hair confessions

Hair salons always make me nervous.  I'm a type A personality, so naturally I like to have control over the outcome of any given situation, but when it comes to hair, you really just never know.  I've always left hair salons with my hair lighter or darker, shorter or choppier than expected.  My expectations are almost rarely met and I'm often disappointed, so when I enter a salon and a colorist and/or stylist is completely honest about what I should or shouldn't do with my hair, it's truly refreshing.   A few weeks ago I went into Bumble and Bumble with two options -- 1) long hair with heavy bangs; or 2) really short choppy bob with dark blue tips.  Two completely different looks and no real commitment to either.  My stylist Allen, who I had met a few years ago while shooting a project, looked at me and (thankfully) advised me against both bangs and short hair.  Instead he gave me a fresh cut to compliment my facial structure with lots of room for a future trim in case I changed my mind.  It's ideal if there's a real commitment phobia.

When it comes to color, I'm rarely experimenting with anything dramatic.  I've been trying for years to rid myself of the brassy color that doesn't compliment my yellow undertones in my skin.  And when I told my new colorist Mai that I was committed to blue, she gave me an honest breakdown on what it would take to reach that specific shade and the damage behind it so we held off on the color and worked on making my hair color a shade that would better match my skin.  Knowing that my fad obsession would soon fade, I trusted her.  So for the first time in years I walked out feeling far more refreshed than drained.  

Here are just a few tips to updating your hair: 1)  Decide what look you're going for, and if you're unsure pick your top three options. 2)  Use photoshop or a photo editing tool and put different hairstyles, hair colors to see what you like best. 3)  Be prepared with said options and lots of references (this is where Pinterest is just the best). 4)  Be confident and commit to your decision if you're going for a new look. 5)  Don't take it personally -- a stylist and/or colorist is going to be that best friend who tells you everything you might not want to hear but know you need to.

I want to hear from you and know more about what makes your salon experience easier.  Would love to read your hair stories!