Oh, what a day!
I have been racking my brain on what to blog lately and when I do come up with things, I don't have the pictures I want to add to it. So, please know, I have more ideas a'brewin' and will share them as I get pictures to go with them.
Then today, I remembered it was 'Salon Day!' I can blog what it's like to go to the salon in the Philippines. Now, I say salon 'day' with full honesty as it takes a better part of your day to get a good 'do around here. Lots of expats will argue who is the best hairdresser in town, but for me, it's Philipe. Philipe is French...yes, he can be a stereotypical French man, but once you get past all that, he's a great guy! Totally normal guy who loves golf and fine wine and has traveled tons of places. Anyhow, after going to him for almost a year and a half now, I do think he is one of the best colorists I have ever worked with. Now, onto the day...Let me start off by saying, I coordinate my haircuts and color with my friend, Jen. Sounds weird, but when you are in a salon for at least 3 hours on each visit, you need someone to chat with. So, Jen and I are shown our chairs (side by side, of course) and then get our consultation with Philipe. 
We discuss layers and flips and thinning and texture and so and so forth for about 5 minutes until we think we have a mutual understanding of what I want. Frankly, I usually say "Sure, that sounds good, go for it." I am just getting so bored with my hair these days. Jen, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants each time and has a pretty lengthy discussion with Philippe on what she wants. After this, I get a shampoo. A GOOD shampoo. For all of you that have had a good shampoo, you know what it's like. Think 10 minute head massage. Such a yummy experience. From there, I get another head massage for 5 minutes in the chair. See, Philipe goes back and forth from me to Jen. Philipe begins cutting...and cutting. He is actually quite fast, the cut takes under 10 minutes. Because I am getting a color as well, he has the dryer girl, dry my hair. 
Once dry, no less than 3 people work on foiling my hair. He picks out the color, tells them how thick/thin to foil and what ratio of color goes on, then they take over. Sometimes it's unnerving, like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing around my head. One person hold the hair, one person brushes on the color, that person hands the comb to other person so the 2nd person can fold up to foil.
It's cumbersome to watch and remember, there is usually a 2nd "team" working on the other side of my head as well. Today I also needed a polish change on my toes, so I had another person at my feet. Anyone feeling claustrophobic yet? Once they are done (about an hour later as they do the thinnest layers of hair I have ever seen), I sit for 25 minutes under the heat lamp. After that, Philipe himself comes to check my color and approves me to "cool down," then get rinsed off. Here goes another yummy shampoo! This takes a bit longer than the last time as I get conditioner as well! Back to the chair I go for the dryer girl to dry my hair. It takes her about 20 minutes and then Philipe approves his own finished product and sometimes cuts a little more or styles it differently, depending on his mood. Today, he said he liked it and I was done! Sounds fast, huh? Ok, so it sounds slow and it is slow. Today's appointment took 3 1/2 hours! I was prepared for it, so it wasn't too bad, but seriously, 3 1 /2 hours!
We discuss layers and flips and thinning and texture and so and so forth for about 5 minutes until we think we have a mutual understanding of what I want. Frankly, I usually say "Sure, that sounds good, go for it." I am just getting so bored with my hair these days. Jen, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants each time and has a pretty lengthy discussion with Philippe on what she wants. After this, I get a shampoo. A GOOD shampoo. For all of you that have had a good shampoo, you know what it's like. Think 10 minute head massage. Such a yummy experience. From there, I get another head massage for 5 minutes in the chair. See, Philipe goes back and forth from me to Jen. Philipe begins cutting...and cutting. He is actually quite fast, the cut takes under 10 minutes. Because I am getting a color as well, he has the dryer girl, dry my hair. 
Once dry, no less than 3 people work on foiling my hair. He picks out the color, tells them how thick/thin to foil and what ratio of color goes on, then they take over. Sometimes it's unnerving, like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing around my head. One person hold the hair, one person brushes on the color, that person hands the comb to other person so the 2nd person can fold up to foil.
It's cumbersome to watch and remember, there is usually a 2nd "team" working on the other side of my head as well. Today I also needed a polish change on my toes, so I had another person at my feet. Anyone feeling claustrophobic yet? Once they are done (about an hour later as they do the thinnest layers of hair I have ever seen), I sit for 25 minutes under the heat lamp. After that, Philipe himself comes to check my color and approves me to "cool down," then get rinsed off. Here goes another yummy shampoo! This takes a bit longer than the last time as I get conditioner as well! Back to the chair I go for the dryer girl to dry my hair. It takes her about 20 minutes and then Philipe approves his own finished product and sometimes cuts a little more or styles it differently, depending on his mood. Today, he said he liked it and I was done! Sounds fast, huh? Ok, so it sounds slow and it is slow. Today's appointment took 3 1/2 hours! I was prepared for it, so it wasn't too bad, but seriously, 3 1 /2 hours!
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