How to go about getting the haircut of your dreams

                           I have terrible luck with hair salons. For prom, I went to a salon to get prettied-up to the 'big day', and three well-meaning elderly ladies gave me what 'they' called a french twist. Sounds exotic right? WRONG!! It looked more like one of those hairdos from the 50's and I went home, cried my eyes out, washed it all out and wore my hair down and boring. I'm sure if I got one of those hairdos now, I'd be more than ecstatic, but at 16 years old, I was too insecure and shy to pull off a beehive. A few years later, in my 20's, I got brave and hopeful once again and went to a Dominican hair salon with my mom, being new to salons, I did not know to ask for no blowdrying, or hairspray; neither of which I ever use on my hair. I walked out of there looking like I was about 45. These are just a few misadventures of my unassertive youth, but I can assure you each one carries quiet disappointment and tears. This should then explain why I spent the majority of my adult years wearing a ponytail. I wore it well, mind you, but nevertheless it got to be terribly boring. Therefore, when I found Evelyn, at Simply Bliss, it was as if I had found diamonds. 

                            Looking back it was a combinations of things that created the perfect chemistry and I thought I'd share it here so that you too can find your very own 'hair whisperer'. I'm sure there are many, but these are the ones that were relevant to me:

1. They must know hair. This is HUGE!!! My hair when cut short curls (especially in DC when it's always humid), when long it looks limp and plays dead. I know a friend whose hair has weight and falls straight no matter what length it is. All I can say is THIS comes with experience. I can't tell you HOW to find someone who has this skill. 

2. Bring a picture of a 'do' with someone whose hair type matches you. This is so important. I brought a few pictures of the type of hair I wanted. They were of all the same person, various views. If you pick a celebrity, it's often easy to find various perspectives of the same person on Google Images. The crux is that this person's hair MUST match your hair type. If you have no clue what I am talking about, do what I do, touch your friends' hair more often, you will become aware of how different hair can feel, but also how different hair can weigh. 

3. Talk in silhouettes. A silhouette, according to www.dictionary.com, a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, uniformly filled in with black. My silhouette, whenever I have gotten my cut in the past, has always been the shape of a capital letter A. I hated this shape on my face and thought because of the way my hair behaves that I'd be doomed with my 'A-shaped silhouette' head my whole life. But the day I began talking about NOT wanting an A-shaped silhouette was the day my hair cutter made sure my hair did not do that anymore, simple. This speaks to the importance of being able to clearly define your vision of both what you want and also what you don't want.