Laura’s Muses

Based on the different questions I get everyday, I figure that the knowledge I’ve gained from my spot behind the styling chair can be passed on to those IN the styling chair to better connect us all and maybe alleviate some concerns or address some questions you may have. I’ve taken the five most popular of the myths that I’ve encountered as a stylist, and I’ve broken them down below.

1. Pictures don’t help us.

I have no idea where or how this myth started. The truth is, pictures you find online, or cut out of magazines and bring in are extremely helpful, and I highly encourage you to bring them in to your stylist- ESPECIALLY if you are making a drastic change. Just make sure your stylist talks over the pictures with you, figuring out what you do and don’t like about the styles, and how your hair type and the way your face is shaped will factor in to the new style. Let your stylist know what you are hoping for as far as the end result, how much time you want to spend styling it and any other factors you feel they should know. The more information, the better! If your stylist is rolling their eyes and rushing you through, it’s time to leave. You want someone who will communicate back to you what you have told them and will make sure you feel comfortable before proceeding with the service.

2. We are trying to sell you products you don’t really need in order to make extra money.

The truth is, there are some salons out there that pressure their staff to sell retail to their clients, however, most stylists understand that their clients do not want to feel like they are getting a sales pitch during their cut and color. Here’s the deal: we want to see your color last, and, simply put, the color shampoo we recommend you use is the shampoo we really believe in. We try different things all the time, we do tons of research, we talk to other stylists and we KNOW what works. So many people ask me how to re-create the style I’ve given them at home, and my first question is always, “what products do you use at home?” The products make the difference. I’m not going to sell you something you don’t need, but if I used Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam to give your hair lift and volume, and you love the body your new style has, chances are your grocery store brand styling mousse just isn’t going to give you the same results. We really aren’t trying to be snobs about it, we just want you to look your best!

*A side note– a lot of drug and grocery stores are now ILLEGALLY selling ‘diverted products.’ These are name brand products that are meant to be sold only in salons, because they can ONLY be guaranteed through sales at professional salons, and are often expired, diluted, stolen from the manufacturer, tampered with, out-dated or worse. Buying these products only forces the manufacturers to raise prices. Check the back of the package for the words “Only To Be Sold In Professional Salons.” Please, buy them from your stylist instead; often it’s even cheaper at the salon (if not, they will most likely sell it to you for what you saw it for- just ask!).

3. Going from light blonde to dark brown, or vice versa, is a simple, one-step process.

If you want it done right, it’s going to take time. Lots of time. To break it down simply…

Light blonde to dark brown– a two, maybe even three step process. Otherwise, it’ll fade out in about three days.

Dark brown to light blonde–most likely a three-step process. We have to remove pigment, put it back in and then tone it so it’s not too brassy.

Don’t be afraid to ask your stylist what to expect. Ideally, we will explain it all before you even ask, anyway!

4. If you don’t like my hair, you probably won’t like yours, either.

It is our job to stay cutting edge, to try new things, to not be afraid of change. Right now, my hair is pretty short and dyed black with a blue stripe in the front. I like to spike it up and make it all messy. That doesn’t mean I hate long, ‘normal’ colored hair, because I don’t. It just doesn’t work on ME. In the same sense, I would NEVER do something to your hair that wouldn’t work on YOU.

5. We get angry if you go to another stylist in the same salon.

I work at a cool salon/barbershop where a lot of our clients bounce around from stylist to stylist. They usually just call and say “whoever has time to fit me in today.” They like that everyone at our salon is good at what they do, and they never get a bad haircut (at least, that’s what they say, ha ha). Sometimes, a client who is loyal to someone will end up having to get in with someone else, and they end up liking their hair better. They will inevitably ask, “Will so-and-so be mad if I come to you instead?” No!! We honest-to-God just want you to be happy. If that means you prefer the way someone else in the salon cuts your hair, so be it! Believe it or not, there have even been very occasional (.e., personality conflicts or a client who is just not quite satisfied after three visits), where we might have to say to a client, “You know, so-and-so may be a better fit for you. Would you like to schedule with them next time?” I would much rather my client stay in the salon and go to someone else, then to leave our salon completely. I love where I work, and all of my co-workers are extremely talented, so at least I know you would still be getting great service!

Have any other questions or myths that I can address? Feel free to comment and I will be happy to respond.

The cat was already there, the flowers were added yesterday. It REALLY hurt.

As most modified (i.e. tattooed, pierced, branded, what-have-you) person will inevitably tell you, body modifications are addicting. I really hate being part of that stereotype because I’d like to think that it’s possible to get only one, possibly long sought-after, tattoo or piercing and be content forevermore. In my personal experience, however, this is not the case.

Previously have I been the proud owner of at least seven different piercings, including ear cartilage, my right nostril, tongue, navel and some others which weren’t quite as…visible. Following the lineage of my self-inflicted holes, you can almost see my courage grow and my tolerance of pain increase although some hurt terribly and some hardly pinched–the which-were-which may surprise you, or maybe not. I digress.

I have since retired almost all of the piercings for varying reasons, but I loved each of them and still terribly miss some of them. Each empowered me in it’s own unique way, and I proved to myself over and over that I could face the fear of pain and overcome it. Once a piercing was in place, it was always a long internal debate over removing it once the time came. In example, the tongue piercing was a complete pain in the ass, but I was so proud of myself for doing it (I was literally terrified of the thought of a needle passing through my tongue!) that it took weeks for me to finally accept that it just wasn’t right for me. Plus, it was becoming so grossly “main stream” among young females that my personal reasoning for the piercing was getting lost somewhere in the public stigma of it, and the assumption that I did it because it was the “cool” thing to do. Conversely, the nostril piercing felt so natural that when it fell out one night during my sleep, I cried when I realized the hole had grown over by the next morning.

My parents were none too happy about my foray into the world of the more temporary modifications, although for some odd reason my first (but hopefully not only) tattoo, or permanent modification, was happily accepted. I sometimes wonder if my open-mindedness towards “mods” in general didn’t open the door for my father, mother and sister to permanently alter their own skin under the tattoo needle with little, if any, hesitation, as currently they each boast at least one tattoo of their own.

Getting back to the title of this post… it’s been almost four years since my tattoo, and in that time I’ve retired piercings but have added no new mods. For awhile I felt I may have been satiated, or even that maybe I had “grown out of the phase.” After all, most jobs won’t allow them to be visible, and even today-as main-stream as it’s becoming society honestly doesn’t treat you quite the same if you have visible modifications as if you don’t. However, my itch is itching again. I’m starting to feel…boring. Plain. Something on the inside wants to be showcased on the outside. The way make-up makes a girl feel pretty, or even more substantially, the way painting a picture can make you feel like you created something beautiful; a piercing or tattoo released those emotions in me. A piercing can bring that extra element, that missing piece that helps me express my individuality. A months-long search for the art that tugs at something inside me, inked permanently upon my skin can bring that release that has built inside, waiting to be shown to the world. To me, it shows my true personality, more than clothes can, or make-up, or a hairstyle. When I look at it, it reminds me that I am confident of who I am on the inside and that I overcame the pain, and the fear associated with it, and that makes me proud.

I have some current ideas, although I will patiently pray about it before commiting to anything. I’m truthful and honest when I say that I have no idea what the Christian standpoint is on the matter of body modification but I will definitely do much research before making a final decision.

I was flipping through a tattoo magazine this morning, and stumbled across a photo of a young-ish girl (early 30’s?) with a nice, large, black tattoo that read “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” It was stretched across her chest, under the collarbone area, in two bold lines. Now, I’m all for artistic expression and I respect everyone’s own personal view of Jesus even if I don’t agree with it. It just seems that this particular tattoo seemed to express two things to me as the viewer: 1) she WANTS to debate about Jesus, and is even inviting such a conversation. This leads me to the conclusion that 2) In my opinion, she may not even know what she really feels about Jesus deep down. More often than not, I’ve found that the people that tend to talk about Him or want to argue about His existence usually end up finding Him later in life and becoming a Christian.

Anyway, I just found that interesting…

I had the cutest old lady come in to the salon today. She was about 80 years old or so, and her name was Barb. She was very sweet and talkative, and she had a precise opinion on what she wanted her hair to look like. Her hair was already short, but she wanted something with more “style”, something -as she put it- different from all the other old ladies out there. According to her, her hair had a mind of it’s own and she wanted it to have the final say. Meaning, she wanted her haircut to reflect the way her hair grew. She pointed out all of her ‘cowlicks’ and different growth patterns, and the way her ears stuck out if the hair was too short around them, and the way her hair liked to fall to the left side. She wanted to be able to just wash and go, with no fuss. Also, she wanted choppy bangs.

I was very nervous after this in depth consultation, but I had faith that together, we could come up with a good style for her. I cut and textured and razored and cut some more, whittling out a nice shape that would hopefully meet all of her criteria. At first I wasn’t sure if the idea in my head would pan out in reality, but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. It was an almost perfect, sassy little ‘do that just worked for her. Even her daughter exclaimed, “That took ten years off you! Very hip!” She just smiled and said, “Yes, it’s a style that’s all my own.”