Ever since middle school, I have been coloring my hair. It first started with my mom just putting some highlights in the front… and then some more… And then the day before I started my freshman year of high school, I was home alone and decided to bleach my ENTIRE head of hair with an old highlighting kit I found in my mom’s bathroom. Big mistake. It turned out orange. So I started high school with orange hair. I later got it fixed and was blonde for a while, then dyed it dark brown, then back to blonde, then brown again, back to putting some blonde in my hair… You get the picture. However, the last time I colored my hair was two years ago now! I colored it blonde and just let it grow out. I had a lot of my natural color in the roots, so I guess you could say it was “natural” ombre. I haven’t really been loving how it was looking for a while, so I thought it was time to get some sprucing up again.
Insert Salty Blonde Cut Co. I found them on Instagram through this post of the rosé colored hair (which I’m dying to do), and set up an appointment. The salon is owned by Brittany, who is a SoCal native and hip mom of two. She’s been in the hair industry for over a decade and has had her fair share of colors on her own head.
When asking Brittany how she came up with the name “Salty Blonde,” she said it has a lot to do with her faith and references the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his disciples and followers, “You are the salt of the earth,” which means our lives as Christians enhance and give meaning to this existence we call life.
It may be an odd analogy, but Jesus compared believers to salt for a reason. Salt is a dietary mineral, used for flavoring and preservation – needed by all known living creatures. If abused, it can be harmful. However, it is also detrimental to have no salt intake because it regulates the water content in our bodies. Jesus used salt to describe how Christians are needed to bring balance and hope to an otherwise dying world. (CBN.com)
She said this applies to her life greatly because the beauty industry needs Jesus so much and she wants to be that light. I can totally relate to that! The other reason for the name is of course because she’s near the beach and Salty Blonde just “sounds good!”
Back to the hair… Although it’s somewhat similar to what I already had, I wanted a refined and more natural looking version of balayage/ombre. So what Brittany did is darken my roots to a shade darker than what it was so there would be more shine and “oomph,” and then she lightened the ends using the balayage technique. Even though it’s been pretty popular the past several years, a lot of people still don’t know what it is, so let me explain. Balayage is a French word for the “technique for highlighting the hair in which the dye is painted on in such a way as to create a graduated, natural-looking effect” (google.com). After blow drying my hair and showing me the results, I told her “It looks just like how my hair would get during the summer when I was a kid!” To which she replied “Exactly.”
Salty Blonde Cut Co. has a shared space with the clothing boutique Love & Whiskey in Costa Mesa, which I think is really cool and unique. While you’re waiting for your hair to process, you can walk around and shop and end up coming out with a whole new look!
Can we please talk about this little hair-washing nook?! I’m totally obsessed with that wood wall and Southwestern rug.
If you’re looking for a hair salon in Orange County, definitely check out Salty Blonde! They are also currently hiring two part-time stylists, so email [email protected] if you’re a hair stylist wanting to join an awesome team!
xo Katie
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