I Heart Matt

I think one of the hardest things about moving to a new area is finding a new hairstylist. In my experience, a good stylist is even harder to find than a good date. In college I had a great one named Jace. He was Japanese and hardly spoke any English, but MAN could that guy do hair! His specialty was color and I've never been so pleased with my highlights as when he did them.

After moving back to the east, I found myself once again without a stylist. I went to several different places with no luck. Then my sister recommended a hair academy near us. I was skeptical, but after my first appointment I was sold. This place is fabulous. Working in the salon is the last thing the students do before graduating, so they really know their stuff, and they all leave to go work in upscale salons where they charge $100 for a haircut. The prices are amazing too - $16 for a cut and style, and around $40 for color, depending on how much they have to use. The only drawback is that you have to be willing to spend at least a couple of hours there, since they really take their time, but I think it's worth it, especially for the price.

I've been there a few times and have always been pleased with the results, but I'm pretty sure that last time I found my stylist, a totally cute guy named Matt. He's working on his master's degree. He is gayer than the day is long, which in itself is enough to recommend him; it's probably totally un-PC to say this, but I'm sorry - gay men make the best hairstylists. There's no comparison, really. When it comes to stylists, I feel like Homer Simpson: "I like my beer cold, my TV loud, and my homosexuals fuh-LAM-ing." To give you an idea of just how gay he is, he already has degrees in make-up application and color, and in his spare time he does pageant consulting for Miss America contestants. And - I'm not making this up - his last name is pronounced "Girlie." Matt knows more about hair than anyone I've ever met, and he's completely passionate about it, which is so cool to see. He told me that he used to be a clinical nurse but after 10 years "I needed to do something where I could let my spirits soar!" And soar they do. The whole time he was working on my hair he danced around my chair singing along to the songs that came on the salon's stereo - when Erasure's "Chains of Love" came on I had to hold on to the armrests. He gave me eyebrow advice and I wanted to take notes because he has the most beautifully shaped eyebrows I have ever seen. When he was finished with my hair I absolutely loved it and Matt was even more excited than I was about how it turned out. "Oh sweetie!" he kept saying, "you look GORGEOUS! Totally Jennifer Aniston!" How could that not make my day? I've been feeling so shlumpy lately and spending a couple of hours with Matt was exactly what I needed. Now I've found my stylist. At least, until he graduates.