After an unfortunate accident in the shower, my hair was soaked and my near perfect blow dry featuring a few delicately styled curls angled to frame my face was destroyed. Given it was a Sunday evening, I had no salon options. There was a blow dryer in my room but the thought of having to blow dry my own hair filled me with dread. 

The hotel recommended a few local salons. I also have a couple of salons that I use when I’m in NYC but alas both were closed on Mondays. Thankfully when I called one of the hotel suggested salons, they where able to get me in at 1pm. A little late in day which interrupted my entire day, but it’s my hair and we all know what comes first. Business or hair – hair. Shopping or hair – hair. Food or hair – hair. Prior commitments or hair — well you get the picture. 

The salon is called Ludlow Blunt. It had a very East London vibe to it, quite Shoreditchesque. You’d be forgiven for thinking if you were walk out of that salon, you’d see the Heron Tower and Gherkin in the distance instead of the Freedom Tower. My stylist, was amazing. After I subjected her to some selfies on my phone that featured my perfect hair from my perfect hair stylist from my perfect salon from my perfect world, she simply smiled and explained how she was going to achieve the look I wanted. She even gave me some haircare tips in regards to my highlights. And she knew about the coconut oil trick – you know, the one you do the night before your hair appointment. I was impressed, after all she was an unassuming white girl from California, but she certainly knew her stuff about natural black / mixed texture hair, more so than most black hair stylists I’ve ever met (I wonder if most Afro hair stylists are more up on their game now given the racial mixes of today’s society, or do they simply think that a chemical straighter (watch Chris Rock’s, good hair documentary for further insight) and dousing ones hair in oil and gunk is still ok- yuk!!). 

After a blowdry, flat iron and a lovely conversation, my hair was near perfect. When a friend asked me how it went (I’d already bored him with tales of my hair that morning), I said I gave it an 8 out of 10. Upon reflection, an 8.5 would be more accurate. Unfortunately for most, anything from 9.5 and up only goes to Emily and Jasmine – the perfect stylists, at my perfect salon, in my perfect world, so she did very well. 

Hair styled by Monet Moon at Ludlow Blunt, 138 Ludlow Street, NY, NY 10002 USA

Note, the salon will soon be closing due to increasing rents in the neighbourhood, so all services will move to their other location in Brooklyn.