You're so vain.....

I have an appointment tonight to get my hair done. By this I mean to cover the ‘grey’ in my hair. And yes in certain aspects of my life I am vain – I was born with dark auburn hair – I began to notice it was turning silver when I was only 26 years old – I was not about to go silver at 26. However I am still not completely silver/white and my hair is turning silver not grey. If I could go completely silver naturally I would do this in a heart beat but for now either I do my hair or I go somewhere. The challenge has always been for it to look natural. Sure there have been times when my hair was a screaming red – but for the most part I try to stay very natural. For years I used henna however I went to a salon at one point and the colourist began screaming at me for using such products.

I began to go to Aveda salons – they use plant-based products – I found a nice salon in the Coventry area and I went religiously. I used to go to a little Asian girl named Kay – she was wonderful. She left. I went to see another girl there and her idea of doing my hair was to chop it all off and then colour – loved the colour, hated the cut. I used to work in a salon back in the day down in Houston. I learned a lot about colour and cut. A couple of years back, after giving up and colouring my own hair again, C2 gave me a gift certificate to Scott Metger salon – I went there and used the certificate – the colourist was wonderful – except for one thing - for the amount of money it cost to get my colour done they left dye on my ears, on the nape of my neck – I called the next day to complain – you’d think I’d have gotten a huge apology and a discount – nope (now mind you this is a very hoity-toity salon you’d think they’d want people to not talk badly about them) – nope they apologized and that was it...

I went back one more time because I really looked good with the new colour. The girl who had done my colour was gone and she had taken not just clientele with her (a big no-no in the salon business) but she had committed a mortal sin by also taking other techs with her - bad, very bad. So I got this new person. I liked her immediately – she listened to me and after talking to me carefully she said she was going to adjust my colour – she did – it looked great. Then I mentioned that I had been looking for someone good to work with my hair. I explained that the girl that had cut my hair years ago was gone and I had not found anyone that was that good with my hair. She said she had time to do a haircut if I wanted. I felt she knew what she was doing so I agreed. I did not know she was a senior stylist and she was about to charge me almost $80 for a hair cut – Scott himself I believe charges over $100 – I was absolutely shocked when I got the bill. However (and I am not kidding here) it was the best haircut I have ever gotten in my life. I looked amazing.

I went to call and try to talk to her again and they had completely closed down the shop and moved – so now I think I know where they’ve gone but I think it’s in an even more expensive place...

So, about 5 months ago, I decided to walk into the salon within walking distance of my house. It was an Aveda Concept salon so I thought they’d know what they were doing...

I went in just to get a menu. I was talked into a cut and colour. The girl that did my service seemed nice and attentive and I told her how my hair is and all I wanted her to do was follow the existing lines of my last cut – then I explained how I wanted the colour. She did the colour first and it was nice. Then she did the cut – she completely did not listen to me. AND I ended up paying over $100 for both. I was pissed. I mean why can’t you just walk into a salon and get what you ask for???? Is there some secret code – are they angry because I know something about the business already???? So I had a function to go to and I needed to get another colour and cut – I decided to give it one more try – this time she seemed to listen better – my hair looked OK – not amazing. Well then my son asked me to take him to a nicer salon so I thought OK, I will take him where I am going – to the same girl. She charged me $35 to cut his hair and she did a crappy job – he had a major cowlick and it was sticking out – now to me a good stylist knows (geez I know this) - that you have to make sure you aren’t cutting the hair too short with those problem areas. I mean c’mon here. I’ve gone back one more time for just the colour – I saw a colour I liked on a model in a magazine – she saw me looking and we discussed it and she nailed it – I love the new colour - so I’ve been hemming and hawing about going back *there* for a haircut. I don’t relish the idea of paying $75 per haircut. But likewise, I don’t want to pay $11 for a crappy haircut at ‘Best Cuts’ either. I want a good haircut. Period. The colour is secondary and I can go back to colouring my own hair – I am actually pretty good at it – also I can try to go visit my daughter and have her crazy mother-in-law do my cut and colour – she’s really good and she refuses to charge me. I don’t want to do that though. So as I indicated, I’ll be there again tonight, last night I ran in to ask for a ‘touch up’ - this costs (supposedly) much less than a colour – I was quoted $43 – I was kind of taken aback – I said ‘for just a touch up?’ The receptionist asked me if I wanted it blow-dried – I asked ‘why will it cost more?’ She said no, it would be less $11 less – they charge $11 to blow dry someone’s hair?????? I stood there in shock and I said no, I can blow dry my own damn hair.

I am in the wrong fucking business, folks. I feel guilty for charging more than $10 for a Yoga class. We are so intent (I am speaking mainly women here) on looking good – the image’ we put forth, the way the magazines tell us we should look. I know I am not in my 20s anymore – I know for my age I look pretty good – but all I want is a nice haircut.- I don’t want to spend a fortune but I am willing to spend decent money for a great hair cut….I am at a loss for why I can’t seem to get the people at a salon where *I* am the one who has to live with my hair and it’s *MY* hair to listen to me. I was with Kay for 7 years – she did a brilliant job every time I saw her and perhaps it’s because she ‘understood’ my hair. But I just don’t know what to do anymore. It’s nuts I know but I feel the need to spew about this cause I am sure other women feel the same. Every girl here at work knew exactly what I was talking about and they all gave me advice. I just don’t want to insult anyone by dissing ‘their’ stylist...I am not going to completely fire my stylist tonight – but she’s certainly not cutting my hair anymore.