Having a hair disaster can really be confidence denting. I've had two in my lifetime and each time it's been pretty bad. First time was when I was 15 and the hairdresser gave me what can only be described as tiger striped hair color... Wasn't the look I was aiming for! That put me off colouring for quite a while.
The last experience in 2012 was quite possibly my worst and has since made me avoid hair salons completely. My sister was getting married so two days before I thought I'd get my hair coloured so I looked super fabulous as her bridesmaid. I'm not sure whether the hairdresser had just become blasé with doing my hair, but they put so much bleach on it that it went peroxide blonde! I can pull off blonde to a certain extent but this was Draco Malfoy style. Utter disaster. I told them I wasn't happy as it had gone too blonde, they then put toner on to try and sort it out but it made it worse and subsequently made my hair like straw! I was in bits as you can imagine.
I was eventually saved by my current home hairdresser and she managed to sort it out, but all of this has put me off going to salons completely. To some extent the thought of going to one made me ridiculously anxious... Daft isn't it? Your hair is something you want to be proud of but sometimes when you visit some salons I can't but help think you feel a bit like you're on a conveyor belt. You know, you're in getting sorted and then quickly forgotten about as your hairdresser goes to look after another client.
The main thing I truly do miss about going to the hairdressers is the pampering feeling. At home I can feel flustered if I've not had a chance to tidy, so going in to relax with a coffee (sometimes wine) can be just the ticket. I also really miss getting my hair washed and my head massaged... oh I do love that the most!
Getting back to the point of this post, I actually faced my fear the other week and went to get my hair done at Hobs Salon in Camden. I had the Avengers premiere to go to and kindly one of my PR friends said she could get someone to do my hair beforehand. A very lovely gesture plus it meant that I'd look fresh after a day missioning around London.
I hadn't had time to really digest what was happening and so my anxiety started to rise as I made my way to the salon. I kid you not, but my heart was truly racing when I went it. Thoughts were rushing around thinking oh no what have I said yes to this for? Plus I was going to be on the red carpet... nothing like pressure!
My hairdresser was wonderful. He sat me down got me a drink and began chatting to me about options for my hair. Sean Nolan (who is a colourist to the stars and an award winning hairdresser) was colouring my hair and then hairdresser, (part of the creative team) Jake would be cutting my hair. Both had one task each and were purely focused on what I wanted or so it came across. The hairdresser colouring my hair had worked with numerous celebrities and I won't lie I felt so special he was doing my hair too!
I won't go into all the detail of my every move but I will say one thing, when I left that salon I felt amazing and that has never happened to me... ever. I went in with a clear image and idea of what I wanted and left with just that something which I haven't actually experienced. Each part of the process was discussed in length before going ahead, but it felt effortless like this was standard practice from such a salon. They used all Wella products which I get on really well with and the boys even gave me some handy tips to care for my hair at home. Maybe I've just been to bad salons but I never had this customer service aspect before.
In conclusion I'd say if I had a salon like this to go to I'd always go. Your hair is something that if it goes wrong you're stuck with it until it grows, which must be a huge amount of pressure for a hairdresser. Equally so there is a big amount of trust you have to have in who is doing your hair, getting to know them and vice versa is key.
Here are my top points about selecting a new hairdressers
- Go in and discuss with the salon before you book - make sure they're the right one for you.
- Meet your hairdressers - do they understand you and what you're looking for?
- Be realistic - think about what will actually suit you or if you can go from one color to another
- Give your hair a break - if you're nervous about hair colouring just start with a hair cut
- Research hairdressers - ask around or look online
