Well everyone, it’s that time of year again. The time for me to go work somewhere else. Leaving Escape is bittersweet, I really like the other stylists here, I really like a the clients who come here, I have made friends. I don’t like way more things than I do like. It doesn’t feel good for me to leave after only a year here but, a year ago I said I would give it a year and if I still wanted to move on I would. And that pretty much sums it up.

I am, once again moving on to better things. Specifically better things in Cambridge! The place is called Vim. Their logo looks like the 90’s nine inch nails logo. Fabulous. I am prepared to make this transition as smooth and painless as possible for me and for you. If you have an appointment booked with me coming up you can expect that I will be getting in touch. Unless I can’t find you. I am quite resourceful when it comes to internet stalking but some of you are hard to find. Sneaky buggers! I will of course be holding spaces for any pre-booked appointments. I also realize some of you go to Escape because it is a convenient location, I would be more than happy to recommend you to another stylist there who can meet your needs.
Either way, my email is theoneandonly@kaitlynexplosion.com Feel free to reach out to me there or here or on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram… Wherever you can find me. If you have my number call it!

I started writing this a week ago when it was autumn but I live in new england so… oh well.

Gillian is great! I have been doing her hair for a while, at least five years, and she always has new ideas. And everything, so far, looks great. She has been many shades of blonde, red and, occasionally, brunette. When she wants to change it’s often subtle. A little darker, a little warmer. She comes in platinum and wants to be honey. She comes in honey and wants to be golden. Golden to copper, you get the idea. Foils, balyage, ombré. This is so fun for me!! And easy. Some people come in chocolate and want honey or worse platinum. I can do it and I don’t mind the challenge but it’s a lot more work. I’ll feel proud and you’ll feel beautiful and everyone wins unless… There are certainly circumstances when this kind if thing is not advisable. If your hair is damaged or the shade you want won’t complement your skin. Or sometimes I just don’t have time and we need to reschedule for a different day. But not Gillian, no. She seems to intuitively know what is easy and fun for me and what will look amazing and effortless on her. She also seems to know how to book her appointments. I don’t even know how to do that and I have a lot more practice. Thanks Gillian
Earlier this month she came in for an all over color. She had had a warm golden blonde ombré style with a dark, natural copper base. She sat down and told me she wanted to be red like, RED. Ok. Can do. She is now a mermaid.

She looked like this (amazing right?).

And she left like this (I know!)!!!

This got me thinking… what if we had leaves? I know I like to change my hair. Hell, my hair changes every time I wash it. And I know you like to change your hair. I spend a considerable amount of time in the woods and I have definitely noticed a correlation between the changing of the trees and the changing of your hair color. And I have noticed that we match the forest. Gilly is a perfect example because she is leaf colored and because she was in my chair recently but everyone’s doing it. Christina got some red highlites, Amy warmed up her base color, mom adds in a copper lolite, my coworkers go all over cool red, something even if it’s subtle ya know? It’s not just autumn either. People, myself included, like to be brighter and warmer in the fall. Are we trying to look like the trees? This happens every year and only mostly in the fall and spring. Reds in the fall, blondes an the spring (brunettes are more consistent and reliable, they change but not as much. Although, i have known a brunette or two who want redder in the winter and a highlite in the spring).

I guess I’m just wondering why?

Since no immediate answer presents its self I will think on it while I color my hair… red.

just kidding, not really. i mean, you could make me famous but first go here http://www.bostonmusicawards.com/

and vote for the Kingsly Flood for best video because I (memememe) did the make-up for these clowns on this day. I did it with a hammer but it counts. or just watch the video and be impressed.

i have more for you soon but my dog needs to go out right this second.

I work holidays. Mondays are a regular workday for me and I am currently working in the prudential mall. If the malls open we’re open so I have worked every Monday holiday this year. I have made several interesting observations about the dynamic of Monday holidays versus regular Mondays and, if you don’t mind, I would like to share them with you.

No one, and I mean no one, wants to work on Memorial Day or Labor Day We drag ourselves to the salon, heads hung, with not a small amount of grumbling, knowing we will spend the first hour of our work day just standing around. Our regular clients leave town which, incendently, is what we are all wishing we had done. But we didn’t so there we are our books and chairs empty, trying to fill the time by hoping for walkins who will come, we know, in waves and numbers that we cannot possibly accommodate. They seem to come by the dozens and while we are grateful for the business there is a certain amount if guilt whenever we have to turn someone away. I want to be able to do everyone’s hair. Most of these holidayers are from out if town but at least once a day there is someone who is new to boston or just new to the salon. I love to travel (New Hampshire to Nepal) I want to go everywhere and I love to talk to people from “away”. I especially love to talk to people who plan to stay in boston for an extended period of time. College freshmen are my favorite. They’re so young and impressionable and unlike holidayers (which is a term I use only in my head to classify people visiting for long weekends that include a Monday holiday) they have no idea the wealth of knowledge any hairdresser had filed away about their home town. Holidayers will ask for recommendations for things to do while they are in town while the kids (because they don’t know their grown ups yet) are only expecting a hair cut. Little do they know I think it my responsibility, my civic duty even, to give unsolicited advice on what to do while they are here in my town. But I digress. The actually story I want to tell here is one of my experiences from this past colombus day. My last client of the day was a young man who is in his second year at north eastern university. He is in a five year program and had a summer internship. His feelings about the internship were good ( he even got paid!) and he realized that he was getting some real life work experience. He also realized that summer was gone. Over. He worked through it with only one vacation, for the first time in his life. He found himself feeling like a grown up. Bummer. And then I said that being a grown up is pure weapons grade bologniaum. It’s a state of mind and that state needs to susseed from the union!
I am like thirty and I busted my ass all through my early twenties, holding three jobs, going to school, not to mention I haven’t had a summer vacation since high school. I told him to work hard now so he can have the time of his life later.
Like me he wants to see the world. So I went out on a limb, with no scientific evidence to support this, that the word isn’t going anywhere. Then I told him about all the places I’ve gone since I settled into a career that I love. Iceland. Nepal. Haiti. Bermuda. Puerto Rico. And I’m not done! Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Egypt, Gallafray. I’d like to set foot on every continent. I’d like to see the western part of the U.S.
I gave him hope. I gave him ideas. I convinced him to go to Iceland instead if Mexico for spring break, and I convinced him to go home for winter break because it makes moms happy. (I did suggest a family trip for next winter break) but mostly I convinced him that it’s always summer somewhere and it will never be too late.
I don’t think I have ever felt like I helped someone so much in thirty minutes. He came in feeling like this was it, this was what life was going to be like. He left feeling like anything was possible and the world is out there, just waiting.
I guess it’s worth mentioning that his hair looked great too.