A startling first-hand account Beth Minardi surveys my scalp, her first canvas of the day. and announces that she'll lake out percent of my gray Since most of my hair has already died(note: bald spot). l figure why not go ahead and dye some more? "Let's go for 44 percent." say boldly, intoxicated with my approaching youth At that an assistant named Michael ens his white apron, dons a pair of plastic gloves, grabs some bottles from a gleaming metal shelf and begins mixing the treatment You always want to go one lighter than your natural gray," explains Beth. Your hair is medium brown. so l'm using sandy brown with a hint of dark blond." Hmmm, dark blond She then brushes the cool, thick mixture onto the sides of my head. varying the application to minimize" my gray and yet create a natural effect. "You don'l want to take all out. she says. "just enough look greal for your age. like Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood Hmmm, Sean, Clint.
I sit for 15 minutes, le the mixture work its mago, then tip my head back into a bidet-like basin to let Michael scrub t out. He then foams on the second part of the treatment. covers my head with a ic bag and wheels me under a radiant heal dryer nicknamed the"Ring of satum 10 more minutes. resisting the urge to read the National Enquirer and talk about 0prah. then undergo a series of washings and conditionings designed to lock in" the color. We call this a demi permanent, explains Beth, whose dients include Tom Hanks, Brad Pill and Mall Dillon. Il's good for 30 or 40 washings. what I see in the mirror afterwards is demi-startling, "it's like you, only better: says Beth, with a ta. da flourish. It's the man l married." says my wife, after being escorted in from the waiting room. Your skin color even changed, noles Michael. It's warmer I don't know what to th except that it reels alive up there, as if each hair follicle is a bulb on Broadway. The entire transformation look only 45 minutes(and $100). and rm still in postoperative shock Try to wait three days before passing final judgment" cautions Beth. Disappointingly, al dinner. neither my mother nor my children notice anything different about me. And the following moming my boss greets me as usualwith more work. Even the guys l exercise with a lunch(my cruelest critics) don't detect iL suppose this is the desired ellect As Beth explained. you don't want anyone to make a fuss. People should look at you and see a youthful subtlety, but nothing they can pinpoint ll the world's allenation is immediately drawn to your head, then your venture has failed.