Donna Dolphy Hair Salon, Yorkville Toronto

A few weeks ago, I was preparing for my wedding and decided it was time to seek the expertise of a professional hair stylist for a haircut. Normally, I would have my hair cut by friends, so the idea of entrusting my hair to a stranger made me a bit apprehensive. Seeking recommendations, a friend suggested Donna Dolphy's Hair Salon, a highly regarded stylist with one of the top salons in Canada. This endorsement gave me confidence, so I decided to place my trust (and my hair) in her capable hands.

Upon arriving at the salon, I chose not to mention that my wedding was just a few days away. Throughout most of the appointment, Donna remained unaware of the significance of the haircut. However, I did explain my fear of having my hair cut by someone I didn't know, and any lingering concerns were quickly dispelled by Donna's exceptional level of service, professionalism, and friendly demeanor.

Having previously only had haircuts from friends or my mother during my childhood, experiencing the warmth and expertise of a true professional allowed me to relax and fully enjoy the experience, which felt akin to a spa visit.

It wasn't until near the end of the haircut that I finally revealed my impending wedding to Donna, and she responded with genuine excitement. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

It was clear that Donna truly loves her work; she took delight in "playing" with my hair. At times, it almost felt like being a living Barbie doll as she skillfully shaped and styled my hair. Our conversation even ventured into the artistic realm, discussing the sculptural nature of hair—an enjoyable topic for me, having studied painting and sculpture at York University.

On a different note, my wedding went off without a hitch. While one typically anticipates something going awry on such occasions, the only minor mishap was having an abundance of food at the reception, leaving many guests pleasantly stuffed. It was a relatively minor issue to encounter. Moreover, my hair looked fantastic in all the photos, bringing me great satisfaction.

Oh and just a bonus... Celebrities like Drake sometimes go to Donna. So you never know who you might meet.

Below: Donna Dolphy with Drake.

 

 

Alberto European Texturize Gel

By Charles M.

So my girlfriend awhile back didn't like that my hair was messy the one day so she bought me a 200 mL bottle of Alberto European Texturize Gel - Styling Putty.

A product I would never normally buy.

But whatever, she bought it. She put it in my hair.

And yes, I will admit it works.

I also admit she forced me to write this review. Consider this review to be under duress.

The product does work - and it works very well.

But I will caution you: A little is a LOT! It only takes a little of this stuff to get your hair to behave properly.

The first time I tried using this stuff I used too much and it made my hair all crunchy and stiff. So the piece of advice I will pass on is USE IN SMALL DOSES. You don't need to use a lot of it. A tiny amount goes a long way.

Four Funny and Amazing Shampoo Commercials

Below are Four Funny and Amazing Shampoo Commercials I found on YouTube.

This is not an endorsement of any of these shampoo products, I just find these videos amusing.

No No Hair Removal? Don't Waste Your Money

No No Hair Removal is a little electronic device that supposedly will get rid of hair follicles and remove hair so that it stops growing back. Similar to laser hair removal if you watch the official videos from the No No company.

When I saw the product in a store I was intrigued. Even tempted to buy it so I could remove some hair on the back of my neck and several other spots. Nothing major.

Just looking at the box I was thinking it would be $30 to $50... but when the lady in the store came over she informed me it was a whopping $300 for the little box.

And I'm like, okay, maybe some more research is in order before investing in such a product.

So one of the things I did was check out reviews on Amazon.com.

The product had a handful of 5 star, 4 star, 3 star and 2 star reviews... but it was the whopping 212 1 star reviews and the utter disgust of people who had tried No No Hair Removal and been vastly disappointed.

Really all it is is a shaving kit. Its not permanent at all. And replacement bits are $20 each and an extra $10 for shipping. So the product not only doesn't work, its a complete rip off because its designed to get you to keep trying it unsuccessfully and coming back for more replacement bits.

I then checked YouTube for additional reviews, same thing. $300 complete waste of time and money.

So now I feel honour-bound to warn people about this shoddy and misleading product.

ZERO STARS.

Vegan-Friendly Hair and Body Products + Aveda Institute

FASHION - Okay now I am not a Vegan myself, but I can at least appreciate the concept of a company that goes out of their way to make products with zero animal biproducts in it.

Frankly the idea of putting dead animals in my hair is rather gross.

Thus hair and skincare products made purely from plants and flowers is rather kewl. Much better than petro-chemicals too.

So I say KUDOS to any company that goes all natural with their ingredients.

The silly thing is that soap is soap. If it gets you clean (as per the Kermit the Frog video below) it has done its job. Also for the prices being charged for shampoos and other soaps paying the tiny bit extra for one that doesn't contain animal biproducts sounds like a pretty good deal.



In other news...

The Aveda Institute of Canada is offering five full hair school scholarships to their hair schools in five different cities across Canada (Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto).

To win, a contestant must submit an amazing video explaining why they are "Born to Style". Winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges. The Aveda Institute is a top hair school that trains hair stylists for films and the fashion industry.

These pros do the best work that graces the covers and editorial pages of the world's biggest and best fashion magazines. See the Aveda Institute Flickr page to see more of what they do.

And even if you don't win the contest, just think. If you are looking for a hair school in Vancouver or a hair school in Winnipeg then why not go for the best?