Photo taken on Fri 03.12.10 by Ms. Jen while at SXSW 2010.
In the course of my four decades on this planet, I have only really truly like 3 hairdressers: Julia Johnson, Diana ___, and Beth Martinez.
I have a BIG backseat hairdressing problem. I like to do my own hair and on occasion go into a salon for a bit of teamwork collaboration with a highly competent artist.
This makes sense, as I am artist, I like color and craft and mathematics, so doing my own hair has always been fun. I started practicing on myself, my brother, and my sister as a small child. My first real grounding is when I gave my then 2 year old sister a cannibal bowl hair cut.
While I was in high school, I went to beauty school after the school day was done and when I was in college I made money by upgrading Apple computers and dye/perming/cutting hair.
Ever since my beauty school days, I cut my own hair and color my own hair about half the time and only go into a hairdresser when I need more polish or elegance than I can do for myself.
Over the years since the days at Richard’s Beauty College in Costa Mesa, California, I have only really liked and gotten on well with 3 hair stylists/colorists: Julia Johnson who I met through punk rock and Richards and we went on a kickin’ tour of Europe the summer of 1988, Diana ____ who I met through the swing dancing crowd in 1998, and then when Diana got married and moved to Georgia, I found Beth Martinez through her husband Ron and Alex Hernandez.
Julia now lives in Houston, Diana in Georgia, and Beth in Austin, TX.
Now my hair looks bad. While I do bleach my front streak and color the bright Special Effects purple myself, as well as cut & shape the top/front of my hair to fit the punky 1940s inspired rolls I do, I do need to have the back cut by someone and the rest of my hair dyed by someone I trust. Really trust. Beth moved about 3 months ago and I need her back.
Beth kindly recommended two stylists for me. I tried one for a trim before SXSW and she was bossy and didn’t get that I am a DIY hair girl at all. Due to the bossiness, I won’t go back. The problem is that the other recommendation that Beth gave me is the stylist who is just across the salon from the bossy one, so I can’t really go to the 2nd recommendation.
Anyone know of where I can pick up a non-allergenic Damson Plum demi-permanent to cover the gray that is homesteading at my temples?