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Apr 26, 2023Liked by Valerie Monroe

I must say how strange it is to go backwards and start reading about our collective anxiety about COVID and all its variants. I'm glad that we've gotten past much of it yet I still feel sad and angry when thoughts of how many people died and some rather needlessly.

Yes, men! I admire how my partner is able to continue be non-chalant as he maligns his beer body. I mean, he cares but then doesn't care. Strangely, he takes much more time than I do to get ready and is unable to go out for a casual dinner without fixing his hair. Then he's the same person who uses no products of any kind for his skin. I suppose we pick and choose what we care about but it's his utter lack of the need for perfection when it comes to his facial features and his body that I find perplexing with a touch of envy.

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Okay, speaking of salons. I have a question for you. It's to do with the new chain of hair highlighting/roots club/balayage places. I won't name the one in question, but I went to it to, ahem, save money. Oy, people. Beauty budgets are a thing for a reason; save up to cover them, is my advice, fwiw.

I usually get my highlights or balayage to my mid-50s aged long (very long) hair about every 6 months. Because I switched careers during the pandemic, however, I tried stretching it out to every 8 because money. Then I realized we have in my neck of the woods, a new one of these DIY-storefront-hair color places, so I decided yay! Money saved!!

It was one-third the cost of my usual very reliable, if pricey, place, so I took a chance.

It was not bad. Not great, but I could live with it.

Then like an idiot, I forgot to note that the texture of my hair felt different even a couple of months out, and instead fell for the email advertising that said "time to dry out your hair again with too much processing" I mean, "time to touch up your highlights", and had it done again.

Boo, hiss.

I looked like a White Walker.

Boo, hiss, hiss.

I went back and asked for the warm blonde toner, not the ice cold bitch color toner.

My long hair is now akin to straw, and if there were a Three's Company reboot, they could cast me as Chrissy Snow 2.0.

I went back again, and the nice colorist who did my hair both times gave me some weekly masks, and told me to go to another hair salon chain whose products for hair repair she likes, buy a certain one, and then mix the one she gave me (the freebies) with the one I needed to go purchase.

She instructed me to do this once a week, leave it in for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. She assured me that after a month (!) my hair would return to normal.

Here's my question: will my hair return to normal?

I did the mask today and decided the freebies she gave me were stinky, so I left that product out and just used the other one I purchased, because it at least smells like real things instead of chem things.

Moral of this story: the time and effort it takes to "save money" costs money in the end.

Thanks, Val!

xW

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Aug 24, 2021Liked by Valerie Monroe

I’m an esthetician specializing in eyelash extensions, and I can say Delta is starting to affect my business because people are (understandably) worried about getting sick. But still, I do my best to make clients comfortable. I am fully vaccinated, have always worn a mask during services (and continue to do so), have always allowed myself 15-30 min between clients to clean and disinfect, and see just one person at a time. My treatment room is large and airy with big windows so there is plenty of ventilation. Additionally, all clients must wear masks during their appointments. I personally know many other service providers who have similar protocols in place—we want our clients to stay healthy, and we want to stay healthy as well.

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