Unsolicited Hair Stories

I can pretty much guarantee you, the moment I let someone know I am a hairdresser, that I will inevitably hear a hair story.  But the one I heard the other day, came unsolicited.  I was at the hospital with my sister waiting long hours while she healed at an imperceptiblespeed.  During the day, I had made runs out to the nurses station for various requests, i.e., water, cotton swabs for the mouth, robe change, etc.  The last run out to the nurses station was complicated for me.  I was looking for a sign that it was okay to leave, and that my sister would be in good hands if I left.  The nurse Becky, upon seeing my awkward attempt at having her absolve my guilt, said, "No problem!  We will take care of her. In fact, we will check on her more since you are leaving." I said, "Oh good. I have got a 5 year old I need to take care of at home." 

"Oh, no.  She doesn't need you."  You know, when I was five, I cut my hair and stuffed it in my father's shoe, thinking he would never find it there." 

"Really?"  I asked.  "Did you know I was a hairdresser?"

She went on to tell me her father found the hair, and they did cut the rest of her hair off.  (I would have liked to have seen how that story played out)

It seems to be a theme. Because when I returned home, I slept most of the night, and although it was hard to get up in the morning, I was excited to spend the day with my family.  We get to the park where a July 4th party is in full swing, put on by the city of El Cerrito, and I run into a friend, who's daughter I get to finally meet.  The girl is beautiful, and her hair is cut as short as mine is now. My friend says, "She took the scissors to it yesterday," as she motioned at the front of her daughter's hair.  "We cut the rest of it to match."  Her daughter covered her head in embarassment.

I guess I better keep scissors out of hand's reach of my five year old.

Nobody is Brushing Their Hair

It came to me yesterday that as the world becomes more intense all the time, with people killing each other, starving in most of the world, and holed up in their homes craving touch, I had a solution to the ills of human nature.  Brushing your hair.  Nobody is brushing their hair anymore.  When did it stop?  The stress goes right to the scalp.  In fact, I will start polling scalps and give you an update on how many people have tight scalps, and how many people brush.  I can guarantee you this, most people do not brush their hair.  I touch scalps all day long, and at least 75% are tight. So, now we have tight scalps, and more people do not brush their hair because of hair color, or hair products, and then we go to bed with unbrushed hair(yuck!), then we wake up and do it again.  More product, more air pollution, more stress, and no brushing, then back to bed again.  Then we do it all again.  I wonder what goes on for our skin too, resting on that yucky pillowcase over and over.

The perfect anecdote is to BRUSH your hair!  Not only does brushing feel good, it relaxes every part of you, but all the toxins, and tension gets brushed away.  And as if that wasn't sweet enough, the oils get brushed out to the ends of the hair, which mostly are dry.  The softness starts to permeate everywhere.  You can't just use any brush...you have to check out the Mason Pearson brushes at www.masonpearson.com.  These brushes feel so good, and last a lifetime they say.   You will never need another brush, nor will you want one.  These brushes get right down to the scalp, without digging in, and without little plastic, tips coming off.

While you are at it, brush right down over your body, with your clothes on.  Brushing in downward strokes the arms, the sides of the body, your legs, your back, your legs, right down the feet.  You've never felt anything like it.

When you brush away your stress, you are tuning into your own body, you can feel your own energy again, and you are tending to yourself.  Isn't this where world peace begins?  Maybe you will want to do it for someone else.  We will have hair brushing parties...we will do it for our kids.

Hair Can Undo It All

Over a bottle of Chardonnay and a seafood platter at the Martini Oyster Bar in Sonoma, three of us couples talked about everything.  We laughed so much that my cheeks hurt, and my eyes watered.  One couples are a husband and wife team that are clients of mine.  I commented on the fact that Joanie is a dream client.  She is a client of Julie Schindler's as well, she knew exactly what I meant.  Julie is a wonderful fashion designer and designs most of what Joanie wears.  They have known each other for a long time now.  And what we love about Joanie is her ability to trust in, and pull forth the best work of those who provide a service for her.  She loves to turn it over.  When I pull off the cutting cape and she goes to the dressing room to change, I wait to see the finished look.  She walks out looking stunning every time.  Why?  Because she dresses, and her hair always looks good. There are people whom I have never seen dressed in their best, and yet they may wear great hair.  But then, some dress well but never make changes to their hair.  We all agreed that the hair can undo it all, the hair is the crown and glory. It must come down to fear.  Fear of looking good, fear of not looking good, fear of change, fear of attention.  I know women who can spend thousands of dollars on a wardrobe, per season, and who refuse to dress when they come into the salon. They wear sweatpants and Uggs.  But not Joanie!  She is confident in who she is, and she doesn't need approval from anybody... but she receives more positive feedback where ever she goes.  When she walks into a room, people look, because everything is congruent.

Every designer I know works very hard and deals with quite a bit of stress, every designer needs to find what they love in what they do, and not waste time doing all the other stuff.  Julie loves designing for Joanie because she is appreciated, and Joanie wears her clothes with ease.

Julie's designs are fabulous!  Classic with a twist;  beautiful fabrics, lined slacks, interesting shapes, detailed finishing.  Julie has class, and provides quality fashion, for a modest price.  She, unfortunately, doesn't have a website yet. The success of her business manifested through word of mouth.

I wished I would have brought my camera with me.

Nymph in the Woods

We had the clothes, shoes and jewelry, location, and a wonderful model.  Everything went as planned.  Racheal arrived on time, and we met up with Dee as scheduled.  Then the fog cleared, giving us some sun highlight in all the right places.  We decided to go with two looks, complete with dress, lipstick, and hair changes. I even needed to let go of the updo concept I had prepared, because what was happening with the hair in the moment was lovely.     Shooting with Dee Conway was the most pleasurable experience I've had doing hair and make up on location. She has an amazing eye, she is flexible, she goes for what she wants with a light hand. She is creative with her direction, spontaneous, and unafraid to say what she is loving.  She could have walked off into the sunset with Racheal, clicking away.  I should have let her go down into the meadow.  Buy by then, Racheal was getting cold, we had shot for three hours, and I knew we had captured some beautiful images. 

Some things are worth doing, just to do it.  This shoot brought me so much pleasure, it was truly satisfying.  The vision of Racheal, in the woods, looking exquisitly beautiful made me teary eyed, and grateful for the opportunity to create beauty.  

 For more about Dee, photographer extraordinaire.  www.deeconway.com   

Thank you Dee, Racheal, and Cari! 

                 

Past Lives

Once in awhile you meet someone who reminds you that there is such a thing as past lives lived, and maybe you come back together to continue the dialogue.  I had met Laura in the salon I worked at in downtown Oakland for 14 years.  She was a long time client of Joni's.  Laura is an artist, and we all had met working for the Personal Style Counselors, or PSC, in Oakland back in the 80's.  Laura would select color palettes for our clients.  After a client received their "harmonies", they would walk down the stairs to our salon, Kay's Collective, to have their hair done by the likes of Joni, myself and fourteen other stylists.  All this to say that Laura and I knew of each other, and then, eight years ago, she sat in my chair.  This is when we began to explore our connection. 

Laura is an artist who truly sees color, and has a deep respect for the canvas, the paint, and her relationship to the craft.  Her paintings capture a light essence, and yet her technique shows the depth of her understanding of the medium.  Her paintings delight me with her use of color, they are magical and inspirational, and yet I feel if I let myself gaze longer I can enter into the painting, and go many places.  After the birth of my daughter, I decided to take a painting class with her, and loved every minute of it.  I met Delfina Piretti there, and other delightful women.  And so, in our exploration, we not only share PSC in the past,  but now the desire to create beauty.

She not only is a wonderful artist, but a beauty, on the inside and out.  She works in the are of Transofrmative Arts.  She coaches, she speaks, as well as creates her own art.  Her list of accomplishments go on to astound me.  She has a great ability to drop down into pithy conversation, and on the other hand, we can laugh, and do.  As time goes on, we realize more and more, and appreciate the fact that, indeed, we have known each other a long time.  I have tremendous respect for Laura for many reasons, one of which is how she is determined to live a life that contributes to those around her. 

                                                    

Check out the interview with her, she shares her ideas on Color.

We did her makeup and hair last week and took these photos.           

To find out more about how talented, and how much this woman offers up to the world, check out her new website www.whitebirdrising.com

Thank you Laura, I look forward to discovering, and remembering our dear connection and how this thread will weave our lives together.

Museums

I stand in the very three foot area that my favorite hairstylist has performed her craft for years.  It's as if I stand in her own personal museum.   Not because there are artifacts of hers hanging around me, or relics of her hair do's that line the wall behind me.  I feel as though her energy surrounds me, encourages me, reminds me of the creativity that abounds. I just need to tap in to the resevoir that has lived here long before I have arrived.  And, I believe she will haunt us to be kind to each other, to draw upon each others strengths, and let the small stuff fade away. It will be interesting to see how the energy shifts however, how the group of stylists reconfigure around her not being there, and being with what is.  Who and what will fill the space. She doesn't leave town till next week.  So, we will go have breakfast at one of my favorite places, La Note in Berkeley, and then go to SFMOMA to visit the Freida Kahlo exhibit.  Two weeks ago we visited the Annie Leibowitz exhibit at the Veteran's Memorial.  I was so impressed with the vulnerability I experienced in viewing her work.  My only regret is that we didn't explore our relationship outside of the salon before this.  I will cherish every moment as we take in the art, talk and share time with one another.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm busying myself not only with writing one of the most challenging stories of the book project so far, but I'm preparing for another editorial shoot on Sunday.  I called Savanna yesterday in search of size 10 heels.  Dee Conway the photographer and I will work together, which I'm really looking forward to.  She has a creative eye, plus she is funny as can be.  We have a great model from Rabaat shoe store, Rachael, who once modeled in Europe for a period of time.  We've come up with the concept for hair.  

                                                         

I sped around town yesterday, looking for jewelry, leggings, and shoes. I didn't find shoes.  Kind of critical. I can spend 100. on a pair, but do I want to for the shoot.  I don't want to fall short of a fabulous shot, just because of the shoes, they are pretty important.  We are going for romantic and feminine, perhaps a bit of a period feel to it.

Maybe I need to hunt earlier next time, instead of waiting till the final week. We have a fabulous dress, loaned to us by the talented Cari Borja, a designer in Berkeley, CA. Check it out.  This loan is a very generous offer.  Thank you Cari.  To see more of her designs, check out:   www.cariborja.com

                                                                                                       

A museum of Savanna's haircuts?  Not a bad idea.  She gave me this latest.

The Observer

I talked politics with my last client and now an eight-year-old; grandson of my guest, a future paleontologist. Ryan pulled up the leopard print chair and sat while I consulted about her hair. He watched with great curiosity at my every move. After the shampoo, we settled into our little real estate around my station. Ryan had straight blonde hair, the kind of blonde that women pay top dollar for, the perfect honey color with lots of shine. He wore large round eyeglasses and relatively simple attire. Except for the hoodie his grandmother, my client, had just purchased for him. Little crocodiles patterned all over this hoodie, their eyes peering at me. His high IQ and evident language skills perked my ears as he began to speak. The cutting went well when a creative burst came through me, and I asked if I could interview her grandson. They both thought this would be grand.

As I cut a layered, oval shape on my client, her grandson watched while he spoke his thoughts on creativity.

How to Look Like You

Yes, it was another informative, fun, and lively event with Jennifer Butler.  You've got to listen to some of the audio to get a sense of how she works. She is a wizardess and a priestess, helping women to know themselves better.  She gives them complete permission to play, and have fun with clothing.

Here are some photos from the event held at the Mill Valley Holiday Inn, last Saturday evening.  There had to be fifty people there to hear Jennifer, who never seems to tire.  She pours out love and acceptance, and yet, when she needs to, a shaking of the head, with a twinkle in her eye, seemingly to say, "It won't work...do you know why?"

 

Then to see people give away clothes they've had in their closet, and don't wear, is quite a generous event. To see people being willing to give up their coveted item on someone for whom it works for, is a complete joy.  The people who have their colors done are looking hot, and like themselves, the way you expect them to look.  Everything is lined up and congruent.  Your eye does not roam, looking to understand what is not working.

 

Wonderful evening Jennifer!   Thank you. 

We Walk a Similar Path

However different we make think we are, it is minuscule compared to what we have in common.  Marcia Branca and I have known each other since 1988.  For twenty years our relationship has winded down a path that hugs the earth, and comes upon vistas that one can see as far out as eye can see.  When she first became a client, we realized we had a couple of mutual friends.  Her personal interests seemed to be similar to mine, and to the friends we had in common.  And although our relationship has not brought us together socially, it's as reliable.  It's as if each time, we fumble for a few minutes to see where we left off, but then quickly get back into a rhythm of sharing that makes us laugh, cry and remember why we carry on for this many years.

Some of the ways we knew each other were from unrelated arenas, giving us the feeling that really this is too much.  We have seen each other grow, and shrink, and grow again.  We both have one daughter, we both write, we both have a similar spiritual practice, we both paint, we both love travel, we both want something better for our daughters.  We have both dreamt, and have had our dreams shattered.  We are survivors, and after a kind of life that we catch glimpses of, and mirror for each other.

The other day, she did her makeup and I colored her hair and took a photo.  Because the time before, I colored and cut her hair, we applied makeup, and she looked fabulous.  The camera had no card.  So, this is what we captured this time.  And this is what she had to say about our presidential campaign:  Click here to download.

There is a certain kind of beauty in knowing that certain people you are sure you've known before, and will always feel a connection to, no matter how much time goes by, and how little you do see each other.  Thank you Marcia for the years of friendship, loyalty, trust and laughter.  You are a beauty.

Hot Topics in the Chair

Topics were all over the board yesterday, all the while, awesome hair color of magenta and Special Effects yellow on Anne, level 3 and Special Effects yellow on Frankie, and cutting a client's hair, then needing to be in dialogue about, her still wanting it shorter.  And yet, I thought we were growing it out.  One needs to be flexible.  And in the end, the client needs to be happy, and sometimes this translates to me letting go of my vision. Suicide of a 24-year-old on one side, people thrilled about Obama and the possibilities he represents on the other.  How is it our youth want to take their lives?   Overworked, overwhelmed, over-achieving women, women shaming men, pathos in full living color in the chair, and promotion of small business owners...also how women are afraid of calling attention to themselves, so they dress frumpy.  Why does anyone want to put out that kind of energy into the world?  It's for us that we dress.

The owner and I went to a book reading for another client, but we had the day wrong.  So, we walked to a restaurant a client recommended.  This fabulous Cajun restaurant, Angenline's in Berkeley, has created an authentic, fabulous, inviting ambiance.  The restaurateur, Robert is friendly and loves talking about the menu.  The food was delicious, and the music added the finishing touch!  We talked about business and possibilities for the salon.

Hair and Politics

Everybody I saw today had lots of hair. They all had hair that needed more attention than most or didn't have much hair, but they decided today was the day their hair did need attention—lots of color, lots of focus, lots of foils. And only one client and I talked about politics.

How can that be? The rest of the world is waiting. How will the American people vote? We are making history now, no matter how the election turns out. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama have people talking. Will they decide to work together for the better of the Democratic Party and the country? Will they choose to work together for the better of the Democratic Party and the country? Will the Clinton constituents realign with Obama?

Politics, writing, moves, changes, good stories, music, suicide, friendships, Squaw Valley Writing Conference, the economy, and loyalty were discussed in the chair today. I felt fatigued at the end, and yet I couldn't stop. I had to race to pick up my daughter. She reminded me she was almost the last one to be picked up(thankfully, it had been a long time since that happened). I needed to leave my previous client with my assistant to finish the blow dry. Unfortunate situation, even though I trust my assistant to treat my client well.

When I walked past the newsstand to get a cup of coffee, I read the headlines as I always do. Today was the first day I had bought a newspaper in at least a year. The front page of the San Francisco Chronicle caught my eye. I wanted to read the paper; this was highly unusual behavior. I don't know if you call it real news, but it was the first I'd read beyond the online news through moveon.org or truemajority.com. It provoked conversation.

Clients seem to be excited or entirely in fear and still anxious about politics. The campaign is not over until it is over. Will the American people be willing to move beyond their fear and small minds and allow the white patriarchal to rest? Whoops! What does this have to do with hair? A regular client sometimes sits in my chair and wants to talk politics and not hide.

Hair Salon Personnel Change

Savanna, my anchor, and colleague is leaving the salon.  Her last day will be June 17, and it will be a sad day for me, although I am terribly excited for her.  She, and her husband Jeff, are heading to the UK, where he is from, and where she has spent time. Her father is English as well.  Savanna is a talented hairdresser, who is down-to-earth, unpretentious, and somebody you want to know forever.  Her hair designs are creative, detailed, and daring.  Her bobs are perfect, her one lengths impeccable, and her short haircuts are original and well suited for the hair texture and the facial features of her clients.  And, she is a beautiful, genuine, gentle, funny, and kind soul.

Then there is the way she dresses.  Vintage most of the time with a Savanna twist.  She will not wear makeup if she doesn't feel like it.  She is regal, yet funky.  She is grounded and steady.  She changes her hair more than any hairdresser I've known.

Her presence in the salon will be missed by a lot of people.  Her level of care for her clients from the moment they show up, until the time they walk out of the salon, is superior.  She takes care of their hair, describing it to them at length to them, informing them of things they have never known.  I have never heard the cuticle of the hair be so interesting before.

Savanna's future will be fascinating.  She plans to go to design school, with an industrial focus.  She was already a painter before she studied hairdressing at the Paul Mitchell school in San Francisco.  Savanna and Jeff dined at our place the other nite, and as usual, there was lots of laughter, good food, and stories.  In true Savanna style, she walked in with a wet painting to which she had just applied the finishing touches.  It was an oil portrait of me, with my latest haircut and color.  I think she captured a lightness of being, that I will treasure for all time.

Thank you Savanna for your artistry, professionalism, care for people, your beauty inside and out, and your dear friendship.  You are an inspiration to me, and words cannot define the deep level of respect I have for you.  And even though I shall miss you, I am proud of you for taking this leap.  I will see you in the UK.

Baby Green Steps

Okay, so I'm taking a moment out of the presidential campaign flurry of interviews, and updating you on what changes are occurring in the salon. It's amazing, that hairdressers can actually change their ways. I voiced the opinion that there ought to be three plastic, same-size bins for the break room. One for trash, one for plastic/bottles, and one for paper.  One day they showed up, and, they are actually being used, not only that but filled up. The color boxes are being recycled, instead of ending up in the trash. I've encouraged the use of bringing your own cup to get coffee. I overheard Wayne, say today, "You may as well have asked me to walk with books on my head." Milky white, hot liquid spilled over his chapped hands. It was filled to the brim, I might add. Savanna has actually instigated a trend of bringing a bowl to get her lunch in. I just love it! Nick has asked Kerastase to please stop their waste of shipping products with a huge amount of paper, and boxes.  Stay tuned for their response.

There are still issues to work out, like light bulbs(I'm not even sure why we haven't changed over). We still use toxic cleaning sprays. And I have to say, as I hilite clients’ hair, I am more sensitive to the waste produced by all the foils. Adding to the problem is becoming more difficult to ignore. Could I offer less toxic means of coloring the hair? Could I give up an enormous part of my business income because of this sensitivity? Can one person's actions change all that much? Probably not, but what else do we have, but living our own truth? I've got to be able to live with myself and my choices.

As I ponder nontoxic thoughts, I ponder the idea of cutting my hair off and exposing my grey hair. Radical thought in radical times. There is something about just letting it be that sounds attractive, knowing full and well it doesn't mean that I'm interested in being frumpy, or not feminine. But this idea counters the general philosophy of the beauty industry.

Back to the green conversation, though.  We are taking baby steps in the direction of being conscious, but we have still, a long way to go.  I acknowledge the great job my colleagues have done arriving to this point.

Obama vs Clinton

Three out of four of my clients polled on Wednesday said Obama was the man for the job.  A couple of Hilary voters, are disgruntled with her old-style politics and have moved over to the Obama side of things.  The fourth client was a Hilary supporter and has not decided to give up until Hilary does. We all agreed nobody is perfect.   Not one of my clients is looking for perfection.  They are interested in diplomacy, integrity, and intelligence.  We all agreed whoever gets the job will have a mighty task ahead of them.  Nobody cares for the classic style of politicking, in fact, everybody I talked to, four out of six clients, was ready for somebody very different. 

Is Obama that person...it remains to be seen.  We would like him to be, not only because of his potential but because the alternative, McCain, is dreadful.   Everybody I talked to was sickened by McCain and seemed to be worried more about who would he bring along as Vice President.  May it not get to this point.

I've heard a lot of people talking about Obama's message of hope, more than actually talking about a plan, or course of action.  Frankly, I feel that I'd rather not have the promises.  Hope is not a bad word, hope is what people need to rise above their situations in life.  Somebody needs to say,  peace is possible, this is how we will do it.

Obama or McCain

Instead of interviewing clients about their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to color, I want to know which candidate the Democrats are going to vote for and why.  At this point, it is a little frightening to think that if the Democrats in America can't get behind Obama, and they decide for malicious reasons they will vote for the antiquated McCain, a guy that even the Republican party doesn't like, we are heading down further into dark times.  Maybe it's too late for this sort of inquiry, but is it?  Shouldn't we fight with determination in the ways that we can to affect those around us, to have a dialogue about what matters in the final moment? In fact, I need to be recording people's responses, NOW.  What better place than the hairdresser's chair to gather a consensus based on this particular segment of society, in Berkeley, California?  It's a bit intimidating to open up the political conversation in the chair, because who knows what beliefs people have, and if they consider it too personal a topic to go into, and what if they are Republican?  In the past, maybe I would have had a reaction, but now, I think it is more important to discuss our viewpoints, especially if they differ from mine, to understand other viewpoints.  I think I could interview clients from a neutral position. 

Mrs. Page in beauty school might not approve, but interviewing clients right now about their political views would bring me the satisfaction of a different sort.  I've always been trying to get to the underbelly of the beauty industry, knowing from experience, that there is much more than what meets the eye when somebody sits in the chair.  Why not take the opportunity?

Take Note Fashion World

Andrea, at Serrahna's, held another wonderfully colorful fashion event at Khana Peena on College Avenue, in Oakland today.  We had a great time.  The models were fabulous, all five of them...I lost count.  I was completely absorbed with each one of them, applying makeup and styling their hair.  The makeup application went a bit easier than last time, even though I was moving from the moment the first model showed, to when I left at about, 2:30 pm.  The real proof is what comes through in the photos. What I love about Andrea, is that her heart comes through in her clothing designs, she is able to articulate her passion through fabric, and design. Beautiful!  I also love the fact, once again, (I'm sorry if you've already heard it), that she celebrates, and honors every woman who steps into her business.  She helps them move in new directions and helps them become more feminine.  I love that the models are of all sizes and all ages.  How refreshing is that?  The fashion world takes notice!  You don't have to be 16, have skin and bones, and be flawless(yawn!), to be a woman.

I also loved how the models took on the divine feminine as they transformed before our very eyes.  Oohs and ahhs fell out of the mouths of the audience.  Queens!  It was such an honor to bring out what was already there, waiting to be drawn out.  They would walk back into the store, and say, "that was fun/"

Andrea and I walked over when the show was just about over, and with the grace of the Queen, she introduced me to each table of quests.  Thank you Andrea.

Upon my return home, my daughter had her own clothing situation to work out.  From showing me new shorts purchased with daddy to meltdowns around not having clean laundry to questioning the shoes I suggested for our bicycle ride to the park.  I loved every minute of being with her, up to patting her back and saying goodnight.  A nice balance to the day.  And now, a movie with my loved one.

I'll be sure to post the photos the minute I receive them.

Check out www.serrahna.com for Andrea's designs.

Touching My Clients

It's a business deal.  In exchange for money, I touch the heads, necks, and shoulders of my clients.  People surrender to me, some in a slow, steady manner, like a door inching its open.  Some jump right in, like two slaps of the hand from a Flamenco dancer.  And, finally, some clients have a unpredictable time in the chair.  However they decide to show up, whether conscious or not, it's an intimate dance in the mirror. There we are, sometimes strangers, looking for ways in which we can connect, searching for the similarities.  I comb, shampoo, run my fingers through their hair.  I tug, pull, stretch, this way and that.  I imagine who they might have been as a kid, I wonder at their particular wiring.  How did they get to where they are?  All the while, learning a great deal about myself, and them.  My caresses continue to relax or repel them.  The expectation is high for that hour.

And in the end, I am paid, in more ways than are countable.  And they leave, with maybe a bit more skip in their step.

Spark a Smile

A new client came in the other day.  Another contact from Jennifer Butler.  Nancy Procurier is her name, and talk about sprite!  More like vivacious, fun, good hearted, attractive, a great smile and laugh.  Spending time with Nancy was like dancing the cha cha cha, we laughed, we shared business ideas, stories from our past, back and forth, step, step, step. She came in with long, heavy mid blonde hair, with highlights, pinned up.  She wore high heels and shorts, and large sunglasses.  Hip, with a desire for change, for more femininity.  This woman is busting out of her comfort zone, and what better set up could a hairdresser ask for.  She was respectful of my ideas, and we were able to build rapport with a snap of a finger.  I suggested she bring up the length to at least mid back, shape it around the front, and release the crown.  I wanted to see more movement to match her energy, and size of her facial features.

As we layered, and lengths flew to the floor, we went for getting in as much as we could.  Her business is brilliant!  It's based on fostering contact between aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc, and the kids in their life.  She sends them mail for you.  That's right a bright envelope, with big letters!  The envelope contains different fun things based on themes she creates through the year.  I love it! Not only is her service fostering contact and connection with those little loved ones, who may live miles away, but it's fostering letter writing, a lost art.

Check it out!  www.sparksprite.com

It takes a lot of courage and inner strength to make change.  Beautiful job Nancy.  Thank you.  Stayed tune for make up and hair photo.

Sunset Hues in Her Hair

Cordelia was in today. Her hair was faded, but the black and the lightener pieces held up. I used 4.3 1/4 tube, and 6.46 on the base because I am was out of 5.46. I touched up the ends with special effects blood red, with hot lava, hi octane orange with a bit of yellow, and yellow by itself.  Cordelia is on her way to Greece for three weeks with her mother.  They are going on a sail boat for a contra dancing cruise.  She wanted to sport great hair, and so I went to work.  As, I swathed the sunny colors on her hair, we talked about our work, good food, and art.  We both had returned from women’s weekends, both wanting girl, art and nature, and good food connection. I came back with the deeper knowing that writing is what feeds my soul. Even so, sitting down and working on my book is the last thing I will sit and do. I’m afraid. What it requires for me to slow down enough to go deep inside feels like stepping into quicksand.

Back to Cordelia.  She continues to inspire me, to hold a torch for art and it’s importance to humanity. To end an insane day, with having time with Cordelia, was a dream.  There was lots of sparkle in the finished do.  I can picture her on that sailboat now, Hi Octane Orange colored hair blowing in the soft, warm wind.  People oohing and ahhing, “Look at that gorgeous woman, she must be an artist.”  Sunset hair!

Thank you Cordelia.

The Cellist and Fire Spinner

Laura is a unique being, and a client.  I usually see her not long after the sun comes up on Saturday mornings, every ten weeks or so.  When we see each other we either chat it up, or drift into a silence, both of us okay with what is so. 

Her piercing, but loving blue eyes contrast her level 5, red mahogany hair color.  Her hair is straight, and we are growing it out to one length, it seems to take forever.  The seasons pass, and we wait patiently, only trimming her fringe.  We are getting there.

Last time she was in, we captured her thoughts on creativity.  Check it out. 

She's not only interested in fire spinning, but she is a cellist, playing in an all girl jazz band.  www.girltalkband.com.  Laura comes from a family of musicians, all playing together at get togethers.  I love the picture it conjures up for me.

One thing you don't know about Laura is that she is committed teacher in the Alameda School District.  Teaching now, in California specifically has much to be desired, she has similar issues as when she taught in Oakland.  Apparently, our state doesn't value education.   How painful is that?

Back to Laura.  When she is not teaching, she explores her creative side; salsa dancing, music, and fire arts.  She is a delight to be with, and always willing to laugh.  Thank you Laura.  Being with you makes my job most interesting.