Recently, I Did Something I Thought I'd Never Do

November 23, 2021

I let my (NEW) stylist have full reign over my hair.

At some point in every woman’s life, we look in the mirror and say, “how did this hair happen?” That was me last week. I needed a change … bad.

At the behest of a friend, I decided to try something completely different, and went to the NIWE Academy. They have an A+ rating with the BBB and recently received a Consumers Choice Award, so I decided to give it a go.

First impressions

Though I was really looking for something different, I was kind of petrified. I’d never actually had a student work on my hair. And had NEVER EVER given complete control over to any stylist.

I walked into the reception area and was greeted with a friendly face who directed me to the waiting area.

Niwe Reception area

Within a few minutes, student stylist, Sienna, came out to introduce herself and bring me back for my cut.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The chairs were super comfy and modern. I was even given a stool to put my feet up on while my hair was being washed. Students were buzzing around. There was instruction going on and a couple of students were working on mannequin heads. The place was filled with energy.

Sienna, and her instructor Cheryl, looked at my hair from all angles and made a plan. Even Sangeeta, the owner, stopped by.

They decided on a look and I was impressed at how they discussed coloring and warmth. Sienna brought out something that looked like a swatch with different hair colors on it and they had a conversation about warm tones that would enhance my face and a cut that would bring out the shape.

Sienna checked and double checked her work before settling on just the right highlight.

And It began

Sienna began to cut my hair and explained the color process.

I was still a bit nervous mind you.

I quickly discovered that Sienna had also mastered the art of chit-chat like any good hairdresser, paving the way to the confidential sharing that happens in every salon between a woman and her stylist.

Every so often Cheryl or Sangeeta would pop in and see how I was doing. I was offered beverages and Sienna received a lot of support throughout the cutting process.

She and her instructor chatted easily with me and offered me lots of recommendations about maintaining my hair afterward.

The Final Reveal

The results were amazing!

Now for a few points:

Remember that these are students and that this is their chosen career. Your style may take a bit longer than you’re used to because they want to make you happy.
They are going to check and double-check their work. They are going to ask the instructor to check their progress.
Understand and appreciate that doing this right is important to them.

So . . . Am I happy with the chance I took? Yes, you bet! And I’ll do it again.