A hairy love story

In the land of hook ups, one night stands and worthless sexual encounters, here is a story of love that took place right under our noses.


The queen of them all, writes on her fb wall:


story of the day: today in the salon i saw the cutest old couple.. they were at least 80 and he sat with her while she was under the dryer and held her hand and talked with her... not gonna lie got a little teary eyed from all the sappy old people love. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart ♥ i really wanted to take a picture..


There are several older women who come with assistance to the academy to get their hair done.  On this particular day, a husband escorted his bride to get her hair done.  I don't know if it was a special occasion or a regular thing that we had all missed on prior days.  


About 80 years old, he stood by her side while she got her hair done, held her hand while under the dryer.  They looked kind of shriveled up sitting together under the big dryers and I wished I had snapped a picture.  They looked around and at each other for about a half an hour, just content to be together.   


This was a beautiful picture of steadfast love that we rarely see.  I know that my husband will be that man when he's 80.  He knows how important it is for me to get my beauty fix on and loves me ever so dearly.  I don't hope for that man tomorrow, I have him today.  

GJA effect: impact on the kiddo

Tonight I asked Damon if anything had changed since I started school, from his perspective.  

Here’s what he had to say:  You cut my hair.  Short.  I did just cut his hair short and he didn’t like it.  

Here’s what else he had to say:  You do your hair (to me).  If my 9 year old has noticed… what’s that say’n?  According to him, that is the only thing that has changed.  

Minimal impact: that is good.  

The puppy dog lady

I had the opportunity to work the front desk one day.  Thank God.  It was a crazy, fun event that I can't wait to have repeated!

Shala, one of the main front desk gals had immediately recognized a guest as she entered GJA with her little dog.  She went up to the dog and played loving kisses and smooch, smooch - way over the top.  She later tells me that this lady will only see students who like her dog.  She has made students cry if they don't follow her exact protocol.

The student who was going to do her service was given the heads up about the guest.  She immediatly went over to the guest and did not talk to the guest, but the dog.  The dog.  The guest gave her dog food on a paper plate and threw the dog into the students arms.  She half smiles and walked back to her station.

As she reaches her station... ALL the educators come running around and kiss the dog.  Kiss the dog, while making this guest feel outta this world, because it is all about her coming to the salon WITH her dog, right?

I just had to check in and see how this was going to play out.  I made as many rounds "to the bathroom" to see how this would go down.

At one point, I saw the student standing alone with the dog... looking kind of awkward.  Another time, I saw the student, half smiling, still looking awkward with the dog in her station.  Apparently the guest had taken off a few times leaving the student to care for her dog.

The student didn't end up in tears, so I assume the service went well.

The puppy dog lady came in another day and had a service with my friend who sat near me, so I had a full on view and experience to watch the guest and her dog in action.  Boy, she was mean, really mean.  She kept telling the student to do this and that, this or that and then got on her cell phone as she was being blow dried, THEN asked the student to stop while she talked on the phone.  She kept insisitng that my fellow student kiss the dog, make out with the dog and I don't know what else.  Irritated, my friend just kept blow drying her hair and wishing the service would come to a quick end.  It eventually ended, but my friend was fried the rest of the day.

See my prior blog about Salon Phone Manners.

Catering to a dog in a professional salon environment is stupid.  I will not kiss, make out with or feed food on a paper plate to your dog.  

Conversations while receiving hair services.

Ok, just gonna be real with you guys.

When you talk in a low voice while I'm doing your hair, I cannot hear you and will most likely say, ok, yes, oh yes and for sure.  Reason:  I can't hear you over 1. all the back ground noise and/or 2. the blow dryer.

Your cell phone.  I can't stop blow drying your hair to 1. talk (unless your visibly upset or having an urgent situation that can only be taken care of once I've stopped blow drying your hair).  2. Let you talk on your cell phone - I cannot tell you how many people decide to pick up their phone, not to text, but to TALK at the precise moment I am about to dry their hair.

Last weekend, I had a guest who talked so quietly, all I could get out of the conversation was: library, seattle, take walks.  SO, I decided I would make a funny joke about my overdue library books.  Ummmm... big mistake.  She immediately got upset and told me to return my library books immediately and when I ushered her to the front desk to check out she gave me strict instructions on how I need to get my library books back immediately.  She didn't leave a tip.  See what can happen when you talk quietly in a busy salon or try to talk over a blow dryer?  So, for now I think I'll just leave it to, "for sure" and "thanks for explaining that to me" - if you catch me doing that... I can't hear you.

My journey with beauty school hair...

Ok, so we knew it was going to happen - a cut, a color, crazy stuff going on with the hair while in beauty school.  Ryan was hoping for crazy hair and tattoos, but that is not going to happen.  If you've seen my hair lately, you know I've gone from shoulder length blonde hair to a chin length bob and really dark.  I love it and have not regretted it since I did it.

Pre-beauty school hair

Obviously did not know how to use a flat iron or anything else for that matter - that's another blog.

I told a guest about what my hair journey had been (yes she did ask) since going to school and she looks at me and asks "So you've colored it so many times so you just had to color it black" - not quite.  I had intentionally made my hair this dark.  It was a mental challenge to explain this to her.  Not all crazy hair or funky hair while at beauty school is a mistake or irreversible.

I do plan on keeping my hair like this for some reason.  I will let some of the top layers grow out a little, but otherwise... I'm good.

This was July - November. 

 One guest told me I had "penthouse hair" - hmmmm.  It was dark, dark, dark on the bottom and really light blonde on the top with a very angled cut.

Bottom line:  

All beauty school hair change is not necessarily a bad change!

November to current  

Black bob with stacked layers.

Look like a mistake to you?  I don't think so!

Technology manners in a salon...

We have been provided many, many ways to communicate though the wonderful devices we carry around with us that come in the form of a cell phone.  We can text, we can email, we can surf the web, we can facebook, take pictures and last but not least... we can talk.  Now, I am not going to get into all of the angles of cell phone manners that are now issues with society.  But, I will give you my take based on what I've seen since being on the salon floor.  

When getting your hair done - use your phone.  Just don't talk on your phone while I'm trying to blow dry your hair.  Stylists are on a strict time restraint, we cannot accommodate your casual phone conversations while we do everything we can go get you great hair and out the door and onto your next activity!  So, save the phone call, please choose to text instead. 

I try not to look at your phone while doing your hair, but I must admit - sometimes I do.  I was surprised to see a text about ME during my first week on the floor.  She was complaining about how long I was taking to do my service.  I was in MOD 2 and new on the floor, so of course I was slow!  But, this was an interesting encounter for me, as it never occurred guests would be texting about me sitting in my chair!  

I do love it when guests take their cell phone to the shampoo bowls because sometimes it takes a while to process a toner, shampoo out color and give a conditioning treatment - it keeps the guest from becoming bored and antsy. 

Another idea: go old school.  I am now placed in the middle of the salon floor - every one passes my station to get to their station.  There are pluses and minus about the location.  However, yesterday my guest didn't want a magazine, book and didn't crack out her cell phone.  She just plain people watched.  At one point she pointed out to me all the services that were being done from her vantage point and what they looked like when they walked in and her critique and opinion of how they walked out!  People watching, especially on a Saturday in the middle of a beauty school is never boring!  Next time your in, try it!

Bottom line:  enjoy your phone for all anti-boredom properties it provides.  Just don't talk while I'm blow drying your hair... 

Take'n fashion cues from... Dad?

Yes.  My Father was quite the fashionista.  Actually a slave to fashion.  If I think upon his extensive wardrobe and the elaborate hygiene rituals, I am amazed that the man had enough time for his Family, collecting random things that amounted to a lot of what no one really cared about and of course his time hunting things down on ebay.

When I think about his person, I envision cuff links that were to die for, watches that he had furiously searched for, ties that he hoarded like there was no tomorrow, suits he had made for him personally (he looked like an Easter egg one year.. with the help of a personal shopper from Nordstrom), belts for any size, the latest glasses and of course shoes.  Ahhhh... the shoes.  His collection of shoes was actually an obsession.  It went beyond obsession.  He had shoes in multiple sizes and colors and textures.  When he died I believe the count hovered somewhere around 120 pairs of men's shoes.  All expensive shoes.  Never would he have dreamed of going somewhere like Target to look for accessories, let alone shoes.  My mom ended up giving them away as she did with most of his clothing.

It took my mom quite some time to give away all of his clothing, but she did so at her own pace and slowly claimed his closet as her own for her craft projects which she so enjoyed.

A few years ago, my dad was into TOTAL MATCHY, MATCHY - he had several shirts that matched his shoes exactly.  He was super into stripes at that time... he would wear jeans and shoes that coordinated with the shirts to the T.  I could look at him and think, "at least he's coordinated"!   Please note, when I said several... I meant several - different colors, etc.    

His personal hygiene was one that I'll never forget.  Long showers, a system of drying off that was a loved routine, he shaved EVERY day, when I see him, I often envision his head turned with a face full of shaving cream responding to your question as we would contemplate the day.  He would get hair cuts frequently and used sun in on a regular basis.

He took better care of himself than most women I know.  I don't know how he did it, but he remained on the cutting edge with his fashion, whether it was his own or the actual latest fashion.

I think he would be proud of me.  I think he would be the last person to ever let me touch his hair.  He was a good looking guy.  When he died, the few things I got from him were one of his car t-shirts that still smelled like him and cuff links.  Some ties went to Ryan and I'll make sure that the boys get in on that when it's appropriate.

Mom made stars for us at Christmas time (he died in early summer) out of some of his clothing, which I think was therapy for her and a blessing for us - we can incorporate this into our Christmas time.  

When I look back, I appreciate his style, his meticulous way of taking care of himself, his passion for a good deal on clothing and his execution and attention to detail.  I love my Dad and miss him.  This is just one of the things that when I close my eyes I think about.

His birthday was last week.  He would have been 60.  There would have been fireworks.  He's been gone for just over 5 years.  What a happy memory he passed along.