A few weeks ago Adam Tullett from Toni & Guy Haarlem kindly invited me to his salon for a little makeover. Since my bangs had been blocking my view for a while, I happily accepted the invite.

I have to be honest: right before meeting Adam, I got a bit nervous. Why? Because I suddenly remembered that Toni & Guy visuals tend to show models with purple or bright red hair, preferably cut in strong, often asymmetrical, hairstyles.

This might sound appealing to some, but to me it does not. It is just not me.

But, I needed not to worry. Before I could even show Adam some photos of hairstyles I liked, he took out his phone and showed me a photo of what he had in mind. And that photo happened to be the exact same one that I had saved myself (it was an Alexa Chung shot, for those that are curious).

Coincidence?

I don’t think so.

I actually think Adam made a really good call on what type I am and what would suit me. So with the haircut decided super quickly, it was time to talk color.

The lovely Zuzanna was brought in to look at my plain, brown hair and she suggested that I should have a balayage treatment.

A what? Balayage. This means ‘to sweep’ or ‘to paint’, so I’ve been told. They promised me the result would be very natural, almost as if my hear got a bit bleached by the sun.

And I have to be honest, after two hours in Zuzanna’s chair, my hair looked like I spent the past three weeks on a sunny location doing nothing. Partly because I felt super relaxed (someone else washing your hair is still the nicest!), but mostly because parts of my hair actually looked sun-kissed.

Adam then took out his scissors and quickly chopped it. I am used to hairdressers cutting my hair while it’s dry. I’ve been told that it helps them to see how the hair ‘responds’ to being cut and it prevents them from cutting it too short. Adam cut my hair wet though, but he did have a proper look and feel of what my hair is like before washing it. And he did dry my bangs before shortening them!

So, would I recommend Toni & Guy Haarlem? A big yes! You can tell they really know what they are doing here. Also a big plus: the crew is very international, so don’t worry about having to speak Dutch in order to explain what haircut you want. English is Adam’s native language and with Zuzanna in the house you can even come in speaking Polish. Oh, and they play really good music too!

If by now you are curious about my hair, you can check that out here.

For opening hours, address and prices, go here.

Thank you Toni & Guy Haarlem for having me!