Are you totally loyal to your hairdresser, or could you not give a rat's ass one way or the other? If your hairdresser moved to a new salon, would you follow her or would you not even notice? Does the use of the word "salon" make you want to smack me and make me say "barbershop"? Come on, tell us how you REALLY feel about your hair.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000

Answers

I don't have a stylist! I'm so lost!

I had one back at home. She was so 80's. Her name was Terri and she had 80's hair and wore Guess? jeans and L.A. Gear sneakers and loved the Rolling Stones. She was a huge gossip, knew the whole town and was cool as hell. She always feathered my hair weird but when I went home and washed it out it looked and felt great.

Then I moved. I haven't been able to do anything but get trims all year because I'm relying on Supercuts! I go in and I'm like "Trim the split ends. Don't change it. Don't touch the layers." I hate them. But I don't know what to do. Go to some chi-chi place uptown and pay $100 for something that might look weird? Go to the cheesy "how you doin'" place near my apartment called Vinny's? Help!

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000

Boy, do I ever know where you're coming from. When I was in college in Evanston, I had the same stylist all four years. Her name was Georgia, she had a Greek accent, she wore hip clothes, and she always asked me how my love life was going. She was SO AWESOME. Then, four months before graduation, she quit working. Aaugh! And, you guessed it, I didn't get my hair cut for four months. Six months, actually, considering that it took me two months to work up the nerve to find a new stylist in Seattle. Good thing my hair was so long then, huh?

My advice, if you can afford it, is to go to the chi-chi expensive place. If you go there, you at least know you're getting a stylist who's well-trained and qualified. They don't hire crappy hairdressers at those places.

Otherwise, I'd just keep shopping around at the less-expensive places.. maybe see if you can find a local salon that doesn't charge so much or something.

Why oh why must stylists quit? Don't they know we're depending on them?!?

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000

First, there was Julie. Julie was cool, Julie had guts. Don't get your hair done like that, she'd say, and cut it her way, and I'd look great. Julie was grade 11, all thru college, and into my marriage. Then Julie's shop closed down and I lost Julie. But then.. a miracle. My brother's wife decided hairdressing was for her. Am I loyal? HELL YES.. she's awesome, she's dynamic, we totally gossip while I'm there, and she's my sister-in-law.. so I can have a haircut anytime, anyplace. And the biggest bonus is, she's a damn good stylist ;)

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000