How do you get the exact haircut you want from your hairdresser?
Dreamstime/TNS
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Hoping you can help me with “hairdresser speak.” It seems I don’t speak the language, and I feel it is impeding what I get in a haircut. How do I approach a haircutter to say what I want? My hair is a weather vane — it flops when there is low humidity, and goes all wavy when it rains and shrinks in length. A cut that looks good when it rains doesn’t necessarily work in the dry weather and vice versa.
Recently, I’ve been going to a stylist who has a good eye and is talented, artistic and sweet. She says I have great hair but she invariably cuts the top shorter than I like and I really feel that minimal layers would work better for me. And I can never do what she (or others) do with the blow dryer.
—Melanie R.
Dear Melanie: Let’s start with the easier issue: blow-drying. It is awfully hard to blow out your own hair as well as a stylist does. Tell her you’d love step-by-step tips so that you can try to achieve the look at home and can you please take phone photos (or a video or both).
As for working up the nerve to tell her specifically What You Want!? Why do we have such trouble talking to these folks who we entrust with our hair? I’m the same way. Here’s what you keep telling yourself: Nobody knows your hair better than you. In the nicest possible tone, here goes a script for your next stylist conversation: “I think you are so talented, but I absolutely need to have the top of my hair longer than you cut it the last time. And pleeeze, fewer layers too! I know we can work together and you can help me this way so I can style it better between visits.” Let me know how it goes. And show her this column if you think it would help.
And another hair problem…
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I’m growing my hair longer and it is a beautiful color mix of dark brown with some silver and gray strands. I’d like to add a little shine—but don’t want to flatten it since I have super-straight hair.
—Arlene G.
Dear Arlene: Here are two products that will do the job: Loma Nourishing Oil Treatment (works on skin too!) (loma beauty.us, $31; amazon.com, $28.37) and Soma Prism Shine Enhancer Spray (walmart.com, $21.99; amazon.com, $21.90.)
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: For many years in the Chicago market, I shopped at Marshall Field’s. They sold a brand of 100% cotton dress shirts that had French cuffs. When Macy’s took over, they continued to sell those shirts or an identical one with the house brand Tasso Elba. They were priced around $60. Now Macy’s has decided to appeal to the lowest end of the market and be like a Target or Walmart rather than cater to the upscale market, and it seems to have discontinued these shirts. There is no indication on their website of these shirts. While business casual has taken hold in many areas, it still is elegant to wear a suit, tie and a shirt with French cuffs, although it probably makes me a dinosaur, and soon to be extinct.
—Bradley P.
Dear Bradley: I get lots of email from Chicagoans regretting the demise of Marshall Field’s and its sad-sack replacement by Macy’s (in that gorgeous downtown building). To mix a metaphor, the Marshall Field’s ship has sailed! I get the impression that you would prefer to buy your shirt at an actual store and I don’t blame you. I too prefer to shop that way although it is getting ever more difficult thanks to the ease and dominance of online shopping, especially at amazon.com where there are many options for your French cuff needs. Jos. A. Bank has close to 200 brick-and-mortar stores in 36 states including five in the Chicago suburbs (although none in the city itself any more) that stock shirts with French cuffs (only in white in three cuts—slim, tailored and traditional but call first to make sure they have a selection in your size). Men’s Warehouse also carries them (white only).
Angelic Readers
Nancy writes, “For the person looking for a good wrap for chilly plane rides and travel evenings, take a couple of pashminas. These long, wide soft scarves made of lightweight wool blend or synthetics fold flat and take up virtually no room. Come in many colors. Use to cover up on a plane, use as a wrap skirt/shoulder cover if necessary during travel (to enter church tours for example). Not expensive.” (From Ellen: I see them in thrift shops all the time for $4 and under.)
