Quite a while back I googled upon the fact that one of the few hairdressers specializing in long hair is right here in Toronto. Last time I visited a hairdresser (as a child) I came away looking like a boy. Since then I've been growing my hair extremely long to assert my femininity and eschewing all hairdressers. But, pushing 30, I was starting to think I might want better than just plain length with the split ends trimmed off by myself or my mother.
However, I was hesitant. Surely the website copy is hyperbole. Surely she has posted only positive testimonials and culled out all the negative ones (who knows how many there are?) And what's up with wanting to sell me all these pricey products? But I kept fixating on the idea, so I decided to give it a try. Worst case I'm out a bit of money and I'll stop fixating. So, last December, I went. The first time I'd been to a hairdresser in over two decades.
First thing that struck me is it's safe. No cooler-than-thou, no drama, you can talk frankly and realistically. Even the physical environment is safe. There's only one chair so you get her full attention, and it's set up so that passers-by can't see into the windows. (The idea of getting my hair done in full view of passers-by has always weirded me out). As we chatted, she accepted that my hair is in fact oily and straight. I've had so many people tell me "It isn't really oily, you just need to wash it less!" or "It isn't really straight, you just need to scrunch it!" that it's a relief to be taken at my word. She does want you to use her products (which do do what they say they do), but apart from that there's no pressure. As her site implies, she does recommend dietary/lifestyle changes, but she doesn't pressure. She informs me of stuff and if I'm not immediately into it, it's up to me to come to her if I change my mind. It's the Ani Difranco take what you can use and leave the rest approach.
So now you're thinking "Okay, but what did she do for your hair?"
I noticed results instantly, and I was able to duplicate them at home. Before I used her system, my hair would go hopelessly oily about 16 hours after I washed it. If I wanted to go to work in the morning then go out at night, I'd have to wash after work so my hair would look civilized at 11 pm. With LML's products, I wake up in the morning and it still looks civilized. It now takes 32 hours to go hopeless, so strictly speaking for the first time in my life I could get away with skipping a day. My hair was immediately less flat at the scalp, and it's been constantly improving as I continue to work on it. Length has increased noticeably, and I have brand new growth that is already two or three inches long.
The cut itself led my co-worker to ask me "Um...this is going to sound really weird...but did your hair just get longer or something?" I can now wear it down much more readily, and it moves quite interestingly (which is something I'd never given any thought to before). I feel generally sexier now, and more confident in my hair's ability to fulfill its various functions. In my professional life, it looks like it's on purpose rather than a result of benign neglect, and in my personal life it's better able to serve as a tool for seduction.
What I really appreciate about these products (and never would have ever expected) is if you do it wrong they still help your hair. It doesn't wreck anything, the results were just suboptimal. For weeks I was conditioning wrong but still noticing improvements in my hair. When I started conditioning right, it just started improving faster and more.
All these results aren't effortless. You have to put thought into your morning hair routine, you have to do some things differently with these products to the point where you're even retraining muscle memory (I can't tell you how many times I've done it wrong out of lifelong habit). It is work. But it does get the results it says it does.
This is an unconventional approach and not for everyone, but it is exactly what it says it is and does do the job to an extent I'd never before thought possible. I'd recommend looking a Louise Marie's website and seeing if it sounds like something you'd like. She wrote it herself, that is what it is. If it sounds good, go for it. If it doesn't sound like what you want, it's not for you.
6 comments:
That sounds great. It's not for me, a shorthair, but sounds totally wonderful. But they sure could use a website designer.
That's actually being worked on right now.
I live in Hawaii and do have long hair. I checked out her site... so interesting I called them..She was SO amazing...We spoke on the phone for a REALLY long time and I found her incredibly knowledgable and thoroughly enjoyable to speak with. You can TELL she knows her stuff. I WISH I lived by her salon however I plan on purchasing some of her products.
I went to Louise Marie about twenty years ago for a very long time - when her "salon" was on Yonge Street. She had a parrot that kept repeating "Judas Priest, Judas Priest". She didn't have any of the products then but she gave a mean spiral perm - mean enough that my hair was actually damaged quite a bit. I stopped going to Louise Marie when she charged me $50.00 for being 10 minutes late for an appointment but then the next time I went to see her (15 minutes early) she was with another client and I sat there like an idiot for over an hour. I paid her, tipped her and said nothing. IF I could go back I would have definitely not paid for any service or at least taken $100.00 off since she told me that the $50.00 was for her wasted time. I guess my wasted time didn't matter. For someone who is obsessed with long hair, I also remember that her own hair, while long, was stringy, dry and very, very thin. Nice lady, sure. Professional? Not so much.
I've had a pretty unpleasant experience dealing with Louise Marie and her staff online. They are so pushy and arrogant about their products. I don't understand why she won't put the ingredients on the labels, it makes no sense to just trust her. Her no list is ridiculous. It means absolutely nothing! They act like their products are the only thing that works on hair and there are no other natural products on the market. I tried her products and I became very skeptical that they were 100% natural. They just don't behave the way they should if they were natural. That much mystery has to be hiding something. I also found out they won't allow their products to be reviewd on hair sites by people who have tried them and have threatened certain sites with lawsuits. That tells me a lot about the kind of person she is! I find it very convenient to handpick the comments that appeal to you and only allow those to be published. There is no objectivity with this company. Proceed with caution if you intend on purchasing from them. They are extremely overpriced, and they aren't the miracles they are touted to be.
I just called to inquire about a hair cut at this salon on yonge street called The Long Hairs Salon and Louise who I spoke to was extremely rude, I ignored her rude tone at first but when I asked about a hair trim, she became extremely insensitive and started belittling me on the phone. I asked for a price estimate and she gave me a snarky answer saying she doesn’t know.... I said I just wanted to know about a hair trim and she got pissed off and rudely said to check the website. I told her I’d rather go to my cousin instead because her customer service is awful.
Then like 10 mins goes by and I receive text messages from this place and I quote:
“Dear irate girl
She is the !ong hair specialist NOT just your cleansing lady.
Customer service is for customers and she had the best customers and service in the world from all over the world. Its for her customers and you are not our kind of people because our people are kind people.
And with her care and long hair products WE don't get split ends.
Your cousin overcharges you too because with attitude like that you will likely never know or understand the true value of anything other than money and sheer entitlement.
Sincerely
Ben the receptionist and the clients that heard you on speakerphone.
Have a beautiful day you didnt ruin ours”
Like way to text a stranger some unprofessional bullshit just because I didn’t want your business with that salty attitude. I’ve never had anything given to me, I constantly work hard and I actually value my money more than paying some rude business with shitty customer service.
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