Awhile back, having had some experience being a hair model back in 2006 with a salon in Fort Worth, Texas, I reached out to them again to see if they needed someone for a cut and color.
It just so happened one of their stylists was looking for a full-time model for highlights so they emailed me a form.
But after I filled it out it turned out one of the apprentices needed someone to cut and color the very next day and since my hair was way overdue for that, I eagerly said yes.
Having neglected my hair for awhile due to depression, I was very excited, yet apprehensive about the tangles my apprentice was going to have to deal with although I had recently cut some of the tangles out.
The apprentice, Whitlee, had blocked out three hours of time just for the color and let me know that the cut would be at another time when I arrived, which was fine, due to scheduling.
When I got in the chair and she started asking me about my hair I told her I always got it colored deep red because that’s flattering to my fair skin – then I warned her about the tangles.
She was unflinching and handled the tangles like a pro. She did have to make some cuts to get through the coloring and blow drying process and I felt bad for her.
Her boss advised me next time not to cut my tangles out but to use conditioner then comb it through.
I was glad for the advice.
I had colored my hair myself many times but always missed spots and though I’d also been to a salon several times, this time it had been a year and Whitlee was great!
The deep, rich red color as always made me feel much better as I said to myself, ”There she is!
.In 2006 I signed up to be a hair model for the same salon again, only they had too many people. Then they ran another ad in the Fort Worth Weekly asking for hair models again so I quickly called.
Much to my excitement, since my hair hasn’t been cut in several months and needed it badly, I got called the same day to come back in a few days and get a free haircut as a hair model.
I’ve been to various salons through the years and even used to go to the local beauty school and get the $8.50 haircut from students which were actually pretty good.
But this salon experience was something else.
Back in 2006 when I was a hair model, I heard words I never heard before like “A line” and “shark fin,” directed to the student who cut my hair overseen by Lindsay, a “hair architect” who was as enthusiastic about hair as she was knowledgeable.
When I walked in I was asked if I wanted something to drink and as I waited Boston, the student, watched a video on how to cut hair with a razor.
I knew ahead of time this would be how my hair would be cut and at least two inches would be taken off my shoulder-length hair. My bangs would be trimmed, which was fine by me because my bangs had gotten way too long again.
I have always kept my hair as shoulder-length as possible because on the few occasions I got talked into having short hair it was a big mistake.
Already I know this salon is different than all the others I’ve visited in the past and I felt lucky, like a celebrity being attended to by two stylists at once, one learning, one teaching.
Boston was open and friendly and she cut with care and precision, taking direction from Lindsay and commenting more than once about how thick my hair is.
“Hope that won’t be a pain for you,” I said, apologetically and she assured me it wasn’t.
Lindsay stayed with Boston through the whole two-hour procedure which I liken to hair surgery, gently guiding her through each section as she pinned and clipped various strands out of the way to concentrate on her razor-precision skills. In the beginning since I couldn’t feel the razor hardly I don’t think that hair is being cut and it is only when Lindsay told me they were just “mapping” the area that I realized the cut had yet to begin.
In the end I loved my cut and I understood why a haircut can take two hours with the finesse of these two.
Fort Worth Weekly named this place Best Salon of 2016 and 2005.
And Whitlee told me next time I get tangles to come in and she’ll take care of me.