I scheduled my haircut with the woman who just consulted with Curly and asked if she had any product suggestions for me. I like my current hair stylist, but I was ready to see if someone else had a different approach.
*Anyone else try this and feel guilty for 'cheating' on your current hair stylist.*
I like the haircut Curly Girl method lady gave me - my hair is now a million lengths which helps hide the thinning issues and gives it some fullness and more body.
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I was looking for a photo of my hair pre-haircut. My hair here: lifeless. I assume you won't soon tire of this photo. |
Remember when I was mistakenly panicked thinking it was time to pick up Curly? Well, I wasn't focused on the products the stylist was suggesting. She promised to email me what to buy, but I knew from Curly's experience that her email might not arrive for weeks. I swore she'd suggested a spray gel or a foam from Mario Tricoci.
A few days later when Curly and I ran to Mario Tricoci. I was hoping the mystery product would be obvious to me.
For starters the stylist said this bottle was around $7. Anyone been to a Mario Tricoci lately? They practically charge you $7 for a friendly greeting. No product there was remotely in the $7 range. Curly and I stared at the products on the first floor. Nothing jumped out at us. There was an escalator to the 2nd floor, so we thought MUST BE UP THERE.
Upstairs, someone asked if we needed help. I told them my stylist had recommended a product here. I enjoyed asking them about this product whose-name-shall-remain-a-mystery. Guessing games are fun, especially in a high end salon where everyone has perfect hair. Stand out much?
An in-charge type guy named Michael approached: HI, I'M LOOKING FOR A BOTTLE OF $7 PRODUCT.
I explained to Michael that the woman who just started cutting my hair recommended something like a spray on gel for my hair type. In my usual fashion, I gave too much information.
Me: The woman is gonna email me names of the products but I haven't received it yet. She gave my daughter some great advice for her curly hair, so I thought we'd stop by in case I recognized the bottle she suggested.
Michael took this as his cue to give Curly tips. Even though she's all set. No amount of subliminal messages and hand pointing at my icky hair could convince him to focus on me.
He walked us around. Pointed at bottles. Urged me to take a photo of said bottles for Curly's hair (nevermind I'd bought 12 bottles of pricey stuff some of which a brother might eat).
He took us back downstairs. I was cracking up, wishing we were followed by a camera because his focus on Curly's hair was intense. The hair we WEREN'T shopping for. She was wearing a braid, but the excessive curly bits sticking out at the end spoke to him.
Addressing Curly, even though I WAS SHOPPING FOR PRODUCT, he grabbed a bit of my hair and demonstrated.
Michael: You can twist two pieces of your hair (meaning Curly's) together to get a big fat curl. Or you can try this. (continues to mess with my mousy, flimsy, weak-ass hair).
While he played Barbie-head with my hair, I sent Curly Morris Code messages with my eyelids that Michael couldn't see.
My blinking subtly screamed: CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS GUY IS MESSING WITH MY HAIR TO SHOW YOU HOW TO DO YOUR HAIR?
My hair product hunt might've been unsuccessful, but I was able to test Curly in the ever-important lesson of: CAN YOU KEEP FROM LAUGHING IN PUBLIC WHEN I'M MAKING CRAZY BLINKY FACES AT YOU?
Maeve passed with flying colors, hiding her tiny giggle-bursts with a nod that said: OH, GREAT IDEA. HMM.
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Took this photo from my laptop - cuz I'm super tired and it's past my bedtime. |
The jury is out on my new product, which was expensive - but our laugh on the way home was priceless. *Editing to add: I actually love the product. It's called 3 P 1 and it's like 3 products in one, just as it promises.
Favorite hair product or hair stylist switching story? Did you own a Barbie-head hair style toy as a kid? If so, I'm jealous.
14 comments:
When I moved to the Chicago suburbs in 1989, my hair was overprocessed because of the overuse of hair dye and other things (I think I might write about it). I got swindled into this hair processing by some hair salon (not Mario) and ended up paying too much money. But my hair DID look much better when it was done. I had to go for over two months each week for appointments. That was when I was young, working full-time, and had expendable income. :)
Did you ever find something for YOUR hair? Or does the 2 in 1 work for you?
That's really funny! Glad you found a product that you like - finally, after all that! Lol. I switched stylists this year and I still feel weird about it. Like we had a breakup but I essentially ghosted my old stylist.
Like Kari I went through a phase where I had overprocessed hair, in my case platinum blonde. I was going to a small local salon that served wine while you got your hair done so my judgement about what to say 'yes' to might have been impaired.
Anyway I didn't like how I looked so one day I saw a woman shopping in a store. She had the hair color and style that I wanted, so I asked her who she went to. Come to find out she went to the fanciest priciest salon in town, but I bit the bullet and went to see Janelle. Best thing I ever did for my hair. She knew how to cut and color curly hair, while NEVER recommending the pricey salon products. She always prefers the stuff sold at Walgreen's or Kroger.
I don't do anything with my hair except wash it and comb it out, but I am enjoying your hair exploits by proxy!
Kari - Yikes - sorry your hair required so much doctoring. Glad it recovered. I'm definitely follicle-ly challenged. I have thought of so many more chapters to my hair that I could write about. At some point. I've got Tank's grad party happening on Saturday so it'll have to wait.
I've been using the 3 in 1 thing from Mario almost exclusively. I guess that's what we call a happy accident, since I'm pretty sure that isn't the product she told me to get. I sometimes add a bit of the other products she suggested. One makes my hair a little greasy and since I'm not washing it everyday anymore I have to only use a smidge.
I look forward to reading your hair's history. :)
Nicole - Yes, I'm glad I discovered this product too. By accident. Kind of a weird way to figure something out - misunderstand your hairdresser because you are rushing to pick up a kid who doesn't need to be picked up.
My hair stylist has a son in Reggie's class at school. They don't hang out all that much, but I do bump into her, so I'm not sure how to handle it. I think I will just let her know that I decided to try Curly's curly girt (that's a mouthful), but don't want her to try to persuade me with a: WELL, I CAN DO THAT TOO. Because why didn't she? Hmm.
Ally - A salon that offers wine, hmm - guessing they sell a lot of extra services that way. ;) Love that you found your great hair person from another customer. Nothing like the power of example. Of course it was pricey, but it does drive me nuts when a stylist tries to get you to buy their stuff. Ugh. I'm so clueless about hair stuff, I'd be easily influenced.
Kara - I am jealous of your simple hair routine. As I think of it, I have so many other hair adventures I can share.
I have a product for you to try. It's about $20 at Ulta and Amazon. Aquage Uplifting Foam. I LOVE this stuff. While I don't generally have a problem with volume - the length my hair is now weighs down at the top of my head. This helps so very much.
I might know what Mac makeup is, but I had to google Mario Tricoci. Never heard of him. Or his salons.
This story really cracked me up, like what the hell Michael? You get a ZERO on listening.
I did have a barbie doll head to play hairdresser with. Then when I was 18 I went to actual cosmetology school and got an even fancier Barbie doll head to work on, then REAL heads. :)
I just switched stylists after 10 years because she is preggers with her third baby. Not sure if she is going back to doing hair after this little guy which is sad because I do love her. Not only does she do great hair, we can talk smack, cracking up the entire time we're together.
Gigi- This sounds like a product I could totally use. Love a good tip. Thanks!
Suz- So funny that every place in the world does not have a Mario salon. Learn something new everyday. And yes, what was with Michael . . . hello, I know her hair is fabulous but can you assist me, the peep with the icky hair? ;)
My cousin had a Barbie Head. Green with envy.
There's nothing like a hair dresser that also offers laughs and friendship and fun. How fun that shes having a baby. Hope your new stylist is good as gold too.
I had a similar miscommunication in a health clinic parking lot, but the woman was genuinely trying to be helpful. I did ghost one of my hair stylists, and then she friended me on Facebook, which I allowed until I found out she was an anti-vaxxer who also makes long posts from her dog's point of view, complete with dog baby-talk (which obviously some people enjoy - me not so much). So I double-ghosted her. It's exciting to find a product that works! So many of them are the same crap in different-coloured bottles.
Ali - Dog baby talk ON SOCIAL MEDIA. No thanks. Hard pass. People can be so strange. In my opinion, totally worthy of double ghosting. So far in the pandemic, I've learned that I don't need to wash my hair daily and I've ditched some really pricey hair stuff. Not that this stuff that I like is cheap, but it's just one bottle. I do a few other bits of stuff in my always-looks-dry-and-wants-to-curl-but-would-rather-frizz spots as needed.
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