Salon/Stylist Loyalty

Stick with what you know unless they're charging too much. How much better/different could the other places be if you're happy now?

this is just like the thread from the guy who asked if he should break up with his girlfriend because he hadn't ever slept with anyone else.

Ha ha. I guess so. Maybe I just want to cheat on my salon because I can. BWAH HA HA! But yeah, I like 'em. If it ain't broke...

New question: Are highlites worth it? I've never gotten them before.

they would probably work well on you, you have that nice sandy hair. would it look good on stage?

I stayed with one stylist until I decided I wanted a drastic change, and then I went to a new one. Highlights are fun, they can lighten up your face. You probably don't they need them, but it never hurts to experiment. Summer is a good time for this also--you can tell people it is the natural work of the sun.

Is there anything I need to know before asking for them? Like which kinds are better? I wouldn't want anything drastic, like blocks of color or too much of a frosted look.

Thanks, guys.

You wouldn't need to know anything besides that. Though the people who are good at cuts are not always the people who are good at color and vice versa--you might want to ask the salon if there is someone who specializes in color or if your regular stylist also does it.

Just tell them you want thin highlights, not thick ones, with a little extra up front, carmel or darker. Half-head, not full head, I think would be better in your circumstance (that basically means they don't do the underneath portions). It might help if you know an actress with similar colored hair who you like that you can bring in a picture but any stylist worth anything should be able to translate that. MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM YOU ARE FIRST TIME HIGHLIGHTING--that will definitely ensure they are easier on you, they'll be like "Oh well what we can do is just a little bit and then if it's not enough we can add more."

Be forewarned it can be addicting--my slow transformation from the dyed black hair I had when we met over J4 to near-platinum blonde has been ENTIRELY highlights. I haven't actually ever had a double process color done. I just keep making my poor stylist put more and more and more and more streaks in my hair...

I'm having partial highlights done today after work! My hair is v. dark brown, however.

Highlights to avoid: those that look like pinstripes or striped wallpaper; those done by the dread tight-shower-cap-and-crochet-hook-thingie method (that would be the frosted look you wish to avoid); big fat chunks that will show obvious roots as they grow out. So march in there and say: "I'd just like a couple of foils around my face to brighten things up a bit." You can always get more, and it is much easier to add to than subtract from.

xpost Ally's advice OTM

Oh and as for changing salons, don't do it unless you have to! Ie your stylist is kind of "rutting" on you and doing the same cut over and over even if you kind of don't want it anymore, or if you move, or if your stylist quits. You're lucky, you found someone perfect for you on first try--don't mess with it.

If you get an itch to try out another salon that you just can't convince yourself not to do, here's what you do though: you go and then when you're almost invariably less happy than you were with your first salon (maybe it's just me that is like this), you go back to your regular salon. The stylist is going to KNOW you cheated on them so you just tell them you had to go to your cousin's wedding and oh my god you forgot to get your hair done beforehand so you went to this AWFUL salon in, uh, Texas, and your hair soooo needs to be fixed up now! Then no one is offended.

xpost my advice is incredibly lengthy, though, yours is much more succinct. I think my biggest contribution to ILX is hair styling threads and advice, honestly.

Dude Ally if we ever meet at a DC FAP or something I totally want you to analyze my hair and tell me what I should do with it!

Can I also give you my entire clothing budget and you can pick out appropriate clothing for me? "Cause I suck at that, too.

Yeah, I'm getting highlights put in my hair in about a month and I'm hoping they won't turn out too chunky, but my stylist is very good at paying attention to what the client wants. I think I'm getting caramel colors for the summer, so thanks for the advice Ally. And I think your hair looks fantastic blonde, btw.

quincie I'm moving to DC permanent-style at the end of May so chances of me attending a called fap become much much higher after then! I'll bring clothing catalogs and styling tools!

Carmel tones are always good if you're just doing the summer highlighting thing. I think they tend to look most natural on the widest variety of hair colors and also if the rest of your hair tends to lighten up a bit in the sun they won't immediately turn white, like lighter ones might want to do.

I used to be a notorious stylist hopper until I found my current. The best thing about her is that I give her minimal description of what I want and it's always perfect. And then, it grows out real good. She's amazing. Prink Salon on Division. Seriously, primo.

I'm not sure about highlights for your color hair. I tend to think it looks better naturally. When I was getting highlights, it was because my hair used to be a lot more blonde but had degenerated into a dirty nothing color. The first time, he did lowlights and highlights, so don't be freaked out if that happens. That is supposed to make the highlights show up better. I started slow--I made sure to tell him that the first time I wanted it to look natural. Then my sister told me I should step it up a notch, And I think everytime I went it got lighter. That is supposed to make the highlights show up better. Just beware of one thing: it can be INCREDIBLY expensive. It's actually cheaper just to dye your whole head of hair. And if you get accustommed to it and people get accustommed to you looking as you do with highlights, the upkeep can be high. Then I got all my hair cut off and stopped getting highlights bc the guy told me highlights are better for longer hair. But maybe this summer I will get highlights again because my hair is growing out a bit and it is looking lackluster again. Ally, have you visited Bang yet? Make sure you research the cost before hand bc even a place that gives pretty cheap haircuts can charge a lot for highlights. The first time I enquired it was at a place that cost $40 for a haircut and they were gonna charge like $200 for highlights. I found a place that did it for $90 for whole and $45 for half, but that's still a lot, to me.

natural is better

Unnatural that looks natural is best.

my stylist is moving to Paris!!!! :(

but i remember in chicago, i really liked sheba at sine qua non salon. very very good

since about 1990, every haircut i've had has been done by my regular barber/ good friend, with two exceptions: one haircut by an old guy in maine when i was there for a summer, and one cut i did by myself. now i think that's fair to call loyalty! it happens that the haircut in maine was also the best haircut i've ever had, and i am up front about this with my friend. it was kind of a magical haircut so he isn't offended.

They say the grass is always greener at another styling salon.