For the longest time I’ve wanted to have white or grey hair. Like, not a few months long time. But long time as in when I attempted to dye in a highlight with my cousin’s hair bleach at 12 and was confused as to why my locks turned copper in lieu of Children of the Corn of silver. Even as I entered high school and the Goth and punk brunettes colored their hair the pubescent rebel pinks, greens, and blues, I was stuck rocking boxed “Black Cherry” – which no one could see (besides my mum as she notices everything.) Except that one time Regis salon needed hair models and my sister helped me skip school to get these orange highlights that could only be seen when in Houston’s direct sunlight. And with temp being in the 90s plus humidty on the regular, direct sunlight was for the birds.
So, more than 10 years later, I still want Stacy London’s forelock but without the damage and the breakage and the subtlety and label of being a “follower” or “rebel”. And guess what? I have it. JAY KAY! My hair is a dope purple though!
No lie. It’s all thanks to Chereen Monet ofFox & Jane Salon in the Lower East Side. To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin.
Let’s just put it out there. Whenever you see vibrant, drastic color, it’s typically not done at black hair salons. When it is, they are through extensions to protect the hair. Understandable. But I don’t wear extensions. I don’t have the stamina to maintain the hair that grows out of my head, let alone the hair that I pay another to add in. If my hair is going to be colored, it will be my own hair. Which leads me to the next dilemma.
Many of the salons that do vibrant colors don’t house a staff that are trained and practice regularly on black hair – whether it be relaxed or natural. Which creates a client who is scared there will be a What’s Love Got to Do With It moment, hair coming out et al. and a stylist who knows they will 1.) Mess it up and say nothing, or 2.) Try it anyway rather than being honest and admitting they just can’t do it.
Fox & Jane came through on both sides. First of all, Chereen not only has natural hair but is versed in all textures of hair. She even plays with colors and different styles on her tresses. When we met she had a short, light purple do that looked so moisturized and healthy. Very different from the photo inset, I know, but that that should show you her versatility. As we chatted throughout the process, she intermittently explained the why of each step. For instance, when I was blond for like 20 minutes, she had to tone me. Otherwise you’re stuck with that brassiness. And, “to ensure curl pattern was not ruined was [I used] Olaplex and when I am doing a double process on natural hair I just use a lower developer to ensure the curl pattern is still intact.” Because at the end of the day, I want both my curls and my color… DUH!
And to the color. I think that was more of a joint agreement. Chereen explained the maintenance of silver hair and I internally was concerned with actually going silver. I’ve been known with my dark hair for so long. The drastic change brought on a lot of excitement and anxiety that I wasn’t ready for, so when she said purple… I said YES!
It’s been about six weeks now and it’s lightened so much it actually looks gray-blue to blue to purple ombré. I’m so used to it to the point I forget about it except when people stare at me for a very long time on the street before yelling, “Oh my god, look! Her hair is blue!” like they have never seen someone with blue hair and I’m deaf. And I mention this because it happens so often. (It’s NYC people. If you haven’t seen blue hair before, you really need to open a magazine.) But the best part about it all is that I FREAKING LOVE IT! The compliments I get from complete strangers asking about my hair and expressing how much they love it, or asking questions. Even when I’m having a bad hair day, it’s a great hair day, because my color is fabulous! If this was Star Search, Fox & Jane would get four stars.
I know this post was super long and you want to know more about Fox & Jane, the hair maintenance with this hair color, including what I’ll be having done my next go around. Well I have to provide all that information for you in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can book an appointment at one of their five locations nationwide in San Diego and New York.