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Let's get personal! And when it comes to how we look, nothing is more personal than our hair.
Hate it, love it, mourn its loss — we sure do have strong opinions about it.
To learn more, I stopped people with distinctive looks and grilled them on all things follicle. In this multibillion-dollar industry, are we constantly shopping for new products? Sticking with the tried and true? Yearning for a new style and a new stylist or delighted with our 'do?
The bottom line: When it comes to hair, we really, really care.
MATTHEW JERRELL
30, makeup artist
Hair statement: "I probably spend more on my hair than I do on rent."
Hair history: "I started coloring my hair when I was 15. I only wash it every two weeks to keep the color from fading."
How much: Cut every eight weeks, about $40; color every four to six weeks, $120-$300.
What the neck tattoo says: "Success Unshared is Failure."
If his hair could talk it would say: "I'm different."
KATHLEEN LAPORTE
59, volunteer bilingual tutor
Was shopping for your stylist a painful process? "I'm a creature of habit and I think I stayed too long. The last one I went to for a dozen years and it had just run its course." But the first new stylist she tried she liked and has been with for three years. "I got lucky."
How much per salon visit: $90 every six weeks.
Hair products in rotation right now: Seven
KAY JACOBSON
71, furniture store owner
Her hair has a name: Goldilocks
Hair statement: "It's who I am. People know exactly who I am when they see the back of my head. "
Hair care products: "Rain is the best! It makes my hair look so nice."
Cost of upkeep: "I'm not telling you how much. A lot." Then she does: cut, $100, three times a year; color, "over $100," every six to seven weeks.
AVA MARIA LENDMAN AND HER DOLL, ELLA
5, kindergarten student
Style strategy: "Whatever is easy as long as it's quick to brush, quick to wash. I'm not one to braid her hair," says Ava's mom, Marsha.
Ava's verdict on a salon visit: "It's boring!"
Cost at human hair salon: Cut, $15, every six to seven weeks; $4 bangs trim every four weeks
Cost at doll hair salon: 2 braids redo at American Girl store, $15
TEENA SUKHWAL
17, high school student
Hair story: "I have never been to a salon."
Ever? "No, never."
Strangers tell her: "You have gorgeous hair."
Hair care products: "Almond oil. You can buy it at the grocery store."
Have you ever cut it? "I used to have it to my knees. Then, five or six years ago, I cut it to my ears and I was, 'I want my hair back.' I was crying."
CORLYN CHEVALIER
27, shoe sales associate
Hair profile: "It's edgy and fashionable at the same time — without having to put too much work into it."
Salon or barbershopÖEG? "Barbershop, but I'm already plotting (to go to) a new place."
Cost: "$20 — then they touched it up for $7."
Max she'd pay for a haircut: $80
Reaction on the street: "Cool guys say, 'I love the style.'
Products she buys: "A Moroccan oil and olive oil. I also like to use shea butter and coconut oil."SHAUN VIAU
24, advertising coordinator
Been to any bad stylists? "Four! But now I've been going to the same place for four years. The first time he cut it I loved it."
Thoughts on hair: "It's like a calling card."
Cost: $35 every three weeks discounted to $28 — "because I go so often."
Investment strategy: "I don't smoke. I don't have other bad habits I need to pay for. I'll put money into my hair."
DAYNE CUNARD
23, clothing store manager
Hair philosophy: "It's very important to me. It frames your face and it's a symbol of healthiness and beauty."
Are you shopping for a stylist? "I had somebody who always did my hair in the suburbs but since I moved to the city I just go to random places. I'd much rather go to someone I liked."
How much do you pay now? $20 every three weeks
Daily hair products: Two, paste and hair spray, plus his roommate's shampoo.
What your hair says about you: "Derelict preppy."
shopellen@tribune.com