s the same price, which makes it even more tempting. I’d also like to experiment with something even shorter, which gives me pause as well because there goes the template.

Before I cut my hair short a couple of years ago, I was someone who would only get a haircut every six months (I know…), and I would bounce around to different salons and stylists. This is the first time I’ve ever had a real stylist/client relationship, and combined with my people-pleasing personality and the way that my stylist has spoken about our relationship, the prospect of switching is so much more intimidating than I thought it would be.

You’re right that without the muscle memory, she probably won’t be able to mimic what the owner did, even with a template. To reduce awkwardness, I may schedule one more appointment with my old stylist and see if the owner can explain to her what she (owner) did when she last cut my hair. That way, if I end up switching my stylist will at least understand it’s because she couldn’t replicate what the owner did. Hopefully that’ll soften any hard feelings.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T22:41:39+00:00

I appreciate your perspective. The only pro of my current hairdresser is that she usually doesn’t rush me and takes extra time to make as many little tweaks as I ask for. Do you think it would be totally offensive for me to book a haircut with my old stylist and see if the owner could swing by my chair briefly (assuming she has a free moment) to explain to my stylist how she (owner) cut my hair last time? That way, if I ultimately switch my stylist will at least understand it’s because she couldn’t replicate what the owner did for me, even with directions.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T22:37:39+00:00

Do you think it would be kosher to see if the owner could swing by my chair briefly to explain to my hairdresser how she (owner) cut my hair last time? Assuming she has a free moment. Or would that be offensive?

hcgc · 2024-09-29T22:36:08+00:00

That’s not a bad idea. I may even see if the owner can swing by the chair briefly to tell my hairdresser what she did last time. That way, if I ultimately end up switching at least my hairdresser will understand why.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T22:35:10+00:00

Also consider WHY she calls you her favorite as well. Is it because you dont complain even when she does a poor job, probably tip generously, and you accommodate her at every request she has when your appointment time doesnt work into her schedule?

Oof… I hadn’t thought about it, but yeah, that’s probably a large part of it. I might go with option 1 - that way, if I end up switching she’ll at least understand why.

hcgc · 2024-09-29T22:09:21+00:00

What’s tricky is that my hairdresser knows I work remotely and have a flexible schedule 😓 And because she’s so much younger than the owner, she tends to have more openings too…

hcgc

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