Oct 18, 2012 |
Remember my hair cut horror story from a few days ago? It was a lot worse than I reported. As Dot says, “How can you trust your hair to people who don’t even take care of their own?”
Ever since walking out of that discount haircut place I’ve been trying to find a salon-quality location that doesn’t charge salon-quality prices.
A handful of phone calls later, and I realized I was either going to pay $40 for a great haircut, or take my chances elsewhere. That’s when I was referred to HEAD TO TOEZ in Hesperia.
Melanie Fuentes. Isn’t she cute?!
As of this posting, their starting rate for a woman’s haircut is only $22. $22 ! At that low price, I was a bit of a skeptic, but my hair couldn’t take another day, and my wallet wouldn’t afford another dollar.
So I went. Centrally located at 15800 Main Street, Suite 180, in Hesperia, it was very simple and easy to get to. No navigating tricky corners or turns. No follow-here-to-get-there. Just Main Street. Boom. How easy is that?
Tucked nicely into the corner, this large, full-service salon exceeds all expectations. But don’t take my word for it. Go for yourself. Listen to the other patrons who are there. While sitting in my chair, I was comforted by the friendly banter offered by the staff with their clientele. Carefree. Relaxed. Familiar. Like everyone was family and getting together over a cup of coffee.
The Salon is welcoming with its warm colors, natural wood tones, and clean, open spaces. There’s no feeling of “walk-in/rush-out”. True to their name, they offer services from Head to Toe: Hair cuts and styles, waxing (face and body), massages, manicures, pedicures, permanent make up applications. They also sell the products they use. Each service has its own section, yet the Salon never feels crowded or closed off.
A little internet research, and I found they are avid supporters of LOCKS OF LOVE: If you donate ten inches or more of your hair for wigs for cancer patients, they’ll give you a free haircut as well!
As I was referred to HEAD TO TOEZ, I’d been told they decorate the Salon for every season and holidays. With Hallowe’en coming up, I half expected those costume-store ghouls to greet me. Not here! It’s cute, friendly, welcoming.
Hallowe’en Tree
I was greeted by all the staff. Everyone makes eye contact and smiles. As a walk-in, I was lucky Melanie was immediately available. And when I say lucky, I mean it!
Melanie is the kind of stylist you want for all your hair needs. Let me explain: I am horrible at explaining haircuts. I’ve never found one photo that is exactly what I want. So I showed her six photos and tried to explain “these bangs” with “that volume” with “those angles” and “this stack”… thankfully, she listened. She looked. She asked questions, and she made sure she understood.
She explained the entire process, and when my choice of style wasn’t going to work, she told me so. How refreshing! Someone who has an eye for what works and what doesn’t, and isn’t afraid to make suggestions! I’d much rather be told what works instead of walking out with my chosen style that doesn’t.
Melanie at Work
I stuck to my main idea (a pixie), and she was great. After a bit of discussion, she rightly convinced me that a shorter pixie would be a “shock”. Since I’ve had the medium-length hair for a while now, I opted to keep it a few inches longer. And I love it!
Let me say that again: I. Love. My. Hair!
From this:
Pulled Back Hair
To this:
Before the Color
To this:
After Color
Here’s how hair-gifted Melanie is. I went in for my haircut yesterday. As she worked, we chatted and I told her my discount-hair-place horror story. I mentioned that I was also thinking of getting my hair colored, and how thankful I was I didn’t let that other place touch me. I asked how much she would charge. Again, I was blown away by how inexpensive this Salon is! We set up a color appointment for this morning. I simply told her, “auburn,”and let her take care of the details.
When I returned this morning, I asked which auburn did she choose for me? She explained the color perfectly: one that is more like a maple brown, with touches of darker red. She based her selection off my skin tones and how I explained my style (dressing in autumn-y colors). She told me there were several options available, and maybe closer to the holidays I might like to try one with violet undertones. Yes, Melanie, I think I might!
The best part about Melanie being my stylist? She took photos with her own cell phone. Front. Back. Sides. And she made notes of which color she used. So when I call her next month and say, “Melanie, I need a trim,” I don’t have to remember how to explain this style she came up with. I don’t have to remember how to explain this color she picked. She’s that efficient!
And she’s smart, too. We talked about finances and children and families and schooling and life… Melanie’s articulate, thoughtful, and brainy. She can comfortably hold a conversation no matter what the topic. This girl is goin’ places!
It took me less than fifteen minutes to ask if I could write her up on the Blog, to which she agreed. She thinks I’m doing her a favor with free advertising. Puh-leese, Melanie! Did you see those Before-and-After photos above? You so deserve this… and more!
If you live in the High Desert Area and are looking for a new stylist/Salon, contact Melanie Fuentes at HEAD TO TOEZ Salon on Main Street in Hesperia. Tell her I sent you. She’s waiting with skilled scissors. And, I suspect, a cup of coffee.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[DISCLAIMER: All opinions and reviews in this post are my own. I was not compensated in any manner for this posting. I offered to write this as a result of the exceptional services I received from Melanie Fuentes and Head to Toez Salon.]
Mar 26, 2012
My friend Ann at Doodles and Jots posts photos and drawings every day and writes about them. This last week especially, I’ve been enamored with her bird photos. I really recommend her website. She always inspires me with her crafts, ideas, photos, and notes.
So when this opportunity arose in my own yard to photograph the Great Outdoors, I couldn’t help but think of her and wonder how she’d caption the following.
Sunday was a rainy day in the High Desert. This time of year, it’s somewhat expected. But this rain came with high winds. The kind that knock down fences and can mangle old roofs.
The kind of wind that blows the rain in one direction only. And after an hour of light rain and heavy winds, the trees are neither wet nor dry.
What do you think of these, Ann?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 10, 2011
I absolutely love this phrase. I can’t, however, say or even think it without thinking of the Twilight Zone episode of the same name: a great episode, one of its most famous ones. You know how the Twilight Zone is. So even if you haven’t seen the episode, you pretty much already know how it turns out.
[Spoiler Alert!!!… don’t read this post if you don’t want to know how this 51 year old show turned out…]
So this woman undergoes drastic, I mean, drastic, cosmetic surgery. Her entire face needs to be transformed in order for her to fit into society. Otherwise, she’s going to be sent off to a place I can only relate to as a Leper’s Island: that locale where everyone is self sufficient, individual… and kept away from the world because they are so ugly they will never survive. If this episode was about the animal kingdom, it would prob’ly be titled “Eat or Be Eaten”. In the end, the woman’s bandages are removed and we see her face. Her face that won’t conform to the standards of the world. Her hideously beautiful face. Because its all the other faces that we consider ugly; but that’s what her society is: ugly. At least, to us. Their contorted faces and pushed-up noses and skin folds and… well, like I said: ugly.
Anyway. I digress. I do that a lot lately. Can you blame me? I have a lot on my mind… but anyway…
It got me thinking. And you got me thinking. You, my readers. My mom. My friends. For me being a Doll who likes stability, I also like to change things up now and then. So a few days ago when I asked how I should make the Blog more readable, I was overwhelmed with the collective “NNOOOO!!!”‘ ‘s that I received. Apparently, I’ve found a formula that works better than I knew it did, better than I thought it would.
Although Dani requests more recipes and Mary wants to be my taste-tester. Easily worked out, ladies. Easily. (*insert winky face icon [and passport] here*)
And in my discussions with several readers and fellow bloggers, I’ve come to realize that I need to leave well enough alone. That I’m doing well, headed for better things. That I needn’t change everything all the time. That it’s okay to just be still.
Hear that?
It’s okay to just be still.
It really is.
It’s totally okay for me to just sit back and enjoy it as it is. Whatever it is. A quiet morning doesn’t have to be interrupted by internet. And working on the Blog doesn’t have to mean changing it. A cup of coffee doesn’t have to energize me. It just has to taste good.
As a society, we’re so brainwashed into more-more-more, faster-better-stronger… it takes my breath away just thinking it. You can’t even say those words without feeling a rush. Always striving for better. But what if “better” isn’t striving? What if “better” is slowing down and seeing and saying “It’s good. Just the way it is.”
I don’t always have to fix things, change things, create things. I get so busy doing that I forget to stop doing. I get so focused on the end result that I don’t see the present.
Present. That’s an interesting word. In this current holiday season, it means more than just the time at hand. It means, Gift. Token. It also means a special talent.
The present I’ve already received from You is your gift of readership, of support, comments, forwards, likes, and discussions. The gift of being accepted just for doing what I’m supposed to do: write it out. No matter what. So I won’t be changing my blog any time soon. I’ll concentrate more on the recipes and creative writings, but won’t be making any major changes.
And in return, I give you this Present: Today. Always plan for tomorrow, but don’t forget to see Today. The good, the bad, the ugly. What stresses you today makes you stronger for tomorrow. The big losses are opportunities to feel anything. And when some people keep themselves so bottled up, feeling anything is really quite something. The little triumphs has the Universe cheering in your corner. Today. It’s exceptionally beautiful… you need only to behold it.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 27, 2011
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Life is like a garden: many different species living together; some harmonious, some hurtful. Pesky weeds try to strangle the fruits and flowers as birds steal seeds only to drop them somewhere unplanned.
I don’t know what made me think of all this, except that it’s been exceptionally hot here in the desert and I’m worried about my potted garden dying on me. As the caretaker of my garden, I do my best to nourish it and enjoy it. To accept its beauty, individually and collectively. To prune when necessary, and to give it room to grow. And as my mind wanders, I soon found myself wondering about other plants and their survival traits.
The corpse flower is a strange thing. It grows to great heights, and some consider it to be exceptionally beautiful. With its variegated shades that blend from almost ivory to green to purple and red, I find it absolutely stunning. It’s one of those things that I’m not sure I like, but I can’t stop looking at it. It’s mesmerizing.
Of course, that’s not what piques the most interest. Some varieties bloom once a year, but most corpse flowers open only once every few years (some take more than a decade!). The aroma they reveal is what gives its common name: the smell of, well, rotting flesh.
People are like plants. Some are herbal: they serve not only to keep fresh greenery to look at it, but they spice up a recipe, and can be medicinal (good for the soul) as well. Others are decorative as well as useful. Roses, lavender and mint make great tea and potpourri. Good to look at, and soothing.
Still others are like the corpse flower: They hide behind their beauty, never letting anyone in. They open up to the world only once in a great while, and when they do, it’s offensive. They tower above the rest of the garden, and scream for attention. When they get it, they offer nothing in return but their stench. They bloom for two or three days, then they go into hiding until they have the courage to come out and roar again. It’s fascinating. And ugly.
In my garden, I would desire to be sage: a culinary herb, or a wise person. I would even like to be the aforementioned lavender: soothing to the sight and smell. Whatever I am, I choose to be alive, and share this life. Not to hide it behind false beauty, or release it upon the world with an ugliness that causes so many to turn away.
What you see is what you get. Sometimes I’m reaching, sometimes I’m done for the duration. Sometimes I close up for the night. Sometimes I last for a season. But there’s always some weeding that’s necessary, and always new growth to show for it.
If life is a garden, what kind of plant are you?
Life in the Desert
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
