In John Waters’ seminal film “Hairspray,” hair hoppers have heavily ratted hair ending in a flamboyant flip. Perhaps a kicky bow at the top. Lots of, duh, hairspray. It was the ’60s, pre-Beat, when hair was big and hopping.
To me, hair hoppers are something else altogether. They are folks who jump from salon to salon, walk-ins at random salons. They are people who never build relationships with their stylists.
I was a hair hopper. A bad one.
I would walk into a mall salon without an appointment. I would see one stylist twice and decide he or she didn’t get my hair. I would cut my own hair in between and I didn’t have my color done at a salon until I was 33. I know I was a nightmare client in that regard (although, to my credit, I think I was marshmallow soft in the chair and took opinions without conflict and pretty much let the stylist have free reign. I even brought pictures.)
The truth is, folks, it can take someone more than one or two visits to learn your hair — and, depending on your history, your stylist might be working in some tough circumstances (hair that’s been over-texturized, over-processed, box colored or, in my case, cut or bleached by moi).
Barring egregious errors in your hair, or personalities that don’t quite mesh, give your stylist several stabs at your hair. Let them learn you and your locks. It is, ideally, a relationship that will last through many styles and many years.
Have any of you been hair hoppers? What makes you click with your stylist?
xoxo
