You’d think with all the messing around I do with my hair that I would have the best hair stylist in the world. But you’d be wrong. Over the last few years I have changed hairdressers no less than five times. About two hairdressers per year, and by that I mean salon, not even actual stylist. I can’t remember how many individual stylist I have been through. The problem is that with all the different styles I like to create, from pin curls and 1940′s sets to 1960′s updo’s, it is a big ask to find a stylist who understands all these creations. If I were going for a straight ironed, Eva Longoria look, I’d have no problem. And while that look does still suit me, it is actually more high maintenance for me that what I put together on a daily basis.
You see, my hair is so thick that I can’t even plait it myself and when it is done it looks quite ridiculous. Like something that belongs on the rear end of a horse! Combine that thickness with a natural wave and a tendency to frizz, and you can create a hair nightmare when trying to force it to do what doesn’t come naturally. One of the reasons that I began experimenting with vintage styles for my hair, is that it made good use of the curl and volume. It also meant that I didn’t have to spend hours in the bathroom trying to straighten it into submission. So while many of my looks can appear to be time consuming and involved, they are actually a short cut for me. Finding fancy ways to tie it up, tie it back, keep it under control and let it curl with freedom. It sounds like a dream now, but it took me many years to find my hair niche.
Now I want to take it to the next level. To commit to a cut that should make it even easier to style without rollers or heat (although I’ll still do that at times), and hopefully see me waking up each morning with hair that just magically looks as good as Rita Hayworth’s. So I’ve been searching for a hairdresser that understands how to cut vintage style. I’ve been trekking around with diagrams, photos, old stylist manuals and hoping to find someone who ‘got it’. And I think I finally might have found the one. But the proof is in the pudding and today I am off to put my trust in his silver scissors…. and see what happens. Gulp.
Have you found your hairdressing holy grail?
I can’t wait to see the results!
It’s funny because I thought http://www.wildilocks.com would be your hairdresser as they have a photos of you on the wall (it’s from when you were modelling some clothing I think) and do vintage looks from every decade.
Weedyseadragon: Thanks so much for that. I had no idea they had my picture up! I’ve been thinking of giving them a red hot go at it as they seem to have a handle on the vintage updo’s, (that part I’m good with) but I’d like to hear form anyone who has experience with their vintage cutting and finishing /setting. That is where I seem to keep hitting roadblocks. Do you use them?
I use them all the time, I have had a few cuts there but i haven’t requested anything vintage apart from an updo. But from the way they talk they really do love doing vintage hair so i’m sure this includes cuts.
Weedyseadragon: Thanks so much for the rec. I will be seeing them.
Icy: I never could get over how much more expensive it was to have my hair done in Sydney, but now I’m finding that Melbourne is quickly catching up to those prices.
Rosie: Brave!
Floraposte: Have you tried thickening the shaft of your hair by coating it with a clear henna dye? I hear it works wonders.
I have been seeing the same hairdresser for 25 years! He is a genius at hair color, and gives a nice cut as well. He even did my updo for my wedding. He remembers setting hair in the 60′s and has been giving me tips on how to keep my straight hair curlier for longer then two hours. I am going to see him tomorrow and I cant wait!
Thanks doll,
The Glamorous Housewife
My hair sounds alot like yours, so I look forward to seeing your new haircut.
I’ve learnt that with stylists, never to judge a book by it’s cover – the slickest, most ‘hip’ looking salons and stylists have given me some of the frumpiest, most boring haircuts, whereas my new daggy-looking salon and mature-age, sort of ‘motherly’ stylist have succeeded in giving me the most awesome, edgy haircuts I’ve ever had!
I hope you’re onto a good thing!!
Good luck on your quest. We have the exact same hair – Thick, natural wave – frizz. My hair is all one legnth though. I once decided to get a layered cut, just around the face. I don’t know if I just didn’t get the right cut or what, but I could NOT style my hair after that. It was horrid. It has been awhile since then… so naturally I am wanting to try a layered cut again. Eep! Why am I thinking about doing this??
Lolita Haze: Oh god, I feel your pain! I remember as a 12 year old child with waist length straight hair, going to the local salon with mum. the stylist says “Oh let’s layer this and bring out your natural curl.” I end up looking like a mini version of Joan Collins, circa Dynasty, and cried for three days. I even saw Mum shed a tear!
Uselesslines: You are absolutely correct there, and i hope I am too!
Lila: When it is presentable I’ll post the pics.
The Glam housewife: Wow Lucky you! If only I could find someone of the same vintage here that would be the key I think. Perhaps I’ll just have to train my own…
LMAO – SKM you have exactly described not only my hair but all the issues I have had with it. I went a few weeks ago to get a long “middy” done and lo and behold, the dippy girl didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. I then said something like Rita Hayworth. Dumb stare with crickets chirping in the background. Ingrid Bergman? nope. Rosalind Russell? nope….Gwen Stefani? “I know who she is…but her hair isn’t like yours” in a whiny tone. GRRRRR
Good luck on the cut, and I cannot wait to see the results. I am debating (trying to talk my hubby into tolerating the idea of) getting about 3 inches (abot 9 cm) of my hair cut off into a traditional Middy….I am afraid that it will be too frizzy or “bushy”. I will have to think long and hard.
BTW – check out LisaFremontStreet on youtube. She talks about a middy, and shows different ways to style vintage looks. She is good.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve gone to 4 hair dressers this year and finally found one I sort. maybe, kind of like.
I want my bangs in a special way, layers in a special way and I’ve got thick, coarse, oily-roots-dry-ends hair that grows fast. It’s flat, straight on top, kinky on the bottom and doesn’t hold well (when I curl my hair in the morning, it’s weird and kinky by the end of the day).
I miss the days where I would just go to what ever salon mum went to and just had the same, simple cut.
Can’t wait to see your new hair?!
XXASAB
ASAB: Some times I wish I had that kind of Asian hair where you can get away with those great sculptural, asymmetric cuts. I tried it once and it looked awesome – after an hour of ironing! Now I work with what I have.
Lorie: Yeah, I’ve been through that so many times, so I now have a large manilla folder full of photos and diagrams I take with me. it still surprises me though how many people only really glance at it, don’t read the fine print (DRY cut) and then just think they know better or want to do a modern version. Urhh. I’ll let you know about the Frizzy factor as mine is yet to settle after today, so I’m still waiting to see if I am happy.
I think everyone who has hair resembling yours (myself included) is going to agree with you in how difficult it is to find a hair dresser. I grew up in a small town that left me with limited options on who could cut my (then) long, CURLY hair. I lucked out and had a great stylist until I was about 15. Then my stylist moved away, and the panic ensued.
A new stylist moved into town, and after seeing a few of her cuts, I tried her out and loved her. I wouldn’t let anyone else touch my hair but her, and when I had moved four hours away for uni, I would wait until I visited my parents before I got my hair cut again.
Then I moved across the country to attend a much better uni. I lost my stylist, and after a few failed salon… experiments, I took a chance on a stylist that ran a two-chair salon, and I have never looked back. She knows my hair now, know what I want and she LISTENS. I showed her a picture of a curly hair cut I wanted, and she showed me how it would look if I straightened it out. I doesn’t matter that to get to her now requires a trip across the city, I wouldn’t see any body else. And now that I think about it, it’s about time for a clean-up.
Good luck, and I can wait to see the hair!
I love my hairdresser, she understands my vague descriptions
Also, she tells me when she think what I want is actually a really stupid idea.
http://www.vintagehairstyling.com/
Do you have this book? I would be happy to lend you my copy. It has excellent pictures, too. I also have some scans of haircutting diagrams for middy cuts if that would help.
Since losing my hairdresser in a salon takeover in the late 1990′s, I went on the search.
And I found him, through a friend, and have been with him for 9 years!
Whilst he is not necessarily a vintage afficionado, he understands curls and styling like no one I’ve been to before or since.
I’m only weeks off taking my styling manual and saying “this one please”, and I’m confident it will be exactly what I want.
Vintage Girl: I’ll be interested to hear how it turns out for you. I did take Middy diagrams with me, but the problems is that with the variety of styles and updos I need to achieve, I can’t really go the whole “middy” hog. I need to find something very close but not quite. So hopefully today’s cut will do just that. A good set should tell.
Mitzy G: I would like to get my hands on a copy of that book as the one I have (excellent) is a printed PDF of an old manual.
Kathryn: Gotta love an honest hairdresser and one that knows what just won’t work for you.
Fyre: It just seems to be such a gamble. I’ve tried the super cheap and the crazy expensive, but the few times I am really happy can’t seem to be replicated. I am looking for the holy trinity of hairdressers. Someone that is a great colourist, can cut vintage style AND THEN finish it off with some Rita Hayworth flair.
As a vintage stylist who has worked in regular modern salons, I understand your quest to find someone who knows what you’re looking for! Most modern trained stylists actually ARE taught the classic standard hair cuts that allow for a plethora of vintage styles, they just don’t realize it. Anyways, as a girl with thick curly wavy hair, I don’t trust many to style, cut or color it–luckily I have a highly trained hairdresser sister at my dispense!! Good luck and sincere good wishes!
Marcella Lee: And why are you not just down the road from me?
It seems that with some effort and much $$$ I can find a good cutter, but it is the drying they have big problems with. I’m thinking I may head down to the local retirement home and start asking around about who does their sets!
I’m sure noone will be surprised to hear that it’s the same for men.
I have thick hair with a wave and have recently changed from a short back n sides quiff to a side part Cary Grant (I wish!!) style.
My barber knew exactly what I was talking about, listened to my description, then told me which aspects were traditional, which would suit my hair & head best and how the transition would look as it grew.
While I’m not completely convinced that the style is right for me, I’ve since had many compliments on the cut and am obviously very happy with the service.
I can only imagine how difficult it must be to find a women’s hairdresser who is the complete package.
Thanks for spreading your knowledge SKM, I love seeing people who have obviously put some thought and work into a look, regardless of whether it’s textbook or not.
TNP xx
TNP: Thank you so much for your comment! We welcome chaps around here, even though they are usually the quiet type.
Your hair sounds amazing! Mr SKM hasn’t been to a hairdresser in 22 years, yet is still surprisingly sympathetic to my plight. I think one of the biggest problems is that with a women’s hair cut when it goes wrong it can take a long time to grow it back out! 
SKM, I’m a regular at Wildilocks (or Lockworks, as they’re salon/shop is called in Vic) and they have been cutting my hair for nearly a year now. Admittedly I have very simple hair, as I’m Chinese with a super straight, thin-ish mop and just get a very angular Louise Brooks-ish bob with Betty Page fringe, much like The Silouhette from the recent Watchmen movie. However, I’ve been quite pleased with them, and wouldn’t see anyone else. Finding them was a real relief, actually.
They also have a few vintage hair tutorials on YouTube done by their main stylist Kat – worth a look. In fact, Kat is extremely approachable and heck, just call her up and have a chat. She’s a good sort.
I have yet to find a stylist that can actually comb through my hair without torturing me. I have thick, wavy, very long hair. When they wash it up it gets so very tangled in the basin. One time I took the comb away and did it myself. My hair cut is an easy straight across…it’s getting to that part that is so hard! I love the length of my hair, since I can do so many quick updo’s. People think I’ve spent ages on my hair when it takes me just a few minutes to put it up, and usually it’s straight from the shower wet. Now blowdrying it…that takes a lot of time!
Hope you found a wonderful new stylist for your hair.
I’ve had the same stylist since I was around 4. I’m 18 now, she’s a friend of my mothers and just has a way of dealing with my hair better than anybody. It’s pretty fantastic, I’ve never gotten my hair cut by anybody other than her since I’ve started going.
Thanks for that swell pic of Rita…I love her so much, her name is my other email address
Have not found my hair’s holy grail…still looking though.
Those of us with fine hair have problems too! I think there tends to come a point with a lot of hairdressers where they tend to give you the cut they want rather than the cut you want! My hairdresser is at this point now, my hair is too layered at the moment. Naturally what I really want is hair like Lauren Bacall in “To Have and Have Not”, I don’t think I will ever live that dream though!
I just get my hair cut by as many people as possible/reasonable, and stick with the one I like best.
Before Miss Icy I was using Wink! Hair in the centre of Sydney and I have been delighted with them (specifically the stylist Marija). She always gave me a fabulously edgy cut that was always so easy to look after (and she teaches at TAFE as well).
Post Miss Icy I go to a local cheap salon with a motherly sort, and she does nearly as good a job. I’m still pleased.
Been going to the same guy for at least 15 years. I can’t quit him!
Best of luck SKM I hope your latest cut turned out well for you! Looking forward to seeing the result!
I’m the opposite from you – really fine, limp, straight hair …but lots of it apparently – fat lot of good that is when I can’t get it to keep *any* volume!! Grr. Not to mention it starts to kink when it gets a bit past chin length so it’s not like I can leave it unstyled. Meh.
Lately I have been going to Biba Academy because I simply can’t afford the $180+ it was costing to go to fabulous Pete at Shibui. The first cut they did was great, a jagged ‘pob’ which I know suits me. The latest, the girl was obviously less experienced and cut out all the jagged bits, thus accentuating the flatness of my hair *cry*. Don’t know what to do now – I think I want to grow my hair so I can try vintage styles but then I will have the same problem as you! Not knowing who to go to.
And as for colour – I went in to Wildilocks and I didn’t like the way they treated me in there. Was kind of snobbish and they left me standing around for ages (buying hair dye)…Is it because I was too ‘normal’ looking??
Sorry that was such a long rant SKM!! Obviously the HAIR iss-sewww is a big one for us ladies!!!
Good luck with getting your dream haircut!
I can totally sympathize with your plight about finding a great stylist; I got so fed up with my attempts that I stopped getting more than a trim every few months. Thankfully, I’ve found a great gal here who cuts my hair (which is in dire need of a cut–I’ve been putting it off the past month because I have no time!). She actually does the 1940s cut I want, based on all the pictures and diagrams I brought last time. I was really pleased with how it looked. Now my next “hair evolution” after my next cut is to get into the habit of pincurling my hair on a regular basis (with some sort of styling solution to help the curls stay). I so often have gone to bed with a halo of that day’s curls, only to wake up with a frizzy, unattractive mess! 
I feel your pain! Being a Marine wife, and moving every few years, means having to figure out who to trust your locks with more times than I’d like to admit! Currently, I’m driving an hour to our nearest “big city” because I do not trust anyone in this town to give me a cut different than what female Marines receive (and we’ll be moving again in October)! Can’t wait to see what it looks like.
So funny I think everyone thinks they have the worst most unmanageable hair. Mine is A Lot thinnier and finer then I’d like everything just slides right on out. As my stylist says…
‘your hair is slippery’
Ah well good luck on the search. Oh and by the way Mad Men’s official site blogged about you.
My hairdresser lives out of town, she is awesome, comes to Vancouver once a month to see all her clients here. Last time she had me booked I was desperate for a haircut, I got there and she was gone!! She told me the wrong date and had me booked the day before! I had tears I was so upset and in need of a cut before a big 1920s party in a couple days. I found a new hairdresser that day, he was great, such a nice head massage and gave me a cute cut. I have my next appointment with him now tommorrow.
I live in a small town in Kansas so there’s not a lot to choose from. But I have a girl who will try her darnedest to make it right, and that’s all I ask for really.
Martha: It makes such a difference when people listen and care, even if the don’t always get it right, but you know that the effort is there.
Eyeliah: What a nightmare, I can only imagine how you felt. At least all’s well that ends well.
Kelly: I wonder if anyone’s hairdresser every says, ” My goodness. Your hair is just so easy and perfect. I really don’t need to do anything here!”
Amber: Now there’s a pickle I never thought of! How do you think you’d look with a crew cut?
Casey: Your last cut was amazing, and inspired me to take this plunge. Do you only pin curl or also hot set? I find that lasts better and doesn’t get as frizzy.
Esz: That is VERY interesting to hear, as what I paid as significantly more than that but the experience was not even close to worth it… wondering how the hell they can get away with it?? For some great jagged cuts on straight hair that are inexpensive, I can recommend many of the Asian specialist hairdressers in Box Hill and their edgy cuts. My (very hip) mother swears by them.
Oh yes! I’m currently feeling very tragic and sorry for myself. Sounds as though you have a very similar hair type to my own SKM. I have changed hairdressers a LOT over the past few years, and just yesterday I had one of the worst cuts I have EVER had. It required 2 shots of tequila afterwards to steady myself. I can’t believe it. I am devastated. I’m terribly vain about my hair (well, I don’t have a lot else to be vain about really). My long, thick, wavy mane (which I grew long especially) has been hacked into and layered beyond belief despite my strict instructions not to. It’s stringy and…skinny. I have skinny, overly layered hair now!
I think I am about to sob again.
I’ll be reading over the comments here for any recommendations for good Melbourne hairdressers…that LISTEN to their clients. And who can work with the hair someone has, rather than try to give them the opposite kind of hair type that they actually have.
Ahem. Sorry about the rant. I’m still traumatised. Excuse me while I go and have another shot of tequila.