Hair Help! - Watertown,MA

Hi G., I see you're in Watertown. I'm not really dealing with the gray issue *yet* but I have found a stylist in Belmont who I adore and who I think is very reasonably priced, for around here anyway--$38 for a cut and style. I'm actually going to have her do highlights for me--my first time ever coloring my hair in any way--because I totally trust her. Her name is Thao, and she's at TN Beauty Salon on Trapelo Rd. I can't vouch for her ability to deal with "difficult" hair, but she seems super-competent. You could look up her reviews on yelp. Good luck!

I have a cosmetology license, but haven't worked in a salon for years. I have similar issues. Because of my husband's job, we have moved often. I always dread having to find a new hairdresser. I would even be willing to pay a lot haircuts, if they were consistent. I've found many who do a great job the first time, but can't ever seem to duplicate it. :o\ That's the first thing... finding someone you love. Regarding haircut, it's a little difficult to tell you what kind of cut to get without seeing you, but I will say that if you're opposed to going to the hair salon every six to eight weeks, you need something that will grow out nicely. What you have seems to fit that bill.

Color is another story for me. I do it myself because I can't see paying that much money for something I can do myself. I agree with the person who mentioned a beauty school. I've looked for one and can't find any around here. :o| Where do all these hairdressers learn???

Gray hair is a pain. Especially when it's mixed with non-gray. Gray hair is extremely resistant to color and non gray hair usually takes color very well. You kind of need to know what your base color is. For both your hair and the color you are putting on it. You can counteract the brassiness with an opposite color.

http://www.hairfinder.com/hair4/base-color.htmhttp://www....

I struggle with the brassiness issue as well. My natural hair color (before gray) was/is light ash brown. Ash doesn't color gray very well. You need a gold base to cover gray. The gold fades brassy. So what I do, is mix an ash with a gold based color (half and half). But it does grow out/fade quickly. I pretty much need to color my hair every three weeks. It does get old really quick. But my gray is not the pretty gray. It's dull and mousy. I assume you're using a permanent color, because it's fading brassy. But if you have a lot of gray, semi-permanent color will not cover it. At least not for long... we're talking days. When using a permanent color, be sure to follow the directions for touch-up color. You don't need or want to color the ends every time you color. They just need to be refreshed. Five minutes at the end is all it needs.

Good luck.

As most mom's do, they cut out pretty much all perks and care for themselves ahead of their family (mostly due to finances). The ONLY thing i spend money on is my hair. I have a stylist who is in watertown and she is worth the $55 salon visit. I spread my visits out farther than normal, but every penny shows because I feel good about myself and can mix up my hair style (shorter/longer) depending on the season. I've also found that my greys are about 40% of my hair, and highlighting works really well. That does cost a lot of money, so I only get that done 2x a year by the same girl.

If you want the info, please write me back. She specializes in both curly and straight hair and is a lifesaver.

good luck!

Hi G.,

I use a natural hair color that I get from the health store called Naturtint. It has no ammonia in it so it colors a little differently. It does cover my gray but the end result is my hair looks natural with highlights. You can't exactly look at the color on the box to determine which you want because of the lack of certain chemicals will change it some. Once I found the color I liked I have stuck with it. Most people think it's my natural color. I pay $15.95 for the box at Vitamin Shoppe.

My other suggestion is find a beauty college. I have found that their students are really good (because their instructor is right there and if there are any mistakes the instructor takes care of it) and really cheap. My hair cut is $6 and my husband's is $5. It will take you longer to sit there because they insist it is perfect before you leave, but I think it's worth it. The instructors are willing to suggest styles that are complementary.

Hope I helped!

M.

I think one of the hardest things if finding a good haircut! You could always try doing the 'online' makeover thing....even though most is animated it gives you an idea!

Hair is tough...it's different for everyone and it's hard finding what works for your hair sometimes. After having 3 babies my hormones changed the texture of my hair completely...I use to have long perfectly straight hair and after baby #2 I noticed some curls and a little frizz...after my baby #3 I noticed lots of curls, lots of frizz, dryness, and breakage. Needless to say I was at witz end.

When it comes to a cut/style you definitely get what you pay for! With all the unwanted curls I would definitely go with flattening the hair with a flat iron. After I experienced curls I started getting frustrated because my hair NEVER looked like it would when leaving the hair salon. I've slowly figured out what they do to create the magic. There's a HUGE difference between a drugstore flat iron and a professional flat iron. After trying both I was sold on the professional...you can buy them on amazon for less than the stores...I have a babyliss flat iron and babyliss hair dryer and they are my life savor's!!! I also use this stuff called flat iron cream by Artec which makes you hair very soft and very straight when flattening...It's amazing. The flat iron and dryer may be expensive up front but it's worth it when you get great results every time you style your hair. Check out prices on amazon. What ever you end up doing make sure you are putting some kind of heat protector on your hair b/c the heat will damage. The flattening cream is great for that as well.

Ozma in Brighton is fantastic. Was recommended to me by a girlfriend and I've been going there for 4-5 years now. I go to Loretta. She's fabulous. $26 for a wash and a cut. Don't know the pricing of anything else because that's all I get. I've got curly hair that decided to do it's own thing after my son was born and she helped me revive my long hair into a great cut. Good luck!

Hi,
It sounds like I have very similar hair to yours. I started going gray at age 17!
I have my hair layered to help it curl, but when the gray comes in it really straightens it out. I have my professionally dyed every 10-12 weeks, and in between times (about every 3 weeks) I just dye the roots with Clairol root dye, but I have to leave that in for 20 minutes to cover the gray roots.
I'm not sure if your hair is as dry as mine, but I can only wash it every 3-4 days, and I actually add conditioner (leave-in) or oil to it on the days that I don't wash it.
I hope some of this helps. Good luck.

I feel your pain! Most salons are way too expensive. I went to a place for years which cost $45-50 dollars just for a shampoo and cut when you added the tip. I finally found a woman who charges $15 for all cuts, men and women. I'm so ecstatic that I give her $20 each time I go.) She does a great job and dispenses with all the frills (shampoo, head massage, fancy location). She's just a hole in the wall right by our neighborhood and the schools. And she does a great job. (People like her are out there but you have to search for them.)

This new woman kept talking about "ultimate platinum". Finally, I asked her what that was and she said with a smile, "gray hair". She also says that gray hair tends to be the opposite of what your non-gray hair was--straight non-gray can become curly gray or vice versa. I don't know if that is 100% true but it appears that way...at least in places. : )

Anyway, I have lots of "ultimate platinum" and think of it as inexpensive highlighting. People say, "I love the range of colors your hair has!" Personally, it's getting a little flat as the gray takes over at 50, but once you start coloring it, you're stuck with coloring it for life, unless you're ready to be brave one day and let it all grow out.

A few years ago, I played with a spray bottle to give myself highlights. I forget the product's name but it was great...until I got a little heavy-handed and became a blond again. It was one of those products that is supposed to react to sun and lighten sprigs of hair. It was fun for a while but I got tired of doing it all the time. Now, I just accept the "ultimate platinum" as my fate.

I have a friend who moved to NH from NYC. She used to be a managing editor for a well-known magazine. When I first met her she had brown hair. She's only in her 30s or early 40s, but when she let the coloring grow out, she had a full head of gray...and it is really strikingly nice!

When I'm thinking of a new style, I look at magazines a lot--there's always some magazines out there that show different styles for different face shapes. You could also find an online site where you upload your photo and then try a ton of different styles to pick what you like. But an actual hair stylist might be the best for knowing your hair and what might work with it. A picture doesn't always translate to your actual hair--texture, wave, etc.

It really depends on the hair stylist for whether or not they will recommend a new style. Some are timid with suggestions, others forge forth. The suggestion of a beauty college might be a great way to go, if there is one nearby. I've never tried it but have heard good things when people have.

Just remember...it always grows out if you don't like what you end up with. You're certainly not happy with what you currently have, so take the plunge and see what you find.

Good luck!

I have my hair professionally colored because I have turned it into some prretty interesting colors on my own, then had to pay to fix it. My hairstylist sprays my grays with something to help the color stick. I don't know what it is called, but maybe you could buy it from a salon? I have wavy hair in the back and straight hair up front. I finally went with short hair because I was sick of styling for 45 minutes, then having it look like I did nothing to it an hour later!

My hair has some gray...not a ton but enough to bug me. I've been using Clairol Brass Free Natural instincts and it seems to work well. It's non-permanent so my hair isn't over processed. That's the only down side...I have to re-do it every 4 weeks...but if you have a lot of gray roots coming in...you were probably doing it about that often anyhow. I have no problems with the brassy red and I spend a decent amount of time out in the sun as well.

My hair is weird too...it has a mind of it's own...it's wavy in some places and straight in others...in other words ANNOYING. I always wind up having to flat iron it and yes that it time consuming. Before I was pregnant I bought over the counter Oglevie Hair Straightner and my hair was poker straight for months. If I wanted some curl in it I could use a curling iron...but otherwise it was nice...no kinks, no waves, no frizz!

try doing these things and see if you still need a cut. Maybe some layers cut in there. Typically what I do is go to a salon (yes it's pricey but don't go to the cheapy salon expecting a great cut). You don't have to go to super pricey...just ask around and see where friends are happy going. That's what I did and I found a salon (where haircuts are around $30- not bad at all) and just asked the stylist what she thought would look good for my face/features. I have a long, oval face and she cut it where I don't look drowned out. They're the pros...ask them their opinion.

You'll feel so much better and not feel frumpy

i know hairdressers are expensive but spring for it once....so you can get a cut that works (only go to stylists referred by friends - i love the woman who does mine and will give you her info if you want) and be shown how to make it happen. make it clear that you need low maintenance - five minutes tops. get allover color plus highlights and then you can do the roots yourself. if you can, go twice a year. the stylists say every six weeks but that's insane. aside from that, don't wash it everyday. every other day is fine in the winter or even every third day. use a spray on dry shampoo if you think its stinky (tresemme has a good one). lastly, maybe lose some length - so it's faster to straighten (and don't use a blower - invest in an iron - sooo fast). Good luck!

Oh my goodness! I could have written that post myself. I know how you feel!!!

I cannot suggest a hair style, because I still struggle with that myself. But, I have a lot of gray (I'm 44, come from an early graying family) and I finally decided about 8 months ago that I'll embrace my gray. My hair was strawberry blond growing up, became more red in my adulthood, and is now copper in color, where it isn't gray. Getting RED hair color out of a bottle was extremely difficult, no matter if I did it myself or paid to have it done. I felt like I always looked like my hair was dyed, and that was my mother's look when I was a teenager, and I hated it!

I don't know how old you are, and if you're like me, having people assume that you are your child's grandmother is tough to take. A friend of mine gave me a good thing to say to those strangers who make that assumption... simply say, "No, just prematurely gray."

Good luck. I'm going to watch this post because I want to see if there are any suggestions for cut/style!