Yesterday was my second experience with Abby as my colorist, and I am simply bowled over by how…read moregood she is. I've been to many, many hair dressers, and have never encountered anyone with the excellent instincts that Abby displayed from the very start.
Abby granted my wish-- making my very dark-brown, somewhat gray hair SCREAMING purple. Though we had to bleach first, I literally left with healthier hair than I came with. And though she could have charged me a LOT more to do my roots on my second visit, she recommended I wait (to keep my hair healthy) and found a deeper purple shade that I not only loved, but which blends perfectly with my roots.
The thing with Abby is that she is not shy about telling you the truth. If she thinks you are about to make a mistake, she will tell you, whether it's picking a hair color that's wrong for your skin tone, a haircut that is unflattering, a process that is not healthy, etc. But this goes the other way too-- she comes up with amazing ideas for her clients that are artistic and creative.
For example, I happened to mention that I've always wanted a pixie cut, but my last experience getting one was a disaster (i.e. the stylist didn't listen to me and did what she wanted anyway, which I ended up HATING). Abby got a mischievous glint in her eye and asked if I still wanted to do something like that. After she explained what she had in mind (a modified pixie that would frame my face and work with my natural curl), I was more than convinced. It came out even better than I imagined -- I get compliments on it from friends, family, acquaintances, total strangers, constantly!
So, if you're looking for a stylist/colorist that will mindlessly do whatever you ask, take the fastest/easiest route, endlessly tries to shove product at you, and treats you like a number, then DON'T go to Abby.
But if you want a talented, warm, hilarious, professional that will take the time to get to know you, understand your wants, needs and challenges, thoroughly explain everything that will happen (risks and benefits) and use every bit of her decades of experience to create a style that will blow your mind, then definitely GO TO ABBY! I promise, you won't regret it!