Saturday, May 02, 2009

Down Bangs

There are many things I love about my hairdresser.

#1. I love how she cuts my hair (a very good thing to like in a stylist.)
#2. I love our conversations and how we can pinball from Hollywood hot topics to serious spiritual discussions to what's the latest good read to how to raise moral children-- with no need for breath in between. If I get my hair cut often enough, we will for sure figure out solutions to all the world's problems.
#3. I love that she is a cheerleader/ sounding board/ and therapist when needed for my novel-in-progress.
#4. I love that she understands the importance of Flat Edward.

And....

#5. I love her hair vocabulary!

See, the problem is I'm like an American in Paris when it comes to salon terminology. I can't speak the language of hair (and if you didn't know this language existed, read on) so I can not articulate my hair needs in any sort of functional way. I know it's true because no matter how much I think I'm describing the haircut I want, for years I have left the salon with the same hair do I came in with. BUT NOT ANYMORE.

Natalie is able to blast through the barrier of hair communication with vocabulary so perfectly descriptive, it can only be attributed to her status of mad hair pro. She comes to the rescue of every fumbling 'uh,' ummm', 'like', and 'ya know what I mean' that spills out of me so unspectaculary, and she does this with polished ease and fabulous-ness. Her range of hair vocabulary alone is enough to keep me coming back.

Me: I need more layers. But not just long layers, more like...
Natalie: "Va-va voom?"
me: Yeah, va-va voom sounds good.

Me: And I need some blond highlights, but not too light, just kind of, I don't know...
Natalie: "Sunny?"
Me: "Exactly!"

Me: I wear my hair both straight and curly, so it would be good if the curls could be...umm, sort of...
Natalie: "Beachy?"
Me: Yeah. Beachy.

Me: My ends are looking thin, do I need to cut back on the layering or can I keep this, uh...
Natalie: "Shag?"
Me: Oh, yes, SHAG. It has a name. I'm good then.

Natalie: I'm going to give you hippie hair today.
Me: Hippie hair?
Natalie: Hippie hair--straight with down bangs.
Me: Down bangs?
Natalie: Yeah, like mine. Bangs that are straight down, not swooped to the side.
Me: Ooooh, down bangs. Go for it!

So I thought you should see the down bangs. (In color, black and white, and with a cute husband who makes everything look better.) You'll notice a slight gap and wisping toward the right in the last picture. Natalie, if you read this, don't get after me...it was my first day of self styling. Now that it's day four I have the styling down better and they are straight down, I promise. :)

But Natalie doesn't stop with cool hair terminology and fun haircuts. She follows up with Facebook messages like the one I recently received: "Just checking on your bangs..."

Don't you love a hairdresser who has your back like that?

9 comments:

Nat D said...

OK can I totally hire you to be my PR rep? I'm totally in awe and at a loss for words (which doesn't happen often)! I'm not going to lie, you make the job easy being the super hot lady you are. But as always, it's a blast doing your hair and solving the world's problems in only 2 hours. If we aren't efficient I don't know who is. Thanks again for the rad press release! Oh and for any hairdressers reading this, I know that "down bangs" isn't a technical term. =P

Mandee said...

Yet, another valid reason to move to your neck of the woods. Just keep em' comin'!

I currently have "down bangs" too. Most days, I don't feel hip enough to wear them. But then on a day like today- when the hair goes back into a pony tail- they save me.

And you look great in down bangs. And I like the term down bangs.

Bobbie said...

Just 2 weeks ago I went to a new stylist and swore to my sister-in-law on the way there that there was NO WAY she was going to talk me into bangs. Of course, I left with bangs, as did my SIL. Mine are of the swoopy variety though. I may be bold enough at some point to try true "down bangs." I think they look great on you, with or without the cute husband!

Kyla Armstrong said...

Love the hippy hair! And your sylist sounds like a hoot!

Amy Coontz said...

I love the "down bangs" I have been considering them, but it has been forever!!

LollyGirl said...

ooh, ooh sandee better make a trip to a stylist so she can get down bangs, too otherwise she might feel left out (you, maggie and i all have them).

you look HOT as always!!! and i love the shag, too!

Lisa said...

Love the bangs!

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT YA HOT BABE. I now want "down bangs!" Or as I will happily call them now "Maughan bangs!"

Carrie said...

I just did the down bangs; when I asked for bangs, my hairdresser said, in french bang means to have sex, so they call it fringe.

When I first read your blog title, I thought down bangs was a command. That's how I feel in the morning, "Down, bangs, down."