I have been a faithful client to my stylist Catrese at Detroit's Prive Salon for about 15 years. I have NEVER let another stylist cut or color my hair and have always grimaced at the thought. Catrese has taken me through a number of looks, and for about 5 years, has keep my hair natural (a.k.a. free of relaxers) and HEALTHY even through numerous shades of blonde (which damages and weakens the hair for many women of color who don't properly maintain their chemically colored hair). Here's a brief hair diary of some of my straight and curly, blonde, brown and black hairstyles over the years...
Unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to visit Catrese since September and my "short bob" was nearly at my shoulders and my color was starting to grow out. I knew it would be Christmas before I could get back to Detroit and while the color still looked good, I just could not wait that long for a cut.
Luckily for me, my cousin Gabrielle heard about an amazing guy in Minnesota, Mr. Brian Graham, who opened his premiere Brian Graham Salon near downtown Minneapolis. After hearing rave reviews on Mr Graham and his salon (Citysearch gives it 4.5 stars) Gabbi called to schedule an appointment, only to learn that there was a 2 month wait for an appointment with the owner himself. She made the appointment anyway but then she found out she was moving so I took it as an opportunity to show up as "Gabrielle" and try this new guy out.
Nervous and scared, I showed up on Saturday terrified and yet intrigued. The salon is absolutely beautiful and the staff seemed so professional. Brian started to talk to me and I was instantly comforted. He asked all the right questions and seemed to be really interested in finding out what I wanted in a look. After the scalp massage, a very intricate cut, a horizontal shampoo (I was laying on a table) and a blow-dry he flat ironed my hair and did a little more cutting. He used scissors, razor and even an electric shaver. He was so meticulous and I was mesmerized. How did he know what to use? There was truly an art to his work. 2 hours after setting foot in the door, I emerged into the snowy outdoors $100 lighter (*sigh*) but looking (and feeling) like a real superstar...
My item of the day is - a haircut. Get a good one this Christmas and rock it like the diva you are (or, if you're not a diva, then just rock it like I would, on my behalf!!!)
