| Cut to Order . . . Catering to Unique Hair Needs  By Julia Taylor Special to washingtonpost.com Wednesday, September 3, 2003 |
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 Oh, the agony (or ecstasy) of getting a hair cut. (Photo by Carol Guzy for The Washington Post) | |||||||||||||
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Want to set the next hair trend? It's tough around here. Washington is not known as the capital of the cutting-edge hair world. Hill staffers have trained area salons to cater to button-down styles. But like any metropolis, Washington offers something for everyone, even if you're looking for the latest in haircuts.
Walk into Molecule over by the Farragut West Metro and feel fashionable just being there. White walls, chairs and bleached hardwood floors with retro globe lighting create an ambiance not unlike a refrigerator -- a very hip refrigerator. Molecule opened just a couple of years ago and its goal, according to stylist Kelly Gorsuch, is to provide the D.C. scene with "something more progressive and creative in Washington's conservative environment." Turning heads in the industry, the place was named "Salon of the Year" in 2003 by Salon Magazine. Well-coiffed themselves, young stylists turn out head after head of hair that is modern and a bit funky -- but not totally outrageous. Cuts here start at $70.
Okyo Salon's reputation also transcends the D.C. scene; it's a favorite of magazines like Vogue and Elle. But at $40 a cut, the Georgetown salon doesn't charge as much as the other style-setting locales. Okyo's decor is nouveau-conservative, with chopped-off columns and dripping chandeliers. Color treatments -- voted in Vogue among the country's 10 best -- run $75 and up.
Based in the U.K., Vidal Sassoon is best known for its TV ads with shiny-haired models pushing hair-care products. But five years ago the company opened a salon in Tysons Galleria. Vidal Sassoon specializes in creative dye jobs -- just check out the staff's rainbow tresses. It's $65 to $90 for a cut. The highlights are a pricey $135 for a half-head, $180 for a full.
It's often the luck of the draw at Hair Cuttery. If you're looking for something experimental, however, you won't be throwing your money away (cuts cost around $17). You also may walk out with something truly original; after all, employees are often cutting their stylist teeth and are eager to try something out of the ordinary.
Curly hair can be hard to manage and even harder to cut. Die-hard naturalists who keep their hair curly often find one stylist and never change. Whether you want to go au natural or straighten your spirals, there are a surprising number of options in the Washington area if you look hard enough. Lucky for you, we already did.
Elie.Elie in Tysons Corner practices the Ouidad philosophy, originated in New York. That's where a stylist cuts each lock individually, creating an overall effect of bouncy curls. Ouidad doesn't come without a price -- $100 and up for a cut by owner Elie.
If you gotta go straight, Hugo in Wheaton has another exotically named system to try: the Yuko thermal reconditioning treatment. This three-hour Japanese process works best on hair that hasn't been straightened before. Think twice before investing, as the treatment costs $600 and requires costly touch-ups every six months.
The Roche Salon was the first in the area to provide the Yuko Treatment. But there's no need to go for straight at Roche -- owner Dennis has been giving me fabulous curly cuts for seven years. It's worth every penny of the $80 he charges. And if you're at the Georgetown location, you can stroll over to the Harbor and flaunt your new glam look.
If no haircut -- curly or straight -- is worth $80 to you, hit up Fiddleheads on 17th Street Northwest, where Garrett Johnson has developed a cult following on www.naturallycurly.com. The reason he's so popular? "I listen," he says. "When I do what people tell me, the whole process suddenly gets easier." No walk-ins for him -- expect a wait of three weeks for an appointment with Garrett. His colleagues, he shares, are also good with curls. A Fiddlehead cut costs about $45, a bargain in the curly world.
The treatments for African American hair are innumerable. Unfortunately, many of them will make hair break off or even fall out. There are many local alternatives for people who want to style their mane without damaging it. There are also plenty of places that will help nurse ailing hair back to health. We scoped out a few of the best.
If you want to transition from a perm to a natural style, the Stress Free Zone on Georgia Avenue may be the place to go. This salon markets the Sis Twist, a silk hair extension that's more natural in look and feel. Owner Angie Upton says the Sis Twist helps women transition from a perm to natural hair easily, without breakage from a plastic weave that "is so abrasive it'll cut your hair." Sis Twist extensions start at $260 and the process takes between five and nine hours.
Anwar Saleem started Hair Rage on H Street NE "because I thought there was a need for decent salons in the neighborhood." He focuses on getting hair healthy before styling it. Saleem has several types of treatments for damaged hair. Offering free consultations, Hair Rage stylists charge women $35 for a cut; men pay $20 -- a barber comes in on the weekends. A weave costs about $300; fusion runs $500.
Naturalists should head to Cornrows and Company, specialists in styling natural hair through braiding and locks. They also offer extensions, weaves and wigs, either with human or synthetic hair. The prices are reasonable compared to other options: $30 to $45 per hour for natural styling; $125 and up for a weave. The consultation fee is a hefty $155 for previously damaged hair.
Bill Lawrence Salon has a weave specialist, but stylist Donia Adams says the focus in the salon is on natural hair -- not too much braiding or twisting here. The salon's stylists also provide oil and conditioning treatments and won't give "treatments that look good but make your hair fall out the next day," says Adams. The low-key Adams Morgan space attracts local newscasters and business owners. Cuts run $30; $5 more for a cut by owner Lawrence.
For some men -- the power-lunching set, perhaps -- that lopsided trim from the corner barber just won't cut it. Here are some tried-and-true places where men who care about their hair can get well shorn.
Getting your appointment cut short is never a concern at Cristophe. After all, the stylist's claim to fame is the lengthy trim he gave Bill Clinton back when airports waited on the ex-president. Clinton did have good hair, though, and Cristophe provided it. The men's hair diva stays at the original salon in L.A., but he owns a D.C. outpost that provides equal-opportunity services for men and women. Stylist Cynthia says the male clientele get just about everything the women get, from cuts to manicures. Unlike other places, the prices are also gender-neutral. A cut with lowlights -- especially popular for men, says Cynthia -- starts at $145.
The Grooming Lounge started as a dot-com. As owner Pirooz Shar puts it, "For a long time we were the drug dealers of grooming products for our friends who were embarrassed about such things." The Lounge came above ground on L Street NW about a year ago, offering cuts for $45. The atmosphere is strictly masculine; Shar says the "s-word" (salon) is banned around the shop. Athletes, senators, congressmen and chefs are among the clientele who come in for the pedicures -- oops, that's "foot treatments" in lounge-speak -- at $50 a pop.
If you're looking for the classic experience, try The Barber Shop in Ballston Commons Mall. The Washington area location in a Virginia family-owned franchise, the shop evokes old style, complete with red and white candy-striped pillars and scuffed wood floors. You can get a basic cut at The Barber Shop for $13 -- $1 off for seniors and kids. Trim your beard and even it up for $6. Barber Eric says he has lots of regular customers, mostly waiters who "have to keep up their appearance."
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