Good hair days? (Toni & Guy)

Member Name: beckstrous

Product:	Toni & Guy
Date:	22/07/02 (14255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lovely hair products, very good individuals

Disadvantages: can be very expensive, can be hit and miss if you don't know who to ask for

I've always been a bad hair person. Purple streaks, red streaks, burnt fringes (accidental), chewing gum (ditto), disaster crops (deliberate) ... the list is almost endless. A waggish friend once referred to my "bad hair life" and he wasn't far wrong. My barnet has traditionally been a bit of a joke.

I decided that a Toni & Guy haircut would be the answer to all my hair woes. There's a salon in my home town of Guildford and I'd wanted to get my hair cut there for ages, but was too intimidated by the effortlessly cool staff and the aura of trendiness that seemed to ooze out of the building itself. Nevertheless I plucked up the courage to go in.

That was three years ago and I am now a regular visitor to Essensuals - which is part of the same company, and down the road from Toni & Guy in Guildford. I have found a stylist that I really like and I think that's the point of all this. It's not about the T&G brand name (though admittedly this is what drew me into the salon in the first place) but the individual let loose on your hair. If you find someone you like, stick with them because hair is important, and a good cut does wonders for your confidence and self image. Here's my opinion of Toni & Guy and Essensuals (they're one and the same in Guildford, and several members of staff do stints at both salons - the only difference between the two is that at Essensuals you can also have various beauty treatments as well).

THE PREAMBLE
=============

Well, they wash your hair first. Unless there's a shortage this is usually done my a junior and not the person cutting your hair. One of the best things about T & G is the head massages they give, especially if your junior happens to be of the male persuasion (well, if you're a girl, anyway). I used to hate having my hair washed at salons but it's a different sort of experience when you get a massage as part of it: very relaxing indeed. r>
When you're paying the sort of money they charge (upwards of £30 for a woman, though that's not unusual anywhere these days) then you want to feel pampered. The head massage is a great start, and the TIGI hair products they use are lovely (you can buy them all in the salon too, but at a price - which usually runs into double figures). You're also supposed to be offered the usual cup of tea or coffee but sometimes the staff either forget to ask what you want or to bring it to you (actually this is quite a regular occurence!) - but it's the thought that counts, I guess. It's also nice if they offer you a magazine ("Hello" and suchlike: the sort of trashy stuff every girl likes to read but is often too embarrassed to buy for herself - or is that just me?) but again, it's hit and miss as to whether they actually remember.


THE COLOURING
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Until recently I'd never even considered having my hair highlighted but my mum arranged for me to have it done on my birthday in March. Since then, I've been getting it done every eight weeks - I have light brown hair that looks a little dull, especially in winter, and the highlights have really brightened it up.

I didn't know what I wanted when I went in there (or if I wanted highlights at all, even!) but when I spoke to Taz, the colourist, she knew exactly what to do. Now I would trust her putting anything into my hair (and sometimes I just ask her to do whatever she thinks is best), and as I've had some colour disasters in the past that's quite something. If you live in the Guildford area and want to get some colour put in I would recommend Taz at Essensuals (no, I am not on commission and nor do I work there!).


THE SNIPPING
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My trips to Toni & Guy/Essensuals have not always been successful (it's only recently that I discovered people I trust with my hair, you see). I've gone t
o get my hair cut in the past and come out with something poles apart from what I actually asked for. Toni & Guy usually have set cuts that they've "invented" and if you're a bit vague about what you want, you'll probably get one of these. I've noticed that you have to be quite specific with some stylists because they do tend to disregard what you say sometimes if you're not really firm. On the other hand, others can be very helpful if you don't know what will look best and they'll decide on a style with your input. Which type of stylist you get is down to luck, I think, because I've had top stylists take no notice of me and juniors cutting my hair really well (and vice versa).

This is why it's important to find someone you like and stick with them. I have had several different people cutting my hair in the past and when it's a new person every time you can end up with several different hairstyles in one after a few months - and that's what happened to me (it looked quite strange). To get a decent style, have the same person cut your hair each time.

The lady that cuts my hair is at Essensuals and she is fantastic. Her name is Helen and I would recommend her to anyone - she cuts my sister Rachel's hair too. She's one of the top stylists there so she doesn't come cheap (a cut and blow dry is usually around £40!). Rachel and I both have frizzy hair that can look really awful when it gets a bit damp and we like to straighten it: she told me that nobody had ever straightened her hair as well as Helen and I now know what she means!

I wouldn't have chosen Helen myself because of the price, but last time I went there the person I was booked in with (who was about £10 cheaper) was off sick, so I had to change. If this happens to you, they will charge you at the cheaper price - though you may have to remind them as they sometimes forget (I don't think that's intentional,
though).

Another recommended stylist - over at Toni & Guy this time - is Hayley, who also cuts Paul Weller's hair. I've never had a haircut with her, but my mum has had several and been very happy with them. She sent my dad to get her hair cut with Hayley several times, probably in the hope that he would come out looking like Paul Weller, but unfortunately he's not got enough on top for that!


THE FINISHING
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Helen is one of the stylists that you'd trust to do anything, so I don't mind going in and letting her suggest what she thinks will look best. Unlike some hairdressers, she'll do what she thinks will look good, and something you want based on what you tell her. Quite often I think sylists seem to be on a bit of an ego trip and style your hair the way they want to do it, and it's often impossible to recreate afterwards even if you like what they've done.

The cut that Helen gave me was the best I have ever had. I received so many compliments after she did it and I find it extremely easy to maintain myself. I think the finishing is important because there's no point having a great style that you can't do yourself a couple of days down the line, is there?


THE PRICES
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Helen, like I said, is expensive - I have to save up in order to visit her! As I only go every eight weeks, I can put a bit of money aside gradually. A full head of highlights with Taz and a cut with Helen cost me £82. I can almost hear all the guys reading this and saying "that is ridiculous!" but I've always been a bad hair person - and to come out of the salon just knowing your hair looks great is a brilliant feeling.


THE CONCLUSION
==============

Taz & Helen are very good at what they do but I have had far less successful experiences at Toni & Guy and at Essensuals. I could tell you I think Essensuals is a great salon, and yo
u could have someone else making a real mess of your hair in there or giving you a completely unmanageable style. You could then tell someone else you think Essensuals is terrible - the point is, it's down to the people that cut/colour your hair and not the brand name under which they work. On the basis of my experiences I think it's fair to give the salons themselves three out of five, but an unqualified thumbs-up to Taz and Helen at the Guildford branch of Essensuals.