And Speaking of My Clients…..
It’s time for a chat.
I have roughly 200 people who are crazy enough to trust me with their hair…..and their secrets. But times, they are a’changin’ and I feel it my responsibility to help us all transition to our next, slash last, phase of life.
Post-menopause.
ish.
Now, I realize that a good handful of my people are not quite to the “I don’t give a crap anymore” phase, but as I age, so does my clientele overall, so we are all headlong into “The Long Goodbye,” as The Eagles would say.
I’ve noticed in the last few short years that some things need to be addressed with those whom I love. Things that I want to blurt out but know I shouldn’t, so I just hold it all in. Things I hope they’ll want to address, and hopefully not be too sensitive about when I offer my professional opinion. (Because what other opinion would I offer???)
Because years ago I realized when someone showed me a photo of a hairstyle they’d like, I’d just knee-jerk and say something like, “heck no, that would look awful on you,” or, “that’s a horrible idea,” or, “have you lost your mind?!?!”
Most definitely a poor decision on my part.
So I worked on crafting a more gentle retort to their request, and practiced it until it rolled off the tongue like a bowling ball in the hands of a world champion pin wizard. A sure-fire strike.
“That’s nice, but that’s not my favorite. For you we should lean into something even better.”
“That’s not my favorite,” is now my “favorite” go-to. Works every time. Whew.
So now that I have that one worked out, it’s time to start on the next beautifully diabolical expression. But first, I’ve penned a little letter to my people and hung it on the mirror in my studio. And now…..we wait. Here’s what they get to peruse while I snip away:
“O.K., Y’all. We need to have a chat.
Now that some of us are becoming “of a certain age,” things have changed. We are no longer the cute young things we used to be. We are stunning, mature women and we need to embrace it. What we do NOT need to embrace, however, are the things which we can still control. For instance:
Eyebrows. Yes, they are thinner, shorter, and sparser than before. No, you do not need a thick heavy pencil to fix it. Please let me know if you’re open to me telling you when you’ve gone from “delicate fill-in” to “Groucho Marks.” Subtle colors and weight are the winner winner chicken dinner on this one.
Also, lip and chin hairs. Inevitable. Do you want me to tell you when it has become time to wax the man hairs from your face? Because I have a wax pot and I know how to use it.
Also – and this is a tough one – we’re all gonna die one day. Again, inevitable. Please, for the love of all things beauty, put my name and number on your list of people to call when you kick the bucket. I don’t want to find out on the face page that you’ve gone on to be with Jesus and the funeral home had someone else fix your hair for the occasion.
I love you and want very much for all of us to make it through this season of life together and looking our absolute stunning best. If you give me the go-ahead, I’ll do my best to offer a gentle delivery of the news, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…..
~~~~~~~
And there you have it. My love letter to my people. A great conversation starter, for sure. Because sometimes you just have to tell it like it is. I’ll let you know how it goes…..
I can remember you telling me when I had red hair that it was time for me to let the red grow out and let the white grow in. I remember Ron just saying what
Hahahahaha I can hear Ron now🤣 I miss our visits, Diane ❤️
Miss you too. Sent from Diane Doll’s iPhoneOn Sep 15, 2026,
I just adore your writing. A-dore. This killed me.
First of all thank you for choosing this craft because I think you are a talented magician. Hair cannot be easy to do and working with clientele and their vision must be rough at times! I’m freaky vain about my hair and now that I am post menopausal – I’m downright depressed. I keep plugging away and keep it trimmed and fresh but it gets harder each year!
The eyebrows. Oh man. My coworker came in last month with a fresh micro bladed look. She looked like Uncle Leo from Seinfeld. I almost gasped but caught myself.
Thank you for the compliment! Yeah, I’ll be SO GLAD when this eyebrow trend is over. There’s gonna be a bunch of old ladies looking like they took the clown car to the nursing home in about 20 years.
Howling! I know! What is this? It’s everywhere!
“…delicate fill-in to Groucho Marks.” Oh that’s such a great line. I could’ve used it when my hair was thinning faster than a speeding car going around a track but I didn’t have the courage yet to just roll the dice and shave my head. I would ask my wife what I should do. I could’ve used that line instead — it would’ve taken the pressure off her!!! “You got Groucho Marks lines Brian, shave it off!!” Ha ha.
Hahahaha. We’ve made graceful maturing so taboo, when it should be celebrated and enjoyed!
A good hair cutter can do no evil in my book! They have special talents. Then again, I only tell them a few things but I love to listen to the conversations they have with other clients.
The beauty parlor can be QUITE entertaining!
I’m so glad I never have to get a haircut ever again 😁 I got some really cool cordless clippers awhile back and I hit my head with it if needed and then I use my super cool 7 blade Ufree head shaver every morning when I get up, takes me just a few minutes. My head is like a babys butt and shiny too. 🥳😎
🤣🤣🤣
😁😎
Oh my god, I loved this. 😂 The “that’s not my favorite” strategy is genius, and the funeral hair clause absolutely killed me. There is something so refreshing about getting to a certain age where we can finally be honest about the things we can control and have someone willing to tell us when the eyebrows have officially crossed into Groucho Marx territory. 😂
There’s a fine line🤣 thanks for your comment!