grandmother

Over the past few days I have had many salon tales come into my mind. So many tales to tell but how do I choose which one? I began this blog with the soul purpose of educating and enlightening the masses about the world of beauty and professional hair care products with easy to follow tips and opening doors that seemed to be locked and letting you join the club. I also wanted to wake up stylists and salon owners from their nightmare of what they thought was good customer service.

My primary goal is and will always be the same, to educate and enlighten. Over the past few months my tales have begun to travel down different roads, from customer service to product knowledge to how to be kind, not just at the Salon but where ever one may roam. You see, I am finding more and more, everyday, that beauty isn’t just the visual. It’s the emotional, the physical and the spiritual….maybe it’s because it is Sunday and I am missing my grandmother…who knows. Yeah, yeah…I know…you’ve watched Oprah and read “The Secret” so this isn’t news to you…or is it? Funny thing is, most Oprah and Secret die hards that have a library of all the #1 New York Times best sellers about self help and self love and loving your fellow man are the same people who mock their teenage daughter’s in public about their oily scalp and acne prone skin, or call their sons “tinkerbell” because he wants his hair style done just so and can’t live without KMS Molding Paste. Don’t get me wrong, I slip up all the time, did it last week when my daughter and I were out and I exclaimed and pointed at a sale item (I love a good deal). The item was Always overnight pads. Oops. I apologized on the spot. I am sure there is a doll with a pin in it in her room somewhere.

Being me, I have to clarify. Drives my husband CRAZY. I wanted to let you all know that I will always give you the newest product knowledge and information I get my hands on. I will give the tips you need for a great cut or Salon experience. I promise to continue with tales of my daily adventures in the Salon and all the tales of flying flat irons and mumblers and screamers. I will also keep telling the tales of kindness, the tales of inner and outer beauty. There is so much beauty around us, from the sound of our children giggling to the sound of our loved one sleeping beside us, the way the sun casts a shadow, the way the wind feels blowing through your hair while driving, the beauty of seeing someone, really seeing them and raising them up from such a simple act.

Want to change your perspective? Want to be more kind and stop being an ass? Just like being an ass, kindness is practiced. It takes effort, an effort with a great reward. You cannot just say you are going to be kind and then it happens. That’s like saying you are Jewish just because you attended a Bar Mitzvah.

What ever you put in, you get out. Plain and simple.

I am sure by now that sometime in your life you have heard the phrase “What would Jesus do?”. Well, I understand and respect that is how some people live their lives and base their decisions. I try to live my life by “What would Leah do?”. You see, Leah was my grandmother’s name and she was the kindest person I have ever known and the most beautiful woman I have ever known…inside and out. Her hair was always set and she always applied her “liquid beauty” (foundation) everyday, and always left a pink or red kiss mark on my cheek. She had fur coats in her closet and always wore an apron in the kitchen. She and my grandpa would have their 5:00 o’clock Manhattan every night before dinner (if you were lucky – you got the maraschino cherry) and she always dressed for going out. In my eyes, she was glamorous.

Every week she would go to the Salon for her set and if I was lucky I got to go too. Going out with her was like being a part of a celebrity’s entourage (of course riding in her Cadillac didn’t hurt). Everywhere we went, be it the grocery store or the post office, everyone knew who she was. She always remembered their name and made them feel like they were the only person in the world and that everything they said was important. I can remember watching their conversation, and watching the other person’s eyes start to sparkle when they realized my grandmother remembered them and remembered their stories and I can remember thinking to myself “I want to do that”.

She always remembered birthdays, for family and friend alike. When you and life were having a battle and life was winning, a homemade lemon loaf or a kind note of support would appear at your door. When a grandchild needed a tissue one always appeared – sometimes from her sleeve if it was the fall or her cleavage if it was the summer. (no sweater to tuck away a tissue). When I bought my first home she arrived with 3 gifts for me – a milkglass vase, wood hangers (so clothes would hang properly) and a full length mirror. I was told to never leave the house without checking the latter.

Be kind. Smile as you pass others on the street. When you ask someone how they are – mean it and listen to their response. Before you leave the house, check the full length mirror and ask “What would Leah do?”