Venus Flytrap

What an interesting day I had! I know you may find this hard to believe but I tend to whine a little alot! So you see....I was whining the other day about my hair. It is long and don't get me wrong...I like it long, in fact I have worked hard to get it this long, but it is also hot and thick and heavy. I was saying that I needed to cut it (as in trim) and color it and financially I just don't have the money. I actually left out the money part but mentally that is what I was thinking. Anyway...out of no where a hair angel appeared (don't laugh...you know who you are!) The hair angel appeared with low and behold....MONEY and said "I want you to go get your hair done...BUT, there are conditions to me giving you this money." Darn! Always the conditions! Condition #1~I must not tell anyone who my hair angel is. This is doable. I can keep a secret. Well I CAN!!!! Condition #2~I had to go to this salon in Derby that my hair angel insisted I try out. No problemo! I mean it is free and although I am somewhat attached to my hair...if worse comes to worse it is just hair. It will always grow back. Right?! And finally....Condition #3~after my salon experience...good or bad...my hair angel asked that I write a blog about it. Hmmmm....good or bad???? I could definitely do that! So begins my hair story......

I was thinking that I would wait until next week after the kids were in school and I had some real time to get my hair done. As fate would have it though.....I woke up with REALLY bad hair today and decided that if possible....I would make the time right then and there. My hair angel had instructed me to try this salon in Derby. I had passed by it a million times and had even run into and had a conversation with one of the owners awhile back. Her name was Erica and she had intrigued me from the first moment I saw her. She was quite pretty in an edgy sort of way and very nice and personable. I saw she was carrying some info with her shop name on it and so I asked her if she worked there. Thus the conversation began and as I said....she was intriguing from her tattooed sleeve to the very way she spoke. I mentally made a note to someday just go into her salon and check it out. As life goes though....I never did.

Skip to today. You know....horrid hair day and all. So I look up the number for the salon and called......and low and behold I talked to a wonderful girl named Allie who said that she could indeed get me in within the hour. Yay me! The salon I am referring to is a little pink place in Derby right on the main drag (Baltimore). The salon is called Venus Flytrap. As I said...I have driven by this place a million times over the last year and always wanted to stop. At first I didn't even realize it was a salon. I thought it was just a funky little boutique with it's pink and black and visible animal prints in the window. I love places like this. As I walked in...I was not disappointed. You could imagine that before these girls took hold of the place that it was cement and drab, but with the magic of Nikki and Erica the owners....this little cement hole had been turned into fresh and fun. The decor is black, gold and pink with vintage or vintage looking pieces throughout. It houses a quaint little sitting area/boutique and then three hair dresser stations. The walls are an eclectic array of colorful pieces along with salon co-owner Nikki's artwork. Just sitting and looking around was half the fun.

On meeting the stylists Nikki and my stylist Allie...I was very impressed. Both were dressed casually yet fun (there goes that word again) and both had gorgeous hair which always impresses me. I love going into a salon where the stylist show not only their dedication to others hair....but also their own. Both also had gorgeous tattoo's which as anyone who knows me knows that I love tattoo's!

The salon is a busy little place with customers always coming in and out and the phone constantly ringing. In my book...that spells a good salon. Immediately Allie asked what I was wanting. Funny thing...I always think I know what I want on the way to the salon, but once there....I feel as if my tongue is in knots and I don't have the verbal skills to form a sentence. I think my part of the consultation went something like...."Hair cut! No! Trimmed. Color! Cover gray! All gray! Red throughout!" Apparently Allie understood incoherent idiot as she quickly got to work putting on the all-over color and then bleaching out the pieces which would later be red. While the color processed I sat and watched the line of customers coming in and out. I saw women of all ages and the cuts were wonderful. No one walked out with the standard set and style and no one over 60 walked out looking like they were wearing a helmet. I love seeing an older woman (yes....older than me) with fun (I know...that word again) spikey hair. I saw no one walk out dissatisfied. In fact what I saw were people who were very happy with not only the cut/color/style they walked out with....but you could also see the physical/mental lift the new do gave them.

Once the bleach had processed Allie gave me yet another consultation. You see...I had visions of BRIGHT red streaks in my hair. She had visions of a client who had not saturated her hair with box color over and over again. Neither one of our visions was correct. Allie explained that in order to take all the color out that I would need to and put in the color I wanted....my hair would have to process to the point of breaking off and falling out. Ummmm.....NO! She also explained that the condition of my hair was due to box hair color. Mental note....box color BAD! She also explained that the color I wanted would likely only hold its brilliance for a couple of days and then turn pink. Now I love pink....just not sure that is the color I wanted in my hair. She then showed me a color red that was actually red red. She said this would be a better choice with the condition of my hair and also as it faded I would stay a red and not fade to a pink. As much as I hate not controlling....I deferred to her expertise and we went with the red red. Boy was she right!

After the color had set and all was washed and ready to go....she then trimmed the dead ends, layered it up (something I had fought against for awhile) and framed my face. I loved it!!! The finale was when she not only gave me soft loose curls, but showed me how to do it myself.  Yes...I am almost 50 and still have issues with curling irons! The finished look was awesome. She then made me promise to return for color and NOT go near another box of color!!! Sigh....is there a 12 step program for this????

I also found out that Venus Flytrap is moving. They have found themselves to be just too much funky fun for this small building. As of Sept. 1st they will have relocated to just down the way from Riverside Cafe (another one of the places I have blogged about).

So I couldn't have asked for a better hair experience and bonus.....my hair angel took care of the cost for me. Of course I have upheld my end by abiding by the conditions....and I am pleased to say that I will return to Allie and Venus Flytrap again. And now that my work here is finished..... I think I will go admire my cute hair!

Venus Flytrap