Hair Rules To Live By
We've all been there. It only takes that one bad salon experience to have you on the edge of your hair stylist’s chair. The memory of that horrible ordeal still haunts you to this day. Luckily, the world has been blessed with people like multi-texture master and celeb hair stylist Anthony Dickey who seek to right those wrongs.
We’ve all been there. It only takes that one bad salon experience to have you on the edge of your hair stylist’s chair. The memory of that horrible ordeal still haunts you to this day.
Luckily, the world has been blessed with people like multi-texture master and celeb hair stylist Anthony Dickey who seek to right those wrongs. The man behind Kelis’ infamous “Bossy” haircut sets the record straight about crimes against hair.
“How many women have been bamboozled by their hair salons?” he asks. “They get home and have no clue what to do next, except schedule another appointment.”
With more than 20 years of hair-care experience, Dickey seeks to teach and empower his clients to not become slaves to the appointment book. Dickey knows hair, but more importantly, he knows women’s hair needs. He styles between 15 and 20 women per day, which provides a great focus group for what works, what doesn’t and everything in between.
“Sixty percent of the world has textured hair: kinky, curly, and wavy, or a combination of all three,” he says. “However, there [are a] lack [of] standards or guidelines about what to do with ‘natural’ hair.”
But throughout Dickey’s career, he has learned how to handle with care textured hair. In 1989, Dickey relocated to New York from San Francisco, where he says there are “more stylists per capita than any other city.” He saw the end of his career in San Francisco, but saw a future in fashion in New York. The diversity of the city kept Dickey intrigued. He loves the unique cultures that make up the city and the opportunity to become a forward thinker.
“It was a great time to be creative with hair (in the ‘90s), but it wasn’t about hair care. Most of the models had weaves at the time,” he recalls.
Slowly, the industry shifted when celebrities became the focus, instead of models. The industry could not dictate what actors and musical artists looked like, so standards of beauty slowly began to shift. A new breed of diversity emerged, but it wasn’t enough.
Dickey rebelled, he yelled, he screamed and then he wrote a book — “Hair Rules! The Ultimate Hair-care Guide for Women with Kinky, Curl or Wavy Hair.“ Women of all ages cite this as the manual for natural hair.
“I wanted to cater to everyone and provide hair-care and styling solutions for a multi-textural world,” he states. “Limited information exists for women without relaxers. If you notice, a lot of women are wearing their hair the same way because their stylist didn’t know what to do.”
In Dickey’s humble yet professional opinion, the mainstream hair-care industry neglects to incorporate all textures of hair.
“Products should not be based on race; they should be based on texture,“ he says. “A lot of these major companies run numbers because they see profit, not you.”
In his book, Dickey did not recommend any specific products, which became a blessing in disguise. His product line, Hair Rules!, launched to receptive hearts and hair. Once the line began to build momentum, fans wanted a sanctuary, classroom, and salon built into one. And that’s what Dickey now is providing.
Spacious, bright and radiating warmth, the Hair Rules! Salon is nestled between 54th and 55th streets on Ninth Avenue. Stark white walls are counterbalanced with a bright assortment of Hair Rules! products sprinkled around the salon.
“I was located on the Upper East Side for so long, but there was no flavor,” he says. “I figured that women in mid-town needed to be catered to as well.”
Impressions from the stylist’s chair
Armed with all of my new-found information, I was fascinated. I too wanted “wash-and-wear” hair, plus I had loads and loads of questions to ask. I let Dickey get to work without the faintest amount of fear in my heart.
“What about my dry, itchy scalp?“ I inquired as he intricately cut my hair with four different types of scissors.
“Everyone complains about an itchy, scratchy scalp, but that’s what is going to naturally happen when you don’t wash your hair for two weeks,” he explains.
Dickey recommends applying his Daily Cleansing Cream and conditioning every few days. The result? A healthier scalp and shinier hair.
Next, I wanted to know about the transition from relaxed to natural hair. Is there hope for me? First, he told me to think about what transition means.
“Just stop relaxing your hair,” he states simply. “Many women have a light bulb moment and realize no relaxer equals to no maintenance. My job is to walk them through it.”
As Dickey styles me, he takes me through each step and how to recreate it at home. He tailors my cut to the shape of my face and the result is easy, funky, chic and sexy. I sip my delicious jasmine tea and peer into the mirror at the finished result.
I love it — I’m styled but in a natural “my hair is always this fabulous” kind of way. I feel confident that I can maintain this at home, and contemplate walking to the train sans umbrella.
“I really want women to make decisions by choice and not despair,” he reiterates.
Come see what Anthony Dickey can do for you at Hair Rules! Salon, 828 Ninth Ave. (between 54th and 55th streets), New York, NY 10019. To schedule an appointment, call (212) 315-2929.
Enter the salon and have a seat in Dickey’s chair. the SEEN: Dickey’s Hair Rules
