Odango! Hair Studio

Today my little salon is all grown up! From the first day I opened the doors 18 years ago to today, it has been one of the greatest constants in my life. Sure, the work is harder now than it was back then (oh, to be 42 again!), and the industry has changed. Fewer stylists since Covid, more private suites, and home salons, means that it's just me and Anna now, and I couldn't ask for a better person to work side by side with. Odango! continues to be a wonderful place for great conversation and beautiful hair.

And to hundreds of clients who became friends and then more like family... thank you for your continued support!

Happy Odangoversary!

Milestones are funny. They seem momentous but also can creep up on you stealthily while you're busy doing what you do. One moment you're taking the paper off of the windows and unlocking the door for your first client, the next your little hair salon is celebrating 15 years in business.

It seems appropriate that my week started by cleaning up a flood in the salon from all that torrential rain. Nothing screams "owner" more than mopping up water and hair clippings from the baseboards when you'd rather be on the way to the gym. But instead of feeling resentful, it gave me another opportunity to return the love my little salon has shown me for so many years. I am a different, better person for being a business owner of such a warm and connected place, and for that I'm grateful.

I have been so fortunate to have stylists who have added their amazing skills and own personalities to help shape Odango! into what it is today. We wouldn't have all those stars on Yelp and Google if they hadn't brought their talents and love to each service.

Since my first day I have said that every person who sits in my chair is a gift, and I still believe that today. Every person who has walked in the door trusting us to take care of more than just their hair has taught me to be better and love better. No words can express how grateful I am for that. Thank you.

We see hair as a collaboration, combining your needs and desires with our knowledge and skills.

📷 Adam Winger on Unsplash

When I first started making masks back in March and the pandemic was just taking hold, I knew that when we reopened it would be on me to keep my co-workers and clients safe. I watched many how-to videos, taking a basic pattern from this one and a neat trick from that one. By April it was impossible to get supplies, so I was forced to make what turned out to be some nice design upgrades based on the need to improvise. I’ve made over 150 masks so far, giving the bulk away to friends, family, and random store clerks who were in dire need of a safe face covering. Everyone who has received a mask says they are the most comfortable mask they own and have encouraged me to sell them. My goal is not to make money, but rather to subsidize the project so I can continue to hand out masks to random strangers.

Masks are just $10, plus shipping if needed. To order your mask, check out the Odango! web page for current available fabrics then send me an email.

As always, wear your face coverings, wash your hands, keep your distance, and stay safe!
http://odangohair.com/masks/

♥️Ann

We've been on shutdown for almost three weeks, but it seems like forever. And as the entire nation is , it seems wrong that we aren't connecting in the salon, talking through our feelings, and solving the problems of the world one haircut at a time.

Odango! has been our safe space for more than a decade, and as soon as we can, we'll be right back there cutting your hair, petting your head, and making everyone feel better again.

We miss you!

It seems as if overnight the world has become a more frightening and difficult place. Everywhere we turn there is some new challenge, and we are all trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones together both physically and emotionally.

In these chaotic times, salons can be refuges of magical hair artistry and quiet, supportive conversations. As the state limits large gatherings, we feel fortunate that at Odango! there are never more than about 8 people in the salon at any given time, and often far fewer. Our stations are set up farther apart than what is recommended for social distancing and it feels both separate and together.

We have always sanitized our tools and washed our hands between and after our services, but now we're being extra careful to wipe down the chairs, hand mirrors, and door handles as often as possible. Throughout the day we also clean the coffee maker, faucet handles, and other shared surfaces with sanitizing wipes.

We know you'll do your part as well. We won't come to work sick, and you'll reschedule if you are, too. We'll wait while you pop into the bathroom to wash your hands an extra time before and after you sit in our chair, just to be safe. And we know you're washing your hands more thoroughly because we're going through hand soap in the bathroom at more than twice the rate as before!

As we move through this crisis we will all be learning how to care for each other in new ways. We love our clients and each day feel blessed that our job is to make you look and feel beautiful. Let us know if there is more that we can do.

Whether you opened presents that were under the tree, grabbed Chinese food after a movie, lit candles to usher in longer days, or just snuggled under your favorite blanket with a warm drink, we hope your holidays have been just right for you.

Now that those celebrations are behind us, it's time to look forward to setting the tone for the new year. For those of us who grew up making resolutions, we've seen this cycle of January hopefulness followed by February failure too many times. Instead, making a yearly motto rather than creating a long list of soon-to-be-broken resolutions has become an Odango! tradition.

Mottos are a catchphrase that embodies the thing that you'd like to work on in the new year. It should be general enough to cover more than one area of your life and catchy enough to remember for the entire year. Whether it's "Every little bit counts" or "Just Keep Swimming" or "Less is More," a phrase that nudges you back on track is far more empowering than a failed "Lose 10 pounds."

Over the next few weeks we'll be asking everyone in our chairs "What's your motto?" While it's not obligatory to have an answer, even thinking about it can be a great exercise for the new year. And if you do think of one, post it below to inspire all of us!

Happy New Year!

(photocredit Rawpixel from Unsplash)

Do you love Odango! and live in the neighborhood? Neighbors on Nextdoor are voting for their favorite local businesses of 2018. Recommend us so others can love us, too!

Voting ends tonight 10/31/18. (We're tied for first so every vote counts!)

Nextdoor is the free private social network for your neighborhood community. Over 184,000 communities across the U.S. are using Nextdoor to strengthen their neighborhoods.

How many styling products do you have under your sink or on your dresser? If you're like all the rest of us, you've purchased lots of things to help tame, fluff, or mold your hair and found they were not quite right.

But maybe they could be.

There is nothing sacred about the directions on the back of your styling product. Just because it says "apply to damp hair" doesn't mean the hair police will arrest you for putting some in your fingers and scrunching it in your strands after you're done with the blow dryer. Heck, we professionals rarely read the fine print on the back and usually just grab the bottle and go for it. What's more, we'll grab several bottles and take a dab of this and a sq**rt of that and create our own product cocktail.

Think of those unused bottles and jars simply as ingredients, and what you do with them - or mix them with - is up to you. Need a little defrizzing as well as volume? Mix a little calming cream with your mousse. Need curl hold with some sleekness? Add some moroccan oil to your curl cream. Voilá! You have your own signature styling product for your particular hair. Not every combo will work, so it's all about experimenting and finding what magical combination is right for you.

It looks so easy. You've watched us do it a thousand times - how hard could it be? So you look in the bathroom mirror, pull your hair just so, take the scissors from the back of the junk drawer, and SNIP!

OMG what have you done?

Bathroom Bangs: All of us have done it at least once in our lives (and some of us many more times). But DIY hair is harder than it looks -- even for those of us who have training and experience! Home lighting isn't good and positioning your hands at the right angles to achieve the best cut is difficult. Bangs are some of the hardest things to get right, and messing them up can have a big impact on how you look and feel.

Our best advice is to get your bangs done professionally. If you're thinking of adding some, come in for a full cut so we can make sure the style of bangs work with your overall look, then come in for a free bang trim in between appointments so that the focal point of your cut is always looking great. And if you really can't avoid picking up the shears? Ask for some quick tips next time you're in to avoid the worst mistakes.

See you soon!

Happy 11th birthday to my sweet little salon, and thank you to all the wonderful people who have come to sit in our chairs over the years. 💜