HEAD TO TOEZ has it all!

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.]

Sweeten my tea and share:

Bad Hair AND A Monday?!

Yup. That’s right. Normally upbeat, optimistic MoJo had a not-so-good day today.

On the heels of crying on my friend’s shoulder for no reason at all last week, only to realize I was actually coming down with something (I always get cranky before I get sick), and then having the chaos of a not-so-well-cleaned house and not being able to fully devote myself to writing coherently…

All these little irritants went by the wayside and today I was ready to face the world again! Hurray!

But the world, it seems, wasn’t quite ready for me.

After spending the better part of the morning glued to my telephone and laptop, I finally tracked down and took care of such business relating to correspondence courses, writing assignments, freelance opportunities, political issues, and home schtuff.

Dot and I spent far too long at the Super Target where I bought pumpkins and other necessary groceries, and she bought sweaters and socks (did I mention the wintery weather of late?

We came home to a high-pitched toilet. Almost dog-hearing pitched, but luckily, it was toned enough to greatly annoy our cats as well! Can I use the word lucky enough in this post?

Dot surprised me with a sweater she bought for me at Target. I’ve been looking for such a sweater for over a year now. She bought me a sweater and socks to keep me warm this winter! What a Doll!

I decided then it was finally time for that haircut I’ve been waiting on. I called my stylist only to discover she’s no longer working, and the salon didn’t have any other openings for today. So I drove over to the walk-in discount haircut place that I used to go to.

Never. Ever. Go to a walk-in discount haircut place. Never. Not unless you know them, and trust them. Never. Promise me.

As soon as we walked in, I had a sneaking suspicion I was making a bad decision. There was no welcoming other than “We’ll be right with you,” which turned into a fifteen minute wait. And no one offered style books for me to look at.

When I was called up, the stylist mumbled too much for me to understand her. She used her hand to sweep the chair, and tightened the dirty cape around my neck too tightly. That’s right: not only was it too tight, but it had someone else’s hair all over it. Gross, right?

I showed her photos on my cell phone of styles I was interested in. She didn’t seem to understand what “longer bangs and shorter in the back” meant. As she spritzed my hair with water and dragged the comb through, I winced and offered an “Oww!” I began to question why she parted my hair so drastically to the side, when she again mumbled, fumbled, and said, “I’ll just start in the back.”

When she opened her scissors, I opened my mouth.

“STOP!” I insisted. I apologized lightly and told her I wasn’t comfortable with her cutting my hair. It was awkward, it was uncomfortable. But I’d rather walk out with her being confused than me needing to pay for a second haircut to correct her mistakes.

So here I am at home. The recipes I’d planned aren’t done yet. The cookies aren’t baked. The desserts aren’t made. The budget isn’t balanced. The toilet isn’t quiet. And the writing isn’t written.

Instead, you get this post about Bad Hairs and Mondays… aren’t you lucky?

I do have this one ray of light: Tomorrow’s a new day. And I’m pretty sure the sun will come out… tomorrow.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share: