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The Strand - Chelmsford
Firstly – a massive thank you to Superdry who sent me the T-Shirt I’m wearing in the post – you can get the same one here.
Regular readers of the blog, and those who know me in real life will know I’m a bit of a scruff – I’ve had pretty much the same hair cut for the past 10 years It’s either a quick buzz over with my clippers (like a shaved space monkey!), or a trip to the barbers for a No. 2 on the sides and a No. 4 on the top. It was getting boring – pretty much every photo of me for the last ten years looks about the same, with varying degrees of fatness / thinness thrown in.
It was time for a change.
So the past few months I’ve grown out my hair a bit, ready to do ‘something’ with it. It’s a bit daunting really as I’ve not ever had it styled or put ‘product’ in it for years, I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it! I needed help and I knew who to speak to, the guys at The Strand in Chelmsford. They are VERY good on social media, there’s seemingly someone manning their Twitter and Facebook pages all the time and they use it brilliantly.
I hate ringing new people – or talking about things I don’t understand, and I feel much happier pinging a tweet to someone at a company. So I was happy that I could tweet them with questions and even book my appointment without picking up the phone or feeling awkward. Their prices are all very clear and new customers get 20% off too! All the staff are on the Facebook page, so when I was told I had an appointment with Danielle, I could actually see who she was before I got there – it’s daft, but I like to know who I’m dealing with before I go somewhere.
Their Facebook page has LOADS of their previous work shown on there, with lots of before and after pictures and the results are impressive. I think they need to show more ‘Mens’ cuts, as it’s not immediately obvious they are unisex! They also put on there each day if there are any spare appointments, which is super handy if you need sorting out at the last minute!
So my appointment was at 10am today, and I was greeted by the nice staff, my coat was taken, coffee prepared and I was introduced to Danielle. This is was all a bit of a culture shock to me, getting my hair sorted is normally a ‘quickie’, get in, hang up coat, sit in chair, job done.
Not so at The Strand, it felt more like an ‘experience’ – I had a consultation where we discussed my requirements – I knew I wanted shortish sides, and some of the length on top but that was as much as I could describe. Danielle listened as explained exactly what she’d do and how it would look, my hair was washed, head rubbed and I was back in the chair slurping coffee before I knew it.
Then, it began!
Danielle explained exactly what was going into my hair, and why, obviously they want you to buy their products, but there wasn’t any hard selling at all which was good.
She worked her magic and was chatty and friendly, no ‘Been on Holiday this year’ stuff, it was all very relaxed – with the surrounding staff chipping in occasionally.
Within no time whatsoever, I was done – she helpfully explained how she was styling my hair, showed me exactly how to replicate it, and how to handle the product. I didn’t feel stupid, or patronised, she was very happy to explain and I *think* come tomorrow morning I’ll be able to get it looking similar again!
So the final result…
It’s very different to how I normally have it, but – I love it! It’s perfect!
I was slightly concerned I’d come out looking like an ageing man with a teenagers haircut, but – nope – it’s just right! The amazing thing was – the total cost for it, with my 20% discount was £14! What a bloody bargain! I normally cough up a tenner for my quickie buzz cut, but I got a wash, coffee, chat and swanky cut for just an extra £4! I’m so pleased with their work and will definitely be back when it needs reigning in again!
So if you’re local to Chelmsford, go give them a try, I’m sure they’ll do you proud!
Massive thank you to Superdry who sent me the T-Shirt I’m wearing in the post – you can get the same one here.
