Conquering Vertigo

Nice Cuts

I'm told my hair is hard to cut because it is fine-textured and blond. Dark, coarse, thick hair hides or even overcomes a bad cut. Not my hair; cut it badly and the whole world knows.

Once, a crazed hair stylist mulling my forehead decided I'd look good with "Pixie Bangs," a jagged fringe a half-inch long. I tried to stop her but the damage was done.

Short, jagged fringe-bangs are fine for George Clooney.
Sean Connery elevates fringed, Pixie Bangs to an art form.

Not so much an art form with me, the pixie bangs.

While living in Houston, I found two anti-Pixie stylists who brought a sure and delicate touch to my haircuts. I trusted them so much that between the two of them they cut and styled my hair for my wedding day, and then I waited until I was in Houston again on a business trip for my next haircut.

I put off finding a hair stylist here in San Francisco, hoping for regular quarterly business trips back to Texas. But finally, I succumbed to the Great Stylist Search.

San Francisco is a small city with a lot of hair salons and barbershops.
Ricky goes to the "Supercuts," $8, but he's Italian and - like the Scot above - can wear Pixie Bangs, or no bangs at all. I'm not saying Supercuts = Badcuts. I'm just saying I've never had any luck with them.

Both of my Houston stylists said, "When you see someone with the haircut you look best in, go ask them who cuts their hair." Great theory, lousy practice. Everyone who wears the cut I like is either on a train going the other way, or has Maria Shriver hair. Not the style, the hair -- so thick and full that a bad cut looks good.

So, I started wandering down Union and Chestnut, two streets notable for blonds. I visited more than a dozen hair salons, asking about pricing and styles, looking for a client with my hair. Suddenly, on Union near Fillmore, I saw a modest little sign that said, "Nice Cuts, $15."

Having just left a faux-Peruvian salon with bottled water costing $15, I was intrigued. The place, even from the outside, had a nice vibe. I walked in, and two Asian women were laughing with a customer while cutting his short, soft blond hair.

Nice.

Granted, they were giving him Pixie Bangs. But he could wear them. Think of George or Sean gone blond.

One of the women, Wanda, sat down with me. She began feeling my hair and talking to her colleague in rapid Korean.

Wanda wagged one finger very seriously at me: "Your hair, very fine, very light. Bad cut shows. I take care of you, give you nice cut for blond lady."

The Pixie Bang guy in the chair said, "My sister has your hair; she loves it here."

A peaceful, easy feeling began to steal over me. Nice people, nice place, nice vibe, nice customer. And at a $15, a Nice Price.

posted by Woman In Love @ 1:52 PM