Self Talk

I swear I am not meant to post this morning.  I tried my computer and it is in the process of some incredible update.  And now I am using my daughter's computer and this is attempt two to stay on the page without it rerouting me somewhere else...but I digress.

I have been on a mission to get in shape.  I am working out six days a week.  I have hired a personal trainer and when I am not getting my butt kicked by him, I am alternating workouts at home and in the gym.  I would say I am a woman on a mission.  I am desperate to be healthy and toned and well, to lose the damn baby weight.  Eastyn is now 8 months old (March 5) and I am tired of the excuse "you just had a baby".  The fact is, I was sitting in front of the tv every night snacking with my husband.  It had nothing to do with the baby. 
I went to the doctor the other day and well, let's just say it deflated my balloon.  I walk in feeling like I am going to get some time with my doctor to answer some questions and I forgot all about the step BEFORE you get to actually see the doctor.  The medical assistant comes out, greets you and then immediately jumps to "Would you please step on the scale?"  Now, for anyone battling weight loss this is the equivalent of being told to stand naked in a room full of people.  It SUCKS.  It especially sucks when you have been working out, eating right and doing what you are "supposed" to do instead of indulging in a pint of Ben and Jerry's coffee heath bar ice cream.  And, then you finally see the doc only to be asked what is going on because you have gained SIX pounds since your last appointment!  WHAT. THE. HELL.  After me telling her (sarcastically) I kindof wanted to punch her in the face (we have that kind of relationship), I held in tears til I got to the car and then proceeded to cry THE ENTIRE WAY HOME.  I mean, ugly cry.  The kind of cry like the my pet just died.  I was devastated.  I proceeded after this ugly cry to then beat myself up with self loathing talk.  "I am so fat.  What is wrong with me?  Why can't I lose the weight?  I should just go and eat a cheeseburger.  Screw it, I'm eating the Ben and Jerry's tonight."  I could go on and on but you get the idea right?

There are so many times where a client gets in my chair and because of the same sort of self talk, he or she is convinced they CAN'T try something new.  "My face is too fat.  I can't do short hair."  "My forehead will look too big with bangs." "I CAN'T go dark.  I have been blonde my whole life."  "My husband won't like it if I change my hair."  "I NEED to be able to put it up in a ponytail" (probably one of my favorites.
So, the real questions are why do we do this to ourselves and are we going to cave to it?  What if I gave up working out now and sat down and ate that Ben and Jerry's?  Would that really be what would make me feel better about myself?  Or what if I got on the treadmill and forgot about what the doctor said and just focused on today and what makes me feel good?  Working up a sweat and taking care of myself by eating right?
What if you are standing in your own way?  What if your self talk is keeping you from something new that would make you look and feel a few years younger?  Or bring out your eyes?  What if the self talk you are repeating over and over again about the ponytail or the blonde highlights or the long hair down to your butt is really you using your hair as a security blanket?  What if you are doing the same thing you have been doing all your life simply because it is all you know and it is what's comfortable? 
I have decided to get out of my comfort zone.  I finished my early morning workout today with a renewed sense of self.  It doesn't matter right now what the scale says.  It matters that I am healthy and trying something new to better myself. 
I encourage you as your hairapist to try something new.  It doesn't have to be short hair and it doesn't have to be extreme.  But maybe those bangs you have been thinking about are the first step toward a new look that will make your blue eyes stand out.  Or maybe going a little lighter or darker with your color is a way to perk yourself up out of the winter blues.
Whatever it is, get out of your own head.  You could be the very thing standing in your own way from something even greater than what already is.
Believe.

The Big "C"

*Yes I have posted a few times today.  And I was going to save this post for another time.  But two things.  Our sweet little baby is having tubes put in her ears tomorrow early in the morning so there won't be a post tomorrow.  And, secondly, while walking on the treadmill tonight, I felt this post just couldn't wait til tomorrow.  I have no idea who it was meant for, but here it is...


After many months of hearing my husband complain about our bed (which I loved, btw...double pillow top, etc), we went out and on a whim, purchased a ridiculously expensive L-E-M-O-N.  It was the worst (and most expensive) purchase we have made in our married life.  I am telling you about this bad decision not because I have advice on bed purchasing (clearly I am not the one to consult about this), but rather because of something incredible that happened today.
My oldest daughter works in the mall.  I drove her to work and decided to take the baby and walk around for a little while.  I walked passed a mattress store and decided to go in and check things out.  No expectations.  After all, the last experience in one of these stores was such a positive one (*insert sarcasm here).
I walked into an almost empty store except for the sales associate and an older couple.  While waiting for the sales associate, the couple approached and we started talking about the different mattresses, etc..  They were very sweet.  The woman complimented my haircut.  I thanked her and told her I was a hairdresser.  She quietly replied "Oh, well I wish I could come see you..."  Her husband cut her off quickly and said "but that's a wig".  They began to tell me she was just finishing chemo.  He had finished chemo and then it was her turn.  They couldn't go through it at the same time because "someone had to be able to drive back and forth to treatments".  I didn't hesitate.  I don't know what came over me (ahem, angels...singing) but I pulled out my business card from my wallet and told the woman when her hair starts to come back in, I would love to give her a free cut and help her start anew.  She thanked me over and over again.  Asked where I worked.  I left the store a short time later.  (No mattress purchase).
Later in the afternoon, I made a quick stop at the grocery store.  My younger son went in with me and we were rushing down the aisle when this woman with a FANTASTIC cut came around the corner.  She looked straight out of a magazine.  Short sassy (my favorite word) cut that made her eyes sparkle.  I couldn't help myself.  I blurted out, " Your cut is amazing.  You look beautiful."  Yep.  Total stranger.  (Penny knows.  I can't resist these kinds of moments.)  She took my hand in hers in the middle of the grocery store and said "Thank you so much.  You just made my day.  I had the big 'C' a few years ago.  I was so sad to part with my long hair.  Then as it was growing back in, I got this cut.  Everyone started complimenting me on it and I have had short hair ever since."  I said  "Well, you really look incredible."  She squeezed my hand and said "You just made my day".
No, dear stranger.  You just made mine.

The Relationship

I am bombarding all of you with posts!  But, strangely, it is still light out.  I have made dinner.  And I have total peace and quiet.  So, by request, I am going to touch on some key points of the relationship between client and hairapist (or hairdresser if you please).  Now, I am not speaking for all hairdressers.  This is MY position only so please refrain from negativity if you don't agree.  I feel like I can speak from the perspective of both the client and the hairdresser so I am giving an overview.  I'll try not to bore you with too many details...ahh, I'm lying.  I'll probably go into every nook and cranny of this subject because this truly is my passion.
So the title of this blog is the relationship because people, that's what it SHOULD be when you go see your hairapist!  If you don't feel comfortable to express what you want, don't want, like, don't like, etc...then what are you doing sitting in his/her chair?!  Of course the first time is always uncomfortable.  You don't know each other.  (See what I mean?  It sounds just like the first date.)  The point is, you need to have communication or it simply won't work.  Now, that being said, if you're a hairdresser and you aren't a good communicator then you aren't doing your job either.  And, well, I hate to say it, but you will probably be stuck working at a "churn and burn" without a clientele complaining about how you make no money and you don't have regulars....blah blah blah! 
As the client, you are paying for another person's time.  Know that YOU should be the center of attention.  If you aren't feeling that way, MOVE. ON.  Hair services are not an inexpensive investment.  You should feel for that hour...or more that you are the only person that exists for your hairapist.  It is YOUR time.  You should relax and enjoy.  Now, this being said, we are not servants.  We are educated service providers.  Please respect the fact that when you show up late, it throws our whole day off.  A phone call is much appreciated.  Repeated failure to appear at your appointment time is like saying our time isn't valuable.  Being open and saying "I can't make it" is a moment out of your day and makes a world of difference.
Next, we hairapists are visual people.  We love pictures!  I always tell my clients who want to change their look to bring me three photos.  One of what they have now to work with that we can tweak to work towards what they want.  Second, a photo of the inbetween stage that they can embrace while patiently waiting for their final look.  And the third and most obvious one...a photo of where they want to be.  Now, please understand, none of us are Gisele or Jennifer Aniston or whoever else you are bringing a photo of.  Black out the face of the person and just look at the hair itself.  More often than not, studies have shown it is the celebrity we want to look like, not their hair we desire. 
Listen to your hairapist.  After you express what you want, listen to their feedback.  First, we went to school for this and second (if we are a motivated hairapist) we have gone on to continue our education through classes to keep us up on the latest and greatest in the industry.  You may not always like what we have to say, but if both the client and the hairapist can "keep it real", magic CAN happen.
Finally, if your hairapist cannot tell you what they are using in your hair and why (regarding product), RUN!  When you are being educated on your new 'do and how to care for it, your hairapist should be able to tell you what they are using and why.  They should be able to show you how to maintain your new style at home and even more important WHAT IS IN THE BOTTLE YOU ARE BUYING AND WHY YOU SHOULD NOT NOT NOT BE BUYING products off the shelf at the grocery store.  If this isn't happening, chances are the person you are paying to do your hair has failed you. 1. Because you are going to go home using some crappy bottle of (bleep...whatever product you bought because said hairapist didn't care to help you) and 2. Because you are probably going to go home and curse him/her every time you try to do what was done in the salon because you have NO CLUE how to style it.
So, what does this all go back to?  Communication.  Your hair is the number one accessory you sport every day.  If you walk out of the house and you feel like your hair looks good, let's face it.  You're going to have a great day.  If you walk out of the house with a nest on your head of who knows what...well you might have a good day, but you probably won't look like it!  When you are spending the money, you deserve to get the most bang for your buck.
Finally, please value us.  We work really hard to give you what you need/want.  If we are good at what we are doing, let us know it.  Being in the service industry isn't easy.  We give everything we have on our feet all day to make YOU look at feel your best.  We give all we have to you (if we are a good hairapist), please show your commitment to us.
Much Love,
Your Hairapist

Rita

Each day I go into work unsure of what the day might bring.  I try to clear my "mess" emotionally but that isn't always easy.  And, every person who walks through the doors of the salon carries behind them an imaginary set of baggage.  Though I can't see it, it is very real.  It includes not only the "stuff" from the trip to get to me but it may include their bad day at work or even farther back, a negative experience they have had with another stylist.  And, though I am experiencing this as the hairapist, isn't it true in life in general?  When we come into contact with another person, they bring to that interaction whatever "stuff" or baggage they are carrying with them at that time.  It is an awesome thing when the interaction is one of peace and positive energy but what do you do when it isn't?
A client I will call Rita came to me a few years ago shortly before Christmas.  She obviously liked me because she had followed me from a much larger salon and drove quite a distance to see me.  But Rita, my friends was MISERABLE!  She was a client I had struggled to "reach" for years by this point. When I say this, I mean I wanted to have a real conversation with her other than what the weather was that day and what her kids were excelling in.  But some clients...well, let's just say that's all you get.  But with Rita, it was like she walked in the door dragging an imaginary chain around her ankles with all the baggage she was carrying.  She was unhappy with her weight and her inability to lose it.  She would sit in the chair and hold her chin up as high as possible just to avoid seeing the roll under her neck.  I knew she was unhappy with herself.  And, I knew why.  The unfortunate part was, she was taking it out on me each and every single time she came into the salon.  On this particular day, it hit a peak.  It was the Saturday before Christmas (hairdressers, you KNOW what this means) and she was late.  I tried to call and text her with no response.  Thirty minutes later, she walks in the door.  I politely told her I could still do her hair but because it was such a busy day and she was so late we would have to skip the blow dry.  She FREAKED!  I felt humiliated in a room of people and because the client is always right....no, actually because I was so shocked and angered (and trying to hold it in), I proceeded to go in the back room and cry out of frustration. 
I did her hair.  She left.  And guess what I did?  I let Rita and her "stuff" stay with me instead of sending that load of baggage she was carrying right out the door with her when she left!  So who really had the problem?
I believe we need to stop and think about those around us.  When you walk into a room, what baggage are you carrying?  What is your intention?  Are you like Rita?  Or do you come into a room with a positive attitude and the willingness to be kind to others around you?
The reality is, we all have baggage.  We all have a story to tell about where we came from.  Whether it is the horrible day we had that has put us in a mood or the things we have in our past.  The bigger picture is, how are we letting our "stuff" effect others?

Getting the Angels to Sing

I have had many people read my recent posts and ask about the reference to the “angels singing” I referred to (when walking in the doors of beauty school, meeting Penny and working in her salon, etc).  The question I have been asked is “How do I get my angels to sing?”  The phrase refers to an “aha” moment as the famous Oprah Winfrey would say.  Or intuition.  Your gut feeling.  Or, if you are religious or have a belief in God, the Holy Spirit whispering to you.  In my life, I have found this particular feeling (however YOU choose to refer to it) doesn’t usually come in a loud overwhelming feeling, but rather a peaceful quiet stillness.  It’s pure joy.  It is knowing that whatever is happening in that moment is right where you are supposed to be.

I believe for everyone this feeling happens in a different way so all I can do is tell you my own personal experience and some of the experiences I have had with friends and clients.  My client and friend Janine (name changed) hasn’t been with me for very long, but we clicked immediately.  She has a daughter who is addicted to drugs.  She has tried relentlessly to pull her daughter out of the darkness of addiction.  She, like any mother would, has sacrificed any and everything she has for her child.  And, when she asked me why her angels aren’t singing, I knew immediately how to respond.  Her angels ARE singing!  She is simply too busy with someone else’s stuff/noise to hear them.  She is exactly in this moment where she is supposed to be because she a.) has a desire to be in the right place in her life and b.) knows she needs to start putting herself first once in awhile.

I know it might seem to some it is “just” a haircut or “just” a color.  But, for everyone reading this, I need you to know, IT IS OR CAN BE SO MUCH MORE!  How many people do you allow into your personal space?  I’m talking, hands on you in your personal bubble?  Maybe your significant other, your dentist, your doctor and….YOUR HAIRDRESSER!   Janine came into the salon recently and was ready for something new.  I had the perfect idea for her.  A new cut, refresh her color, and add some bangs!  WOHOO!  But you know what?  Janine walked out of the salon today knowing she had taken a time out for herself.  I hope she knows her angels are singing.  And, I hope she prays/meditates to find out what makes them sing.  But I already know they are singing.  Because she is right where she is supposed to be. 

The only other advice I can give is to remember we are all working toward the same ultimate goal.  To be better tomorrow than we were today.  We are all on this planet together as a collective energy.  So, doesn’t it make more sense to build each other up than to tear each other down?  I might not be a therapist but I am a hairapist.  And I know when my clients leave my chair they usually say “I feel better” before they say they look better.  We all have a power inside of us to make someone’s day.  And when that happens, the angels are definitely singing.

My (Not So Little) People

Remember the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? (Yes, I just dated myself didn’t I?)  Ferris says in the movie “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”    Though I am positive he wasn’t talking about having a family, I have to tell you it definitely applies to these four amazing people in the photo above.  Time is flying by and I can hardly keep up.  One graduating high school, one in middle school, one graduating from elementary school and the littlest one is almost 8 months.

I didn’t know much about what I wanted in life but one thing I knew for sure was I wanted to be a mom.  It has been the hardest damn job I WILL EVER HAVE!  And, it  has been the most incredible motivator and blessing I will ever experience.

So, I have this picture in my head of what heaven is like.  (Yes I am going to get spiritual on you…leave now if you feel uncomfortable lol).  I imagine all of these little spirit children standing and staring at a large wall of mommies trying to pick which one they want.  And, by some amazing incredible miracle, four of them chose me.  Now, I am sure since they have been with me they have questioned their judgment a time or two.  But, I have always tried to do my best.  They are the reason I wake up in the morning and the reason I work so hard every day.  What I love most about these four children?  They are (and continue to become) amazing people.  I love spending time with them, talking with them and listening to their view of the world.  And, I love that they love each other.  Our house is chaos but I must say it is organized chaos.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My Hair Soulmate

When I left the place that shall remain nameless, I felt like a baseball bat had been taken to my heart.  The image of my future and being part of a major company and traveling and doing hair were gone.  After all, weren't they considered “the best”?  The situation made me question everything about me.  It is amazing how vulnerable we can be when something is so much a part of who we are.  I knew I was meant to do hair and touch people’s lives with my passion for it.  So why was I now driving home and the beginning of a new year unemployed with three kids and no plan for my passion?

I spent four months searching.  I would tell you I was searching for a job but I think the reality was I was nursing my wounds and questioning everything about my career choice…hell, my LIFE choice!  I felt like the angels were singing remember?!  Why on Earth was all this happening if I wasn't meant to be a hairdresser?
I had an interview with another large company in the area.  A wonderful friend hooked me up with the opportunity and I wanted desperately to embrace it.  I was headed to my first day of training with absolute dread.  The pit in my stomach wasn't anxiety it was my inner self screaming “NOOOOO”!  But, like some of us tend to do, I tried to ignore it.  I went into the training and walked around like a zombie.  I could no longer deny this was not where I was meant to be.  Trying to pretend and play the part of a minion in a similar situation to the one I spoke of earlier would simply be repeating the same mistake yet again.  And isn’t that the definition of insanity?

I pulled up in front of my house a few hours later and my neighbor was casually sitting out on the porch, beer in hand.  “So, how did it go?” he asked.  I proceeded to burst into tears because it was terrible.  And NOW WHAT??  I asked him this very question and he in that moment, he was my game changer.  He said “Well, what do you do once you have worked for the best?”  I replied, “I have NO idea!  That’s why I’m in this situation!”  He simply said, “you go out on your own”.  Umm…duh.  I guess sometimes the key is right in front of us and we just can’t see it?

I went into the house and recalled the cute little salon in town.  I would always drive by it but had never been in it.  But, whenever I drove passed it, I would always think about the person/people who worked there and wonder how they got so lucky.  They got to work so close to home!

I picked up the phone and called the salon.  A couple hours later I was meeting with the owner.  I know it’s crazy but when I was talking to her, the angels were singing again!  I sit here telling you this with tears in my eyes.  It wasn't just that SHE was it, but the situation was right and I felt it.  Little did I know that this girl, whom we will call Penny, was my hair soul mate.  She had been through her own rough road.  We were both like wounded animals in a sense.  We loved what we did and we were good at it but we were both hurt in the past in the business and it showed.  I walked into her salon and I have never left.  It will be three years in March.  I am renting a chair and running my own business!  I am working side by side with one of the kindest most genuine people I have ever met.  I am thankful every day for her.  She has been a blessing in my life on a level that I am not even sure she knows.  We laugh every day.  We allow our clients the experience of what hairdressing should be.  We have together created an environment of happiness and education.  Our clients are happy when they come in and look and feel even better when they leave.  There are no words for the gratitude I feel for this woman.  She took a chance with me.  And now, I am blessed to be in a situation where the angels sing every day.  And I am working with my hair soul mate.

The Beginning Part 2

I had many hurdles during beauty school.  I was reckless and trying to be a single mom/beauty school student by day and a party animal at night.  I knew no other way to cope with what my life had become.  I was happy when I was creating at the school but on the other hand, I was lonely and lost.  At my lowest point, I started online dating.  I thought I did everything right.  I met the guy at a local public place (yes people, a bar) and I had a group of friends with me.  As soon as I walked in I had that feeling.  You know the one I am talking about.  The one that screams “RUN”!  I ignored it.  After all, I looked good that night and was desperate to be out around other people forgetting my troubles.  The night ended in a date rape.  It is everything you hear it is.  It is confusion.  It is foggy memories.  And it is questioning whether or not what just happened really happened.  It was hell.  I hid at my sister’s house curled up in a ball for days.  Though there were traces of barbiturates in my system, there wasn't enough to prosecute.  And so I spent months with flashbacks and nightmares I couldn't erase.  To this day, I ask myself every once in awhile how many other women have fallen victim to the same monster.

Somehow, and to this day I am not sure where the turning point was, I pulled myself together.  I graduated as “student of the year”.  I knew after the attack I couldn't continue to party.  It wasn't what I wanted for my future.  And the thought of my kids somehow being harmed or losing their mom wasn't okay with me.  The strength came from a source much greater than you and me.  And I am so thankful when things get to their worst, I am somehow led out of the darkness.

Upon graduating, I did the usual.  I went to a local chain salon and did what we hairdressers like to call “ the churn and burn”.  I pushed myself to meet the unrealistic goals set by the company for the minimal pay and hoped that somehow I would make it.  All the while reminding myself this was not the way I thought things were going to be and there had to be more.  Remember, the angels were singing when I walked in the doors of the school!

I found out about a much larger salon not far from my home about a year after graduating.  When I found out they were featured in a local city magazine and they were considered one of the best, I decided I was going to work there.  No one was going to stop me.  After countless calls and emails, I finally landed an interview with a woman who played a pivotal role in my career.  Let’s call her Greta.  Greta met with me and what I thought would be a brief meeting turned into a four hour interview.  I got the job.  It was initially, everything I thought life could/would be working in a big salon.  The tips were great, the clientele was amazing and I even had my own space to work in.  Does it get much better than this?!

Not long after I started working there, the place was sold.  And Greta became more in control of the salon part of the facility.  She was like Faye Dunaway playing Joan Crawford in “Mommy Dearest”.  To the public she was so nice and accommodating.  But if and when she had the chance to belittle someone she would.  I went into that building a willing participant in the bigger picture of making the world a better place by making people look good (or at least that’s what how I saw it).  I left there (on my own terms) feeling deceived, disappointed and ready to throw in the towel.

A few weeks before Christmas, I hit my low point.  I had an incident at the salon.  I was accused of gossiping and making the company look bad.  The reality of it was (or my reality was) I wasn't kissing enough of Greta’s behind, and I was extremely successful with my clients.  So what was the problem?  Let’s just say, Greta is still talking smack and wounding the passion of hairdressers daily.  I pray for her on a regular basis.  Not because I want something bad to happen to her but rather because when someone has the kind of authority she does, it should be respected and taken seriously, bot breaking spirits of those who love what they do.  But, I digress…

After a nasty confrontation and the above accusations, I went home completely devastated.  I spent an entire weekend going back and forth between crying and anger.  How on Earth could it be that the angels were singing only a year or two before and now THIS?  I was sitting in my house, by myself searching on the computer for another opportunity.  I asked out loud for a sign.  “Just tell me what to do!”  Tuesday morning rolled around and right before I had to leave for work, I decided to write my letter of resignation.  For some reason, the idea of having that piece of paper in my purse meant I was in control of whatever MY decision was going to be.  I walked in the doors of that building and all I thought was “Yep.  I’m done”.  I resigned that very day.  With three kids.  No plan.  Nothing.

And then something amazing happened…

The Beginning

I have had a very different journey than the hairdresser who knew he/she was going to be a hairdresser from a young age, went to beauty school at 18 and lived happily ever after.  I knew I was drawn to the industry probably around the age of 12.  But, the few times the subject came up, it was dismissed quickly with a “you will NOT be blue collar” type of comment.  The thought of going to college was never one I was drawn to, but rather pushed to.  I think when anyone is forced into a box in order to be something they are not, or do something they don’t want to do, they resist.  And, ultimately, fail.  We don’t fail because we aren't “good enough”, but rather because the place we are or the person we are forcing ourselves to be isn't what we were meant to be/do.

So, at 18, in a college where I didn't want to be, I reconnected with a boy.  A boy I knew my parents didn’t approve of.  And, he was my ticket out.  Not just my ticket out of college, but in my eyes, the ticket out of everything I had been living that wasn't what I wanted.  And so I fled.

Many years later and with three children, I found myself in a marriage with an alcoholic, a stay at home mom, and no marketable skill.  What the hell was I going to do now?  I had looked at beauty schools in passing.  I knew it was something I wanted to do, but it wasn't something I ever felt there was “time” for.  I mean, how could I take the time away from my kids?  My life?  It seemed so selfish.

When the marriage got to its lowest point, I found myself signing up for beauty school.  I walked in the doors of that little rural beauty “academy” and if the sky could open up and the angels could sing their glory,  Stacey Brown was there and somehow this was her calling, I heard them.  It was exactly where I was meant to be.  And six weeks later, I was a single mom of three…

The general consensus from my family and friends was I needed to get out of school and find a job to support my kids asap.  For me, this simply wasn't an option.  When you are at your lowest point and something wakes you up inside…and I mean, wakes you up at the deepest core of your being, you damn well better listen.  I couldn't ignore it.  I didn't know if I was a good person.  I didn't know if I was a good mother.  I didn't feel like I knew who I was in any way.  But somehow, I knew I was meant to be a hairdresser.  And I couldn't, or rather I wouldn't let that go.

So, tell me.  What speaks to you?  What is your truth?

Hello!

Something magical happens when I have the privilege of putting my hands on someone’s head.  I see my shears like I believe a magician sees his wand.  From the moment a new client walks in the door, my mind is spinning with possibilities.  Yes the color and cut are exciting for me, but more importantly, I want to make sure the person leaving my chair has a new sense of self.  A renewed feeling of how you look brings on a renewed sense of spirit.  It is rare for someone to say “Wow, I look amazing”.  But rather, I hear “I feel amazing”.  My commitment every day is to be a positive influence on every  person who sits in my chair.  I want to start a revolution.  We need to stop feeling guilty about taking time for ourselves.  It is time to start seeing the positive side to taking a “time out”.  Whether it is getting your hair done or going for a jog, it’s time for YOU to be a priority.  And so, your journey starts here….with just a little bit of hairapy.

If you are reading this hoping for some amazing hair ideas or advice from a hairdresser, you MIGHT get a little of it.  But, for the most part, I am sharing a piece of me with you.  I am going to share stories of clients (changing names of course) and I am going to allow you a window into my journey.  Doing hair has changed my life.  And what better way to show gratitude for something than to talk about it and share it with others?