WHEN A FRIEND of Timo Nguyen's wanted to check out Graham Webb International Academy of Hair in Rosslyn, Ngyuen tagged along. An administrator, thinking he was interested, too, gave him an application.
"I thought about it for a month," he says.
The Vietnamese immigrant consulted his family around the dining table: Mom was concerned, his father and sisters supportive. The tipping point: Nguyen was miserable as a computer programmer at an Arlington database company.
"I went to school for computers because everyone went to school for computers," Nguyen says of his bachelor's degree, which he received from George Mason University in 2000. "But it just wasn't me; it wasn't fun. I was working to support myself only."
In January 2002, he - but not his friend - started classes at Graham Webb (1621 N. Kent St., Arlington; 703-243-9322; Grahamwebbacademyonline.com), one of several schools in the Washington area that teaches cut, color and styling techniques to students of all ages. This work was fun; by taking classes full time Tuesday through Saturday and helping at classes Sunday and Monday, he racked up enough credits to finish the yearlong program in 10 months.
He also earned accolades. Five months in, the school hosted its annual competition: As family and friends cheered in a Rosslyn theater, about 20 students worked on two models each, from cutting to blowouts. Nguyen won the award for color.
EVERY GIRL HAS a "just left the salon" strut. Of course, upon washing that glowing hair, locks go back to their original state, and strutting turns into a shuffle. How does one keep that fresh-from-the-hairdresser glow? Bella Bethesda salon (4733 Elm St.; 301-718-9111) has a shining solution.
Its new treatment, Cellophanes by Sebastian, is said to be "lip gloss for the hair." The soy protein-infused goop is coated on; after a 20-minute stint in a heater and a blow-dry, voila! And this treatment actually seems to work. Gloss-wise, it's Bobbie Brown compared to Lip Smackers. Until the end of July, Bella Bethesda is offering a special on the shiny stuff. The Cellophanes treatment and a blow-dry are $50 or $20 without the blow-dry.
Written by Express contributor Robyn Mincher
FAMED ITALIAN HAIR PRO Oscar Blandi has finally found the secret to perfect hair spray. And it's sugar. Really? The same stuff that puts the yum in cupcakes can also give our roots a boost, even in July humidity? Amazing!
And not only that, but this Lacca Hairspray ($23, Sephora) keeps hair in place without much tack and smells divinely of honeysuckle. This is one treat worth breaking South Beach for. Not that cupcakes aren't a great reason, either. And gelato. And brownies. OK, so there are a lot of reasons we'll ditch our diet this summer, but at least we'll have fab hair.
Written by Express contributor Erin Clements Rushing
COLORMARK TEMPORARY hair color ($20, Colormetrics.com) markets itself as a quick fix for gray roots. It marketed itself to Express, rather ingeniously, as a quick fix for authenticity.
Noting that Madonna and the Olsen twins request their colorists leave a dark inch, ColorMark suggests using the gray cover-up to darken one's natural roots. We daubed some on (it did indeed wash right out with shampoo), and found we were seated faster at restaurants and that cabs came quicker when called.
IF YOU WALK BY the south side of Union Station Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., don't be confused. That's not an 18-wheeler parked on the curb, silly, it's a mobile salon: Complete with exposed brick walls, a receptionist and six hair stylists snipping away. The John Frieda Salon Tour (Johnfrieda.com/salontour) blow (dries) into town just in time to rescue you from your muggy-mangled hair.
While appointments for D.C.'s stop-in are booked (no shocker there, considering cuts and consults are FREE), walk-ins are welcome. For a free hairdo (no color treatments you mooches!), it's worth a shot. And everyone gets a bag of Frieda freebies.
A MARKETING STRATEGY based on chemistry seems to fly in the face of the current wave of green beauty products, with their hippy-dippy ingredients like olive oil and rainbow dust. What they lack in eco-friendly appeal, these products from Chemistry Salon Labs makes up for with cool packaging, like little beakers with pumps.
We found the Hydrate Leave-In Conditioner ($8, drugstores) to be moisturizing, without being too filmy. The Repair Heat Activated Hair & Scalp Masque ($10) is super thick, but contains odd scrubby particles. Regardless, we still think they make excellent bathroom accessories.
Written by Express contributor Erin Clements Rushing
WANT TO SMELL like Antonio Banderas when he zig-zagged his way into ladies' hearts in "The Mask of Zorro"? Or perhaps Johnny Depp as the zany romantic in "Don Juan DeMarco"? How about Fabio, when he was hawking I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!?
Apply Charles Worthington London's Big Waves Conditioner and Enhance Spray ($6 each, drugstores) directly to head. Your long locks will smell as pungently musky and masculine as these wavy-haired Lotharios. Which would be a good thing if the tester was, you know, a man.
THE TUBE OF Creme de Coco hair masque ($24, see Bumbleandbumble.com for stores) reads, "Words can't describe how soft, silky and glossy this trio of tropical butters leaves hair." That sounds like a dare! Said trio — mango, shea and murumuru — leaves hair as soft as the contents of a lint trap after machine-drying an angora tarp; as silky as a Corian counter top sprinkled with baby powder by a geisha; as glossy as the hide of a freshly waxed family sedan when it's spanked by the dawn.
As for the fragrance: a coconut left in an attic for far too long, gnawed upon by a middle-schooler's long-lost hamster, the only flaw in an otherwise fine product.
AS SUMMER IN D.C. approaches, everyone with even slightly frizz-prone hair (which is everyone) looks for a way to smooth things out. Dove is no exception, with its Frizz Control Therapy Shampoo ($4, drugstores). And, like everything else in the universe, it doesn't work out the way you planned — but it works out OK anyway.
First, the bad news: Frizz is here to stay. This shampoo barely smooths out the hair at all after the first few minutes. The good news: It does leave your hair incredibly soft and clean-feeling. So, despite your frizz, you might be happy in the end.
PHILIP KINGSLEY JET SETS ($23, Philipkingsley.com) aren't very remarkable as upscale shampoos and conditioners go. They work, and they have a nice but utterly unmemorable scent. What makes them special? They're small enough to take on a plane.
So, if you're too snobby for the $1 sample sizes at the drugstore, or too lazy to pour your own shampoo into smaller bottles, these are for you. The sets come in five varieties for different hair types, and each includes three Elasticizer deep-treatment packets.
Addison Road