Me (yesterday) after the best haircut ever. One day later, and (as per my usual Sunday routine) my hair is piled high atop my head. Last Sunday however it was an unimaginable maze of knots, curls and dead ends. Today it is a dainty, sprightly knot befitting a pre-pubescent (read: pre-frizz) school girl. Why the change? Neven at Ted Gibson's DC Hela Spa location is a miracle worker and my new hair boyfriend. Despite living fours hours south in Chapel Hill, NC I intend to be fully committed and see him at least every two months. Neven is pictured below working his magic on @silverlips, the brains behind Silver Lips Beauty.
For the past two weeks my hair has felt like a bad rash. My new job has me more tethered to North Carolina than I'm used to and so, to accommodate the 9 to 5 (or 10:30 depending on the day) life, I've had to abandon my previous hair boyfriends in LA and New York. The results have been much less than satisfactory.
But Ted Gibson, being the patron saint of hair (I say this sincerely as I earnestly believe he was put on earth to help materialize his motto - "Beauty is Individual" - as ultimate truth as well as a chic statement) was two steps a head of me. By opening his DC Salon at The Collection in Chevy Chase he has once again saved my hair and subsequently my self image.
The thing about people like Ted, who are blessed enough to be fulfilling their divine purpose, is that they attract equally talented, beautiful (kind-hearted) people like Neven. Neven began working at Ted's DC outpost before it even opened. Imported from Croatia on the basis that his talent is irreplaceable by an American citizen Neven is a heavenly combination of Gianni Versace and the statue of David. The Ted Gibson Salon at Hela Spa opened on Inauguration day weekend. With in a few hours a Croatian news crew had stumbled upon Neven and the headlines in Croatia were fairly equally weighted - Obama at the White House and Neven at Ted Gibson. Between Croatia's priorities and it's beaches, I'm seriously considering a move or at least an extended vacation.
Neven is a bit of a hair genius and I now have lovelier longer layers than ever before. (Pictures to follow tomorrow.) I realized while watching him artfully shape a style out my tangled brown mop (utilizing nothing more than an expert pair of scissors and massive reserve of natural talent) that no matter how thick your hair is, a master stylist will never need to use thinning sheers. Neven simply cut around the weight in such a way that the hair can move and live on its own volition. Like Michelangelo set the image of David free from that marble slab, so too Neven reveals beauty from whatever medium is lucky enough to find herself in his chair. If feeling like an iconic work of art (which mind you is the only thing that walks out of any Ted Gibson Salon) isn't reason enough for you to part with $150, consider what price you would pay to receive the best scalp massage ever from irreplaceable Croatian talent. Tell Neven I sent you!
Yesterday I learned that if I'd like to ride the mechanical bull in Downtown Durham I need to have my shirt tails tucked in. Today I learned what "Diversion" is to the beauty-set. I'm learning a lot these days.
"Diversion – the sale of professional haircare products in unauthorized non-salon retailers including drugstores and online retailers." It's about time we girls had our own dictionary, no?Here are the Top Five Reasons to Buy Professional Haircare Products ONLY in Salons:
-Products cost up to 15% less in salons than at unauthorized retailers.
-Products are only guaranteed to be 100% authentic when purchased at salons – products sold at unauthorized retailers can actually be contaminated or even counterfeit.
-Salons carry the most up-to-date product and newest formulations, unlike unauthorized retailers who usually have much older stock.
-Your stylist is an expert and can give you the best advice on the right products for your hair type and condition.
-Support your hairdresser and salon! Every beauty girl needs a good hair-boyfriend. Cause a stylist isn't a service provider. Your stylist should be, like a boyfriend, carefully selected. Lucky girl that I am I have three. Daniel in LA, Ted in New York, and Angus in North Carolina. (Don't get to jealous, my surplus in high quality hair-boyfriends is matched only by a serious shortage in quality actual boyfriends.) The woman in the video below was actually caught by her hair-boyfriend buying product at an unauthorized dealer.
To help educate both consumers and hairdressers on Diversion, Biolage is launching an interactive website called StayTrueNow.com which will increase awareness for the brand’s anti-diversion strategy in the salon community and among consumers, and explain why it is so important to purchase salon products only in authorized outlets including salons and professional stores.
