The nightmare of haircuts...

Every 3 months, I have a panic attack thinking about where to get my hair cut and highlighted.

Why? My hair is difficult. It's fine and curly (which means it does what it wants and changes it's mind on a regular basis). It naturally bleaches blond in the front and is a a darker in the back. My hair must be worn long; short hair makes me look masculine. And the cut/style should require 2 min or less to style and look good; this is the max time I'll devote to styling it. Oh, plus I'm a perfectionist who applies this to my hair. In a nutshell, I am a stylists worst nightmare. Despite being a nightmare, Steve in San Diego has done a fabulous job with my hair for the past 8 years. Even when I lived in Silicon Valley, I would plan regular trips to San Diego so that they fit in line with my haircut schedule.

It's no longer possible to travel to San Diego everytime I need a hair update. I have tried many stylists here, but none have lived up to my expectations. This is largely because hairstyle trends in Germany are different from the styles that I prefer. Women's haircuts in Germany are reminiscent of 1960's US styles. This includes: straight/blunt cut with few or no layers, lots of bangs, short/boy styles, and single color highlighting* with lots of roots showing. Trends which do not work on my hair.

I have tried different hair dressers around town. However, I've had little luck. The whole CA style is a foreign concept. Another CA friend and I go to the same salon. For the last year, we've doin our best to explain exactly what we want. It's gotten to the point where we have to explain, in detail, what colors to use for highlights, how to apply them, how to leave minimal roots, and how to cut low-styling-needed hair. This may sound extreme, however last time I restrained myself and ended up walking out to the salon with bright orange highlights (these were supposed to be a golden color) and had to re-layer the front myself. My friends had a good laugh at my hair.

So now it is that time again to try a new hair dresser. A Russian friend (the Russian ladies are great - they're just as picky about hair, clothes and shoes as me) recommended her Russian hair guy. In 2 weeks time, he'll be doing my hair. Wish me luck! If this doesn't work, then I will be in San Diego for a short visit.

*The old ladies here love purple and magenta hair colors. The appeal of these colors is unbeknownst to me. I'll try to take a pic and post to another blog just so you can see the color.