You've heard of body dysmorphic disorder, right? Though it isn't a recognized condition, I'm pretty sure I have the hair equivalent. Meaning that despite evidence to the contrary, I'm convinced my long locks are so hideously fried they're about to snap off at the root any minute now.
In fairness to my navel-gazing self, my hair has looked a little ratty lately. In fact, on my last visit to his salon for my monthly reblonding, Anthony Gianzero forcibly grabbed me. "I gotta get rid of that hay on the bottom," he said, slicing an inch off my boob-length tresses. "It's making me insane."
Perhaps it was the hay-removal that did the trick; when I popped into Cocoon Hair Studio recently for a deep-conditioning treatment, owner Fabian Lliguin didn't see any cause for alarm. Asked to "rate" me on a scale of 1 to 10—10 being break-out-the-Britney-electric-shears bad —Fabian was quite kind in his assessment. "Right now, you look like a 4," he said. "But with a little help, you can easily become a 2."
Prepping for my upcoming spring break, wherein hubby and I are slated to take the diapered darling to Atlantis for some sun and fun, I indulged in Cocoon's Hair Shaman Treatment. (You know, as a preemptive strike against all the icky chlorine and tress-punishing UV rays headed my way.) After a shampoo and a trance-inducing scalp massage, I was then marinated in Fabian's very own Rahua Elixir, a concoction culled from ingredients indigenous to the Amazon rain forest. Then it was on to a warm/cold rinse, followed by a blowout. With hair so shiny it was positively blinding, I headed back out into the world, a happy camper.
The next stop on my beauty–guinea pig tour was at yet another cozy Upper East Side boîte—the Salon Eliut Rivera. They don't come much cuter than this Eliut person, and I'm not saying that because, he, too, decreed my hair in decent shape. I just liked his vibe. And I really liked the Kerastase treatment I had at his Madison Avenue digs. I'm sure you've heard of Kerastase—that luxe L'Oreal brand superstar-hair peeps are always name-checking. In addition to a line of shampoos and styling products, there are several Kerastase salon treatments. I had one called Pixelist, which is for color-treated hair. It was supersonic fast, and, like the Amazonian adventure, left my hair feeling fantabulous.
But good things—including deep-conditioning treatments administered at charming little hair oases—don't last forever. So at this point, I must behave like a major buzzkill and invoke the m word: maintenance. While Eliut espouses regular trims (the hay business again), Fabian has other tips: Shampoo just a few times a week, and be sure to gently brush your hair before bed every night, just like Miss Eliza Bennet in Pride & Prejudice. I mean, really, you don't think she could have snagged the dashing Mr. Darcy with an unruly rat's nest, do you?
