Sol Ben Hair Studio, which opened a few months ago on McKinney, might be my favorite salon of the year so far. (Okay, I know it’s only April, but still…) I went in yesterday for a simple consultation with hair color expert Frederic States and wound up leaving with fresh color, a beautifully layered cut, and, duh, a look-at-me-I’m-so-pretty-now attitude. (You know how a good hair day does that to you, right?) The salon is chic, spacious, and stocked with product from Kérastase and Sebastian. The whole front of the salon is windowed and looks out on McKinney in Uptown, so you feel like you’re in a Cali salon. (I completely forgot I was doing “research” for work and felt, rather, like I was a millionaire who gets her hair done during the day because she can.) The owners are a trio of two Israeli brothers and one’s wife: Sol, Asher, and Shari. All are incredibly nice and knowledgeable. To get a few details of my experience, click to continue reading. To summarize, though:
-Frederic States took my rainbow color-botched head to a crisp, red-toned chestnut using Balayage.
-Sol Ben took my boring, waist-length hair and gave it layers and volume using a fun-to-watch technique.
-The cut & color process took less than two hours.
I went in with a rainbow ‘do from a previous dye job that turned out not-so-great. Frederic, who keeps up a hair business in Los Angeles and Dallas, was, I’m pretty sure, blown away by all the colors that found a home on my head. I was expecting a consultation only, but after hearing his confidence in what needed to be done, I was all his. He doesn’t use foils, but rather Balayages, which is a more natural approach to coloring, because it’s basically a hand-painted technique. He took my brown, then orange, then red, then black hair to an even-toned all-over brown with red undertones. He promised this base could be used to continue the red if I wanted. I’ll be taking him up on this. Because his expertise in natural-looking color–rather than skunk stripes or overly bleached blonde shades–he’s the kind of guy you can trust to give you a pretty color without any questions asked. (After all, his hair homeland is LA, land of the loveliest locks.) You’ll be out the door quickly. (My last foil appointment took almost four hours.)
Sol took a look at my lifeless strands and suggested a trim. At this point, knowing it was long past due, I agreed. He placed my hair into two high ponytails, locked them up with plastic twist ties to prevent damage, and started chopping. I’d never see anyone cut hair from these bizarre ponytails before, but when he released my hair and added a few snips here and there, I had evenly layered tresses with a lot of volume and length. Volume is no easy feat, as you long-haired ladies know. (I officially have a pretty cute ponytail, too.)
Basically, what I’m saying is these guys are new and fantastic, and they’re experts, and you won’t be sorry with what you walk away with. Shari, the manager, told me they’re really particular about the talent they hire. Each chair is more than just a spot to rent, it’s a talented artist they trust with their clients. I’m looking forward to seeing this salon have great success. Give them a try if you’re looking to shake things up and try a new place.
