I know what you are thinking, this can’t be true. Or, perhaps I’ve just never been to a good salon. I finally broke down and went to have someone else color my hair. It had been a while because I got sick of trying to dye my own hair, which I would not have been doing if I had a place I liked and trusted. My fears began many years ago with nothing less than my school prom…

A girl’s  prom experience is supposed to be like a fairy tale, right? I can’t remember if it was my junior or senior prom but I do remember where it took place and what happened. My parents wanted me to have the whole experience and so I went with my Mom to have my hair professionally styled. Did you know that just because someone works at a salon it doesn’t guarantee that they can fashion an up-do? I think that would be part of their training. Hair style 101! If I remember correctly, there was crying. If I know myself at all probably a few words that my Mom didn’t need to hear.

Also in those younger years, I remember a perm in the mall where I was let loose looking like a poodle. And of course hair cuts where the stylist felt at liberty to explore her own creativity.

Note to stylists: Not everyone gives a damn if you have a need to feel creative that day. Please do NOT practice on my head of hair by cutting it all off. Get a Barbie head or something!

After having my hair dyed Playboy blond a while ago, I decided that I didn’t need to spend that kind of money to go to someone that just wasn’t all that great it in my opinion and I could do it myself. One should know a little bit about hair coloring processes prior to coloring their own hair.

So, TIP #2, if you are going to do your own hair read the directions fully BEFORE dying your hair. When it starts to grow out only do the roots. They say this for a reason. It’s a whole chemical process and everything. The problem is that when you keep dying your hair blond and then decide to go back to brown because you have a baby and no time or patience to keep doing it yourself, it will simply fade to a strawberry blond.

This brings me to my current stylist, Dean, at Salon Central. I watched this place for weeks every time I went to my favorite coffee hangout until I finally saw the sign outside *OPEN* and stepped in to check it out. The employees are really kind and the prices reasonable. Right away  Dean offered a consultation just to discuss my hair and the issues I was having. No charge or guilt to come back or stay and pay obscene amounts to do something that really wasn’t a big deal in the first place (not that I am naming any names here, Phyliss). I made an appointment to come back and start filling in the emptiness that had become my shallow, lifeless strands of hair.

Last week I made another appointment to add some blond to my very brown hair. One problem is that I have a hard time explaining myself and then take things as they are whether I like it or not at the risk of hurting someone’s feelings. I spent the weekend avoiding the mirror to avoid seeing the look of gold poured on the top of my head and the panic attack that would follow. Monday morning I called and made a follow up appointment to address the issue. He told me to let him know if I liked it or not and if it were the latter, he would tweak it until it was right. Oh, sure he’ll fix it but at what cost?

Actually, it cost nothing. He really meant what he said and the fix was so easy. One process. One. That’s it. After all of that upset, the color was transformed into a much softer cooler color. The owner even sent me away with a shampoo to keep the color right! How cool is that? I cannot believe it.

A couple of months ago, Dean cut my hair and my Mom’s and did just what we asked. “Just the tips please”, we both said. “No problem”, he said. And that was that. No creative needs to fill. He did exactly what we asked. My Mom even wants to come back up all the way from Florida just to have him cut her hair. That doesn’t say a whole lot about the stylist down there where she’s at (see the first three paragraphs).

So, thank you Dean. You had me at first cut….