Hair S.O.S.: Sassoon Salon Comes to the Rescue

Posted by Anne Houseman on June 13th, 2010

: A move to the nation’s capital meant starting over!

When my husband and I moved from Boston to Virginia/greater D.C. area a couple of months ago, I knew I would need to start over with a lot of the basics. While I was fortunate enough to keep the same full-time job at a Boston PR agency by working remotely, there was still a list of things a mile long that needed to be done. New licenses, new doctors, new dentists, new vet, new…hair salon.

That last item had me so up in arms that I waited until the last possible moment to get my hair done in Boston before moving (I literally got it done the day we packed up and left), so that I’d be able to stretch my cuts until I could fully investigate a new salon.

While I’ve admitted I can be a hair salon whore at times, there was comfort in knowing exactly what I was getting with the few professionals I would visit on a rotating basis. So, right or wrong, I was more stressed out about finding a great hair salon than a great doctor. And it ended up being with good reason, since the first salon I visited after moving butchered my ‘do. Horribly. As in it became a bob that was four inches shorter, bulky and lopsided.

: My Brassy and Bulky Bob

I’m not exaggerating either — the hair stylist decided to take her own vision and run with it, frequently ignoring my requests, such as “I’m trying to grow my hair out, so no shorter than my chin please,” and “I part my hair to this side, so can you cut it with it parted that way instead of the middle?” To top it off, another client came in and I was told that I wasn’t going to be able to get my hair styled before leaving, so I was reduced to begging to use a flat iron at another station while standing behind another customer.

Needless to say, I won’t be frequenting that establishment again.

After choking back some tears and ranting to my poor husband and Kristin, I vowed that I’d just pin back my short, lopsided ‘do and wait it out until my next visit to Beantown, where I could get it fixed. Then, out of nowhere, came my knight in shining armor: Sassoon Salon.

How could I have forgotten about my beloved Sassoon?! After getting an incredible Sassoon Salon hair makeover at the Boston location last year, I knew Sassoon was a cut above the rest (yes, bad pun intended). But what I didn’t even think about was to look to see if there was one in my new stomping grounds. By the graces of the all-mighty hair gods, there was.

With a renewed bounce in my off-balance ‘do, I headed straight into the capable hands of the D.C. Sassoon Salon staff at the upscale Tysons Galleria.

: Sassoon Salon Color Director Jade Delproposto

I met first with Sassoon Color Director Jade Delproposto, (who trained fellow beauty blogger/hair professional extraordinaire Mischo Beauty), and she set me at ease immediately, making me feel right at home. After surveying my dry, brassy red/brown hair complete with about an inch of roots showing, she suggested we buck the traditional summer trend of highlights and instead take my hair just a tad darker, working toward more of a chocolate brown.

Because I had previously dyed my hair at home with a permanent color (which she didn’t make me feel bad about!), Jade decided a demi-permanent color from Wella was the best option. She explained that this way, we would achieve the tint we were going for, but minus the heavy color deposit, which could damage my already-dry tresses. Jade also explained that the demi-permanent Wella color would last just as long as a permanent color, but it would avoid a harsh root line during the growing out phase.

: Sassoon Salon Assistant Creative Director Dusan Grante

After twenty minutes under the dryer, a deep conditioning treatment and a relaxing scalp massage, my hair was a gorgeous, rich shade of brown — almost as if I was born with it.

Then, I was handed over to Assistant Creative Director Dusan Grante. As an expert shear-wielder, Dusan knew that just a few carefully-placed snips would help my boxy bob take on more refined, fluid movement, without sacrificing any of the already-too-short length (well, for the look I wanted, anyway). And of course, he cut my hair while it was parted to the side I normally wear it on.

After just a few moments, my hair was snipped to perfection, and I was beaming. To complete the transformation, Dusan gave my ‘do a professional blow-out and smoothed it straight with a flat iron.

Voila! I walked away with a gorgeous look for the summer that complimented my skin tone and face shape, with the results to prove it: