This has gone on too long.
I have felt like a degenerate teenager with my trendy/rebellious golden-streaked locks that don’t match any of my pretty Spring/Summer wardrobe for far too long.
Just as I was about to purchase a home hair-dye kit, my editor asks me, “Do you want to get your ombre locks fixed by this famous Beverly Hills colorist?”
Thank you, Lord for answering my prayers.
I set an appointment to the luxe Neil George Salon in Beverly Hills, frequented by Reese Witherspoon, Laguna Beach starlets, and Hollywood housewives.
Entering the salon, I was surprised by how hip the atmosphere is. I usually associate Beverly Hills salons with stuffy, boring, pretentiousness but this was neither as the vibe was bustling and colorful and the folks were friendly and inviting.
I meet Kazumi Morton, the famed Japanese hairstylist behind Rob Pattinson‘s tussled Edward Cullen “twi-lights.” At first sight, Kazumi looks slightly shocked by how a decent-seeming person would dare allow herself to walk out of the house with her hair looking…like…that. I give her a sheepish look and tell her much work needs to be done.
Kazumi begins to set the wheels in motion. My biggest problem was that the tips of my hair looked like I dipped my hair in a bonfire. So no matter what color she changed it to, the unhealthiness would come back after a few rinses. Kazumi had her good friend and partner-in-crime, Anh Co Tran, first snip off a little bit of my ends.
Then, using three–THREE–different base colors, she and her assistant Heidi set out to even out my hair color.
After letting the base color sink in, my hair underwent a wash and dry and I tried to enjoy every minute of feeling like the pampered housewife that I was not.
Because Kazumi’s hair procedures take a little longer than some simple cut and blow-out, and also because my hair needed A LOT of help, she saw other clients while I was in between waiting for my hair to dry, for the color to set in, etc. I didn’t mind but I couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly a morning or a day can go by at the salon.
I got my head wrapped in foil for the highlights. Kazumi tells me about her loyal clientele, including many woman who actually fly to see her for a few hours every couple of weeks. That’s dedication! A good point she made was, “most women are willing to spend a lot of money on shoes or bags or even skincare and fragrance, but they rarely spend as much for their hair.”
It is a little ridiculous since our locks frame so much of our face and helps to give off that immediate impression that people have of you. I must admit, I am one of those women who don’t pay much for haircare. (I use 99cents shampoo!) In my defense, though, I don’t pay much for any material possession besides food, travel and shows.
But if I do invest in a good haircut or highlights, I think it would actually ease my everyday ritual of doing my hair.
Another wash and I was ready to be “styled out” by Anh. I love that word. It makes me feel cooler than I have any right to be.
And now, I present to you the drastic difference of my hair from merely 5 hours in a salon for a $400-worth coloring session by a Beverly Hills hair pro.
Prepare…
To…
Be…
Amazed…
Hello!
Please do NOT tell me my hair was fine before…
Because … let’s face it, it was not.
I definitely feel a lot more like myself with soft, pretty, natural-looking feminine hair. I appreciate how Kazumi made it a smidgen lighter for the summer but darkened the bottom so I still had a lot of texture going on. Kazumi is big on trying to replicate her half-Asian, half-Caucasian daughters’ naturally sunkissed locks and I definitely think her technique is working.
It’s been a couple of days and my hair has actually turned even lighter — especially the locks framing my face. Though I would prefer it to be a tad darker, I think it’s great that Kazumi helped me plan for the long run — when I want darker locks for Fall, I can just touch up my base or completely re-dye my hair and the highlights will still peek through. Good looking out, Kazumi!
You can reach Kazumi Morton at:
Neil George Salon 9320 Civic Center DrBeverly Hills, CA 90210
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills (310) 275-2808 http://hairbykazumi.tumblr.com/ Special thanks to Kazumi, Anh and Heidi for their hair care.
