I have notoriously bad hair. It is kind of my thing. I have woken up some mornings and thought, "I have actuaI crazy-person hair." It is super fine, and, according to one of my hairdressers, "Not a pretty shade of brown." I had blond hair as a kid and I have been fighting to keep it that way my entire adult life. I have learned to cope with my 'do'mostly being a 'don't'; I can rock a pony tail and I can pull off most hats. I am also lucky enough to be married to the world's nicest man; he has always waxed poetic about my hair. (He has been the only one! Another sign that we are soulmates!) Alas, I have always harbored secret dreams of having beautiful hair. (This and being a hip-hop dancer are my two most unrealistic dreams. To date.)
My hair can look decent if I let it dry naturally; when traveling, that just isn't an option. If I blow dry my hair, I look like a Troll doll that someone left outside.
Then we booked a trip to Paris and a session with Flytographer and I started to panic. A photo shoot in Paris? Moi? What to do?!
Lucky for me, a blogger saved the day. I stumbled across a great post about blowouts. This author claimed to get a blowout, utilize dry shampoo, and ride out that professionally done hair for up to three days.
My mind was blown.
Could I, queen of bad hair, have a chance at last?!
Tampa
I was offered two free nights at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. While staying there, I went to the spa and explained my situation. The Rock Spa is on the small side but I felt like the stylist really understood my crap hair. She made it nice and wavy and it lasted for two days ( I had yet to purchase dry shampoo) and I walked away with pictures to show in Paris, thereby negating any language barrier. I was on my way to a great hair day! And the Lightning game!
Paris
The night before the big photo shoot, I had a little tête-à-tête with the concierge at our hotel. Victor saw me at my worst; the version of me I presented to him was after traveling/being up/sightseeing for 36-hours. The plane, the Parisian rain, and exhaustion did not make for an epic mane. Or face. Victor took pity upon me and called the salon for me the next morning. He warned me that they did not speak much English, and I warned him that that was ok because I do not speak much French. The next day The Doc took my arm, like the gentleman that he is, and escorted me to the Jean Louis David salon on Rue Cambon. I bonjoured my way through an introduction, mentioned Victor's name, and was whisked up a spiral staircase to have my hair washed.
Then we came back down the stairs, and through hand gestures, facial expressions, pictures, and broken French and English, international team work made the dream work. I came out of there with some free product, smelling like a French dream, and with a new appreciation for le coiffeur (the hairdresser) and le brushing (the blowout). I don't think I have ever felt that good about my hair. I used Living Proof dry shampoo for the first time a few days later, and I am now a huge fan. Some version of this hair lasted until we got home, 4 days later. I can't possibly convey how much I love not having to mess with my hair.
Las Vegas
The glitz and glam of the Vegas strip demands good hair. We stayed at Caesars Palace and I booked an appointment for the afternoon we arrived. The COLOR Salon by Michael Boychuk is part of the Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars. This place is so Vegas: giant sparkly chandeliers, all white everything, so posh, so over the top! The stylist here somehow managed to give my hair massive body and volume. I told Spencer it was my Dynasty (or Dallas) hair! Big hair is, in fact, happy hair.
This place was expensive (over double what I paid in Paris) but worth it for that celebrity style experience.
Orlando
All experiences can't be oohh la la Paris or viva Las Vegas! So, I decided to try a regular blow dry bar. We stayed in downtown (near Lake Eola) and I found a place called Blo. I loved that you could make an appointment online. The place was small and cute; rows of sinks, rows of blow dry stations. There was a very visible sheen of product floating in the air, which was equal parts magical and disorienting. The prices were reasonable. I was happy with the style, but I can definitely see that this type of place is more like a factory and you have zero chance of building a relationship and having someone actually care about your hair, especially if you are just traveling through town. I lucked out, I dig those waves.
What is your travel secret to beautiful hair?
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