Bonjour mes amis!
It has been a little over a month since Apple released both their new operating system and two new iPhone models, and in the last four weeks the salon has been abuzz with positive and negative reactions. From "My new phone feels so light!" to "My old phone feels brand new!" to "I can't find anything on this phone anymore!" Everyone has an opinion.
I purchased my first iPhone not long ago, when I finally said goodbye to the Blackberry that had served me so well. So I fell into the camp of iPhone users who updated the system, but had no need for replacing a perfectly good phone. I have to say, I am quite fond of the new look and feel of the updated experience. As a result, I began thinking about the extremes we often go to in order to feel like we have the newest and most exciting thing: disposing of perfectly good electronics, clothes, friends and even significant others, for an immediate but short-lived sense of pleasure. I would argue that the greater benefit would come from an internal system update -- a personal reboot.
Before I get too philosophical, let's talk about how we can apply this issue of "replace it or update it" to hair. Think of a time when you were at your wits end with your hair -- when your same old style felt so outdated that you wanted to scream to your stylist, "Just cut it all off so I can start over!" Or when the foiled highlights you'd been maintaining for years felt so tiresome that you wanted to run to your nearest drug store to buy a box of one-shade-fits-all brown to slather over your locks. You might have resorted to requesting a cut or color on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum from your old style, hoping to feel as sharp and colorful as a retina display. But when the novelty of something radically new wore off, you might have been left looking in the mirror at someone that no longer felt like you.
So what should you do differently when the cut or color your stylist carefully crafted just for you starts to feel as antiquated as an iPhone 4s? Instead of telling your stylist you want to ditch the old for something totally new, ask about introducing some different techniques that will give your current style the reboot you're seeking. Your shoulder kissing length may just need a little internal layering to help you feel brand new -- and introducing a little balayage to your highlight routine will feel a little more user friendly. Perhaps just learning a new method for blow drying in the morning can give you a full recharge.
Now don't get me wrong -- I have always been an advocate of change and transformation. But sometimes it's difficult to decide if you're disposing of you're look because it really is broken, or because you're craving the latest and greatest thing. That's where I come in, to answer all your questions -- like tech support for your hair. But unlike usual tech support, my consultations are not only fun, they're free! And why shouldn't they be? It's only hair after all!
