An Asheville Hair Affair

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

It was a cold winter night. I had been running around the City of Asheville for weeks, so much that my hair was gaining length. I reached out to her several times, asking for just a little piece of her time, a few moments to cut me down to size; but she could not. I wandered aimlessly for a few more days, with hope still alive. Then she appeared, but not the one I originally sought. She touched my hair, looked into my eyes, and saw my bare soul. It was then I fell into her chair, spread my hair, as the scissors began to cut away the locks.

Weeks later, the one who owned my hair reached out to me. I then went to see her. She smiled, grabbed my head, felt the length of it, and said “someone has had a hair affair.” I felt exposed, violated; as if I cheated on a lover I had dedicated my heart to. But it was not my heart, it was my hair. And she was not my lover, but my hair stylist. I bowed my head in shame and said “it is true.” I then poured my heart out to her about how lost and lonely my hair was without her, how another had trimmed me away; and how I was swept off my feet for a moment. But now I had come back.

With the many folks that we meet, and all of the ends of town that we visit regularly; some of us get our hair cut at a few different places. I mean a good hairstylist or barber is busy, especially when then get well known, and sometimes there are scheduling conflicts, many times ours. We may have a photo shoot or video to do suddenly in the next day or so, and it is too short of a notice for them. So sometimes with our schedules we need backup. Now there are hundreds of barbers and stylists out there, but we wanted to introduce you to two that we know and have experienced; plus a mention of a third. We actually sent some questions over to them so you could learn a little bit more about who they are and what they do. Please read:

Jenna is a stylist at Love, Daisy. She has been in the hair industry for seven years and has worked in Michigan, Hendersonville, now Downtown Asheville. Jenna specializes in Color & Style, and also does cutting, event styling, bridal, extensions, and waxing. “As a Paul Mitchell Signature Salon, we are always learning and growing as stylists. I am a National Educator for Paul Mitchell, traveling and teaching in salons, and working hair shows. My goal is to give you hair that makes you feel confident and beautiful.” When asked about the shop, she said.. “we are a hair salon and tattoo studio with a laid back environment of individuals passionate about their craft.” When she is not crafting hair, Jenna likes to ride and show horses, and spend lots of time in the great outdoors. For an appointment, you can call or text 828-707-3991 or online at Style Seat.

Shasta is a stylist at the Shear Shack in South Asheville, and she is the 6th person shown in this fine line of stylists. She has been cutting hair for over 16 years, starting her career in Knoxville Tennessee for Regis for about seven years. Since then she has experienced several angles in the salon industry ranging from quick calculated cuts at Great Clips to personally pampering clients at Adelaide Spa & Salon. Shear Shack, which is a fashion forward & quality haircare Keratin Complex salon, is locally owned and operated, has been in the Asheville area since 1977, and was recently bought by Christina Robinson. Shasta offers cuts, colors, up-styles, smoothing treatments, and facial waxing. She also specializes in razor cutting, businessmen cuts, and dimensional foiling. Shasta says “I am excited and inspired by others, and enjoy working as a team.” When she is not cutting hair, she spends time with her family, traveling, the great outdoors, exercising, photography, and being artistic. For an appointment, you can either call the salon at 828-274-4490, or call or text 228-238-9811.

Also if you are in Hendersonville North Carolina, check out Christine at Lux Salon!

Maybe you have a favorite hair stylist in the Asheville area that you would like to mention. Or maybe you are one that we should know about. Comment below and tell us more about this person. Thank you!

Affordable Downtown Chic With Charmed

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

Think it’s hard to dress trendy in Asheville on a budget and still buy local at the same time? It’s not thanks to Charmed and Southern Charm. Both boutiques are locally owned and are in the heart of downtown. You can find everything from accessories to clothing between the two boutiques and everything comes in at under $50.00, most of the items under $30.00 and most accessories under $20.00. I spent a morning in Charmed trying on pieces, checking out the local designers featured and creating a mental wishlist.

I put together a urban chic look perfect for hitting up the town. I paired a beanie, blanket scarf, sweater and sunnies with my t-shirt dress, leggings and fringe booties for the perfect Asheville outfit of the day. I love blanket scarves for this season because you can wear them so many wears and they offer a lot of warmth for the winter ahead.

For the second look I just threw on some sunnies and a locally made necklace perfect for heading out to the farmers market and breweries.

So make sure you head downtown and check out Charmed, I’m sure whatever your style is, you will find something there. Also the perfect place for finishing up your Christmas shopping. If you want to see more of what I found you can check out my blog post here: http://wp.me/p50AtW-1qX

-Stephanie

Ladies Dressing For Asheville

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

Dressing for Asheville requires you have a lot of different things. You have to have outfits for work, meetings, strolling downtown, nights out and play. Three things the ladies of Asheville can’t go wrong with are a good pair of booties, a swing dress and a vest of some sort. These three things can be worn many different ways, fit every style and can be dressed up or down. Booties are great for Asheville because they can be worn to work and are much more comfortable than heels, they go great with jeans or dresses and skirts and are perfect for walking around town or shopping. Swing dresses are really big this Fall and there is a reason! Swing dresses are flattering on every body type and extremely transitional.

More boho? Wear a swing dress with a kimono and hat, then layer on the jewelry. Need to wear something comfortable yet business casual to work? A swing dress, tights, flats and a cute scarf would be perfect for the office. Vests! I can’t get over vests and they are huge this season. Vests are a great way to add some personality to any outfit plus they add some warmth for Asheville weather. Vests come in many different colors, textures, patterns and lengths. Vests are also something that can transform a simple shirt and slacks into a chic business outfit or a fun vest can add some texture to simple pieces for a night out. These three things are some of my favorite pieces to wear out and about in Asheville and I even like mixing all three together!

What are you favorite pieces to wear out and about in Asheville? Where are your favorite places to shop in the Asheville area, why, and what do they have that is so special? The ladies of Asheville want to know!

This post is by one of our AskAsheville fashion writers… Stephanie!

Curly Haircut with Miriam at Bari Salon

By: AskAsheville about 9 years ago

When you move to a new area, you get little “firsts” or rites of passage as you start your life over in your new city. Most of them are what I like to call “mundane firsts:” first oil change, first trip to the dentist, first time filing taxes, first vet visit, first trip to the ER following the feline retaliation following the first vet visit, etc. Depending on the experience, “first haircut” might also go on that list. It can be boring, awkward, shocking, depressing, exhausting, discouraging, and expensive….kind of like shopping for pants.

Plus, my hair has had commitment issues for the longest time. My hair had always been wavy, I thought, but mostly straight, and definitely not curly. There was so much conflict and so little harmony between us. One day I realized that I spent much more time pleading, even negotiating, with my hair to make it straight, than any truly straight-haired person should. So I gave a little in the relationship, and learned that my hair, shockingly, is actually curly.

Here’s a side shot:

Problem not solved at this discovery, though. Problems only starting! Anyone with wavy, curly, or coil-y hair knows that it is a lifelong give-and-take relationship, and you’ll do really bizarre things to try to have as many good hair days as you can. Apple cider vinegar? Check. (And yes, I did smell like vomit that day). Bottomless money pit spent on experimenting with hair products? Check. “Co-washing?” Check. Microfiber sleeping cap? Check. “Plopping”? It’s a thing, and I’ve done it!

Then, I learned there’s a dry-cutting method of cutting curly hair, most often known as the Devacurl method, although some salons do their own Deva-inspired or similar method of dry cutting. In Minneapolis, I found a great salon that dry cut my hair, and couldn’t stand the thought of a regular cut now. So I did a little research and learned about Miriam (pictured below) at Bari Salon. Through an unofficial poll conducted by yours truly, The Internet voted Miriam the best curly hair stylist in Asheville, so to Miriam I went!

It was to my great pleasure that my first haircut here was a total success! Not at all like shopping for pants!

Here’s before the cut:

And after:

I loved the time and attention Miriam devoted to really helping me get what I wanted, even when it came to cutting my bangs. I have weird cowlicks in my bangs, and most stylists spend no more than 3 minutes on my bangs before giving up and moving on. I got the bangs I wanted. Thank you, Miriam.

I was surprised by how curly my hair was in the end. It almost looked and felt like she used a curling iron, but somehow Miriam worked her magic and coaxed the most amazing texture out of my hair. I’m on day 2 as I write this, and wondering if I can duplicate what Miriam did on my own, or if I’ll wash the magic right out! Fortunately, she gave me pretty easy directions on how to achieve the same result at home.

Overall, Bari was a fantastic salon, and I plan to return to Miriam for future hair cuts. The staff were friendly, it was laid-back, and the location was pretty easy to access. I also appreciated that customers are encouraged to contact stylists directly to schedule appointments or communicate about upcoming appointments.

I regularly blog about my new life in Asheville at ash2ville.blogspot.com, and at the end of each post, I leave my reader(s) {{Hi, mom!}} with a Zen Banjo moment. Banjo is my cat, and his Zen is bountiful, so I have to capture it. So in keeping with tradition, I give you Zen Banjo:

For more Zen Banjo moments, to follow more of my “firsts” in Asheville, or get involved and send me suggestions of activities to try and places to go, visit to ash2ville.blogspot.com and leave a comment, or send me a tweet. I’m @ash2ville.

The end!

Heading To South Asheville For A Haircut

By: AskAsheville about 9 years ago

There are so many choices when it comes to getting your haircut in Asheville North Carolina. I remember back in the days when I worked downtown, I would only let one person touch my hair; and that was Guadalupe. He did it right, perfect, and was full of creativity. But as time passed, I ended up on many ends of town and started building relationships with many hair stylists in the Asheville community. When I go to Hendersonville, I end up at Lux Salon. Sometimes I head to a barber in the area, but as the seasons are changing, I need more hair and I want it somewhat styled. So I found this place called The Final Cut Salon & Spa at 3759 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville NC 28803. This is a new spot in town, and we love to boost any small business we can find.

Shasta was the hairstylist and what a great job she did! I was feeling “bushy” and when I get like that, my head feels heavy. Maybe it is psychological, but it is harder me to think clearly with a full head of hair. I love a clean cut, with a little to style on top. And that is exactly what I got here at The Final Cut Salon in south Asheville.

After the great haircut, I noticed that they had these new hair products called No Inhibition. The wax that I choose for my hair has guarana & organic extracts. I bought some, used it the next morning, and perfecto! I got to check out the back room which is being constructed into a spa and lounge as I speak.

If you are looking for a great new salon, and a wonderful stylist; contact Shasta at The Final Cut 828-676-3555.

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