BROWN: A trip to the hairdresser for beauty and therapy

Published 9:51 am Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Angela has been my hairdresser for 40 years, almost as long as she has been a professional beauty advisor and consultant. She knows mysteries about me and my family that few others realize and is quite capable of safeguarding secrets.

I value our association, longtime friendship and conversations so much that over the years I have followed her career from one beauty emporium to another. We have countless things in common but the most important is our love for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

In another life, for a few years, I owned and operated a jewelry store where the important rules concerning diamonds and other precious stones were color, carat, cut and clarity. I submit to the notion that the prettification enterprise is founded on four similar concepts, cut, color, curl and conversation. If you do not feel prettier when you leave a beauty shop, then something is wrong. Loveliness and style is their business and they are serious about your opinion.

When Nanny was a younger woman, Mrs. Iris Lane was her trusted friend and beautician. They were professional and personal friends. The brand name “Toni” was the permanent wave that they preferred. In fact, it was so fashionable that Nanny forevermore considered any permanent wave, simply a Toni.

Because Nanny owned colorful plastic curlers and kept several packages of end-wrapping papers on hand, one never knew when and where one of those waves was going to occur. On the back porch, in the kitchen, or at a neighbor’s house. Getting a Toni was something that she always welcomed.

Visiting the beauty parlor today is different from my Nanny’s days. In her retirement years she had a standing appointment, every Friday come rain or come shine, to receive a shampoo and set complete with light teasing and a significant amount of lacquered hairspray. Her gray hair was enhanced with bluing. Rather than enriching the snow-white color as it was advertised, it turned her hair into a medium shade of indigo. But it matched the other ladies in her circle, so it was perfectly acceptable. Once she relocated to Richland, Mrs. Mildred Wilson became her hairdresser.

I prefer that those big clunky plastic-dome hair dryers of yesteryear stay away from my head and tender ears. I favor the softer coiffure that results from modern handheld drying and curling devices. I am not concerned about the style that suits my personality the best. Angela knows my preferences so when I need a trim, I sit in the chair and let her work her magic. A consumer could get lost in the myriad display of beauty products, so I let Angela experiment with them and pass along her findings.

I believe that the words beautician and magician are truly interchangeable. So for all you have done for me and for your other clients over the years, thank you Angela. Because you know that I am not one of those drop-by people, I will make an appointment and visit your establishment soon.