In a hair stylist’s career, it is always awesome to be presented with a great artistic opportunity.

D’Arcy Hair Design of Emerson Salon will have the honor of being a featured Hair Artist for RAW artists Thursday, February 9th Showcase. RAW artists is in 22 cities nationwide and works with the local arts community to create showcases, events and awards that puts a spotlight on emerging talent in fashion, makeup, performing art,modelling, film, art, photography, hair, and music. A RAW artist gets invaluable portfolio building, exposure, and will not only network and socialize but most importantly, get a chance to collaborate with peers in different fields.

“ACTIVATE,” Seattle’s first RAW showcase will be held at iMusic on 5th Ave North (across from EMP/Space Needle) and D’Arcy will be styling for Kimmi Designs (formal fashions of repurposed/recycled fabrics.)

The doors are at 8pm with a DJ, a unique visual and visceral artistic experience, 3 bars, good vibes and at 10pm there will be 2 fashion runway shows. Advance tickets are only $10!
Check out http://www.rawartists.org or BUY a TICKET to see D’Arcy Hair Design.

Come out and support our thriving creative community with us!

Post by D’Arcy

Daemon says:

“I really don’t trust a lot of people with my hair, but I’ve had people close to me recommend Lancer Forney at the Emerson Salon. I finally had a chance to get my hair done by him.

Now my hair has been notorious for being rather wild. I get my thick long hair from my dad and it has stifled a lot of hairdressers for years. He wanted to try this new Perfection Smoothing System on me, and I was thinking that this would be like other relaxers or texturizers. I was wrong.

That whole procedure was not invasive at all unlike traditional ones. In fact he was also able to do the coloring right after we shampooed the treatment out. He had a bunch of hair swatches to help compare the different shades and how they would compliment with my natural hair color. in the end I ended up with some of the best hair I’ve ever had in years…not since my old hairdresser back in Long Beach retired some 15 years ago.

The vibe here is very easy going, unlike most salons where it could be a bit on the pretentious side. I was there for four hours, but I had so much fun chatting it up with everyone there while getting my hair done it didn’t even feel like it at all. To call Lancer a stylist is an understatement. He’s an artist. He knows what he’s doing and can even turn my mangled mess into something I can actually be proud of.

He also recommended this Morrocan Oil shampoo and conditioner that will preserve everything that was performed that day. Yeah this stuff and the salon ain’t cheap but when it comes to your hair you get what you pay for, and compared to all the uber-pretentious salons I’ve been at it’s actually a good value since you’re getting so much more than just a haircut.

Lancer is the man you want. Of course, if he’s booked Kate’s a wonderful stylist too!”

Daniel says:

“If y’all, ladies or gentlemen, need a hair cut… this place is the spot. Personally Kate Kalnins is the best. She is a taller gal, wearing a lot of black.. Anyway she really does amazing work and she is very thorough.”

Great job guys! Check out these reviews and all of our reviews on our Yelp page.

In the last few years, hair extensions have blossomed from a rich girl’s indulgence to a fun, reasonable change for a stylish girl with specific hair length or fullness preferences.

At Emerson Salon, D’Arcy of D’Arcy Hair Design has been wearing Babe Hair Extensions since March of 2011. Here, we show you her old look with blunt bangs and a short bob. Then, right after the extension application and haircut, Lastly, the most recent pic of her on this website. It is a dramatic transformation but it is not necessary to add length. Some finer hair ladies like to add extra density so styling looks its best and lasts longer. And others like adding pieces of the fun purple, magenta, pink, blue, green, or orange to save their hair from prelightening damage. (Darker hair needs to be prelightened in order for some vivid colors to show up the best.)

My pricing for extensions is as follows:
(The colors will be chosen during the consultation in addition to determining the number of pieces required for the desired result. The selection ranges from vivid, punk colors to natural hair colors.) You pay after the consultation for the cost of the hair and beads (wholesale).

• Application: $70/hr (due at time of service)
• Move up: $35/hr (due at time of service/usually every 4-6 weeks)
• Beads: $14.00/100 beads
• 18” straight: $38.75/ 20 pcs
• 22” straight or wavy: $50.00/ 20pcs

It can take between 40-200 pcs depending on desired result

It is important to provide appropriate care to the extensions by:

• Combing from the ends up
• Use dry shampoo so oils from your scalp will not break down the hard wax on the extension tip. D’Arcy uses Alterna’s Caviar Dry Shampoo. It is a talc free powder and it rocks!
• Scheduling regular maintenance (every 4-6 weeks)
• Using salon quality shampoo, conditioner and styling product. D’Arcy uses Alterna Bamboo Anti Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner because it helps keep the extensions from matting up by smoothing with bamboo extract and other ingredients. She also uses Alterna Kendi oil to protect her hair while she curls it.

Be brave and try out a new look- its within your reach!

Post by D’Arcy

I am frequently asked “what can I do with this fine, limp hair”? If you keep letting your hair air dry and don’t accept my product and styling recommendations, there is nothing I can do for you. Fine hair is oily by origin. It lacks protein and the density it needs to do anything but fall down. How you combat this is achieved in part by how your hair is cut but also in how you manage your hair at home. It also depends on what kind of maintenance you are willing to do. Most clients want no maintenance, and they don’t own a hair dryer. They also don’t want to use styling products. This is a recipe for hair fail!

I cut my fine hair clients’ hair to suit their lifestyle and desires. I can cut a good shape for my fine hair clients and I can texturize their hair within the cut to give them some internal volume. This is only part of the remedy. I recommend professional volumizing shampoos and conditioners that I know that work in the salon I work in. My favorite is Alterna’s Bamboo Abundant Volume shampoo and conditioner. For light styling, their Plumping Strand Expand cannot be beat!

Once your hair is shampooed and conditioned, towel dry hair to get the excess moisture out. Dispense a couple of pumps of the Strand Expand into your hand, rub your hands together and run your fingers through your hair, from roots to ends. Blow dry your hair with medium heat on a medium setting. Heat activates the product and dries it into your hair. No matter what your blow drying technique is, make sure to get the root area of your hair completely dry. This will give your hair the most support. Your ends will dry soon enough.

Once your hair has been adequately blow-dried in the style you are happy with, let your hair cool down. Any kind of heat, including the heat from your hands, will restyle your hair and flatten it. Once your hair is cool, you can use a wide-toothed comb or hairbrush with spaces between the bristles to finalize your style. Don’t be heavy-handed- a light touch is all that is required and one can over-do! It is better for your hair to be a bit bigger than you’d like at the style finish, because hair flattens during the day, when you put a coat, hat, and/or a scarf on, and when you step outside in any sort of humidity.

Use a volume-locking hairspray at the end to finish and set your style for the day. You can take a mini hairspray can with you to work. Bamboo Volume Root Blast can also be used instead of hair spray. It adds volume to dry hair without the stickiness some hair sprays can have. Should your style fall, simply bend your head downward, spray lightly underneath your hair, shake your head and lift your head up. You can lightly use your comb or brush again to calm down any rogue hairs J

Posted by Hair Guy Lancer, specializing in custom cuts and colors for 20+ years.

My name is D’Arcy and I specialize in formal, vintage and bridal hairstyling. If you take a look at my online portfolio (DARCYHAIRDESIGN on facebook) you can see the examples I have of many joyous brides who were ecstatic with what I came up with for their big day.

I updated my price list recently and here is the latest info on my pricing:
Formal Style in salon………………………………………………………………$65-$85
Bridal Updo in salon………………………………………………………..$110.00-$140
Bridal Practice+pics in salon………………………………………………………$40.00
Formal Styling On-Site*………………………………………………………$85 per hour
Formal Styling On-Site Day Rate (12 or more hours)*…………………..$850 ($170off)
(Travel costs will be added for on-site stylings if not provided)
(*required: electrical outlet, table+chair, dry environment, $100 deposit up to 1 week before)

Consultations are always free and if you have a larger bridal party and a small amount of time- I can pull in a colleague or two to accomodate your matron/maid of honor and extra bridesmaids. We can even style the groom and groomsmen!

Whether you want to be pampered inside our salon or beyond I am sure Emerson Salon and D’Arcy Hair Design can confidently serve you!

Post by D’Arcy

The first Dark Industry Night of 2012 welcomes Emerson Salon team members Lancer Forney and Kate Kalnins, both of whom have been making the hair of (but not limited to) Seattle goths for years. Come on out and support us this coming Thursday, January 19th, at the Mercury, and INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW (that’s 21+ that is)!!! Lancer and Kate are excited to have this opportunity and are preparing a few of our clients and friends’ hair so we can show off our work so you can see what we can do for you! There will also be a silent auction held to raise money for Gothic Pride Seattle (G.P.S.), a non-profit social organization in Seattle. Lancer is also the Secretary of G.P.S.

Dark Industry Night is a place for Seattle based goth and industrial musicians, DJs, dancers, artists, promoters, managers, designers, and other industry members to share ideas, innovations, news and announcements. Its mission is to build a strong goth-industrial music community and scene throughout the greater Seattle area through networking and promotion.

It is held every 3rd Thursday of the month @ The Mercury, and is hosted by the incomparably awesome team of Artist/Entrepreneur Bianca Malise-Glynn and Daemon Chadeau of Pixelpussy. Music that you might hear at this event includes goth, industrial, darkwave, EBM, electronic, power noise, hard techno, IDM, electroclash, new wave, punk, post-punk, ethereal, dark cabaret, coldwave, underground. This month’s featured Special Guest DJ is DJ SAVAK of Mechanismus.

All this is only $3, and it’s a non-member night! Just be 21+ and have your ID! (liquor sales to members only as per WSLCB)!

Artists, writers, performers, musicians, DJs, designers, photographers, promoters, and all that work with them are encouraged to attend, as well as fans and the like are all welcome as well!

Post by Lancer

“Sleek, smooth, manageable hair is now possible without risk. Achieve perfect hair effortlessly with the Perfection SmoothOut. Perfection SmoothOut is a new patent-pending innovation that instantly and safely transforms coarse, frizzy, hair to smooth and superbly shiny with results lasting 8-12 weeks. Perfection SmoothOut employs a proprietary nano-amino acid complex that virtually alters the internal textural memory of the hair fiber to transform it to a smoother, frizz-free state. Why stop at great, when you can have Perfection?” (Source)

We just started carrying this new smoothing product. It’s comparable to the “Brazilian Blowout”, but, safe without the formaldehyde! I’m excited to have this safer version. This works great for people with frizzy or uneven textures. The cost is $180 for medium to long hair, but, for the next month I’ll do it for half off. That’s just $90!!

Post by John

Happy New Year’s Seattle! Emerson Salon is taking part in some 2012 New Year’s Resolutions of our own and this year, our team’s goal is to become even more integral to our community’s and clients’ lives. Now more than ever, small businesses like us really bolster a local and diverse neighborhood like Capitol Hill much more than a national chain. We reinvest our energy back into you!

One major change at Emerson Salon we’ve made with the new year is that all stylists have switched over to become self-employed, renting their chairs and managing their own books. While you will still get the same great hair services from your team at Emerson Salon, this means that each stylist is working to build their own business and future. One change is that you might see is that the staff at Emerson are taking part in a new revolution in small business called Square. Through a mini-card reader, any smartphone can swipe a credit or debit card and be free of costly credit card machines and merchant-services contracts. Through Square, you can pay, sign, tip and receive email receipts in seconds, its pretty amazing!

Going forward, each stylist will be managing their own schedule and appointments and will be sure to let you know the best way to get your appointments booked, but we will still have our salon email and phone for your convenience. If you are a new client, feel free to write emersonsalon@gmail.com to book or look for contact information on a particular stylist’s profile. We appreciate your patience during the transition and we are confident the adjustment will be minimal and smooth.

An additional note, D’Arcy and Lancer have been accepted to WashingtonCash.org’s 8 week business training course at the end of January. This is a great non profit resource that provides small business entrepreneurs ongoing support with bookkeeping, tax calculations, goal setting, savings, coaching, etc.

Seattle, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? What changes will you make this year…..a hair change maybe! We sure hope so!

Post by D’Arcy

Meredith recently reviewed her visit with D’Arcy on Yelp:

“D’Arcy Harrison is the BEST stylist I’ve ever been to, and I’ve certainly done my homework. First of all, she sat down with me for about 15-20 minutes the first time I came in, just to get to know my personality and my preferences. No one has ever done that with me before, but it should be required when dealing with someone’s hair. During the entire appointment, she was pretty much educating me on all things hair…I learned a ton about the balayage process, as well as other tips on how to maintain a great cut and color.

I’ve been getting balayage for the past 2 years, but no one has paid as much attention to detail as D’Arcy does. The color turned out beautifully, and the cut (a short bob) was adorable, too! I’ve gotten numerous compliments on my hair in the past few months, even from really catty girls who don’t just hand out the ‘feed goods’!! I have another appointment with her tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see what king of magic she works on me this time!” (Read full review here)

Katherine, another client at Emerson Salon, has posted an update to her review. Here is the post about her first visit: “……I was fed up and wanted my RED. I looked around and found Emerson through a simple Google search of “Red hair Seattle”. I immediately came on to yelp and started to read reviews. I found Amanda S.’s review and decided right then I would go here and try D’Arcy.

BINGO! She red bleached my hair and put a semi permanent color on that really pops! Its exactly the color I showed her. I was nervous about semi permanent seeing I had DIY red hair in high school that was awful, but I’m writing this 3ish weeks later and my hair is still the same exact red as when I walked out their door! And double bonus, although I have dyed my pillow, every towel in the house and a couple of shirts, this stuff actually washes out of fabric, something manic panic in HS didn’t. Doesn’t wash out of my hair, washes out of my clothes, I’m in heaven.”

This happy “blood” redhead was told by D’Arcy to return in 3-5 weeks in order to retouch the grow-out of her dark brown hair. It is important that this color is maintained on a regular basis to make it look its best. This is also because application can become complicated if the new growth is more than an inch due to the fact that the chemicals behave differently with the warmth of the head. If there is more than the one inch of growth- bleach or color must be applied to the area beyond the 1″ prior to applying to the root. This can take additional time and can cost more money than a straightforward retouch.

Here is the follow up on Katherine’s return:

“I got my hair re-done about a week ago ….and GREAT customer service! I’m so glad I found this place! Did I mention that my hair looks just as perfect as it did the first time?” (full reviews here)

She heeded the advice of her stylist and was rewarded with consistent color! HINT: to keep a vibrant red shade at its optimum make sure to wash in lukewarm to cold water, shampoo less frequently (we recommend using FRESH.HAIR spray dry shampoo by Kevin Murphy), and shampoo with sulfate free shampoo. Sulfates are salts that fade color.

Thanks for the props Katherine! The red looks fabu on YOU!

Essy also just posted a new review with D’Arcy on 12/2: “I have never been loyal to any hair salon let alone a single person. To be honest I never had such a haircut that I loved so much that I sought out one specific person. But I have been going to D’Arcy now for several months and love her!

In these past months i’ve seen her i’ve gone through several different looks. She has given me awesome bangs (something I always wanted but never tried) and taught me how to train them. Cut off 13 inches to donate, and given me a very stylish bob (random people would compliment me on the street). And now is helping me grow out those bangs. –yes i cant seem to keep the same look for more than a week!

I sincerely recommend D’Arcy. Best of all she listens to what you want and then tells you what will look good. Afterall SHE is the professional!” (full review)

Post by D’arcy

Check out the great new review of Emerson Salon in the Spectator:

Emerson

909 East Pike Street

Reviewed by Kelton Sears

Emerson Salon is where you go when you want to make sure your hair is going to look exactly how you want it. The hair stylists there are incapable of giving bad haircuts. It’s actually impossible for them to do so. They just don’t know how.

Stepping back a bit: Emerson Salon is over on Pike Street, right across the way from QFC. Despite the salon’s name, it isn’t American Transcendentalist themed. However, it is transcendentally huge, wood paneled and cavernously gorgeous. Henry David Thoreau would be at high fashion home inside.

Cuts are $40, which is pricey. But let me reiterate — you get what you pay for. What you pay for is an immaculate haircut.

On average, the stylists at Emerson have been cutting hair for approximately a million years. I have had my hair cut by four different stylists there, and during conversation each has mentioned how they’ve been cutting hair for a long, long time.

It shows.

Watching Lancer, Rusty or D’Arcy wield a razor and a pair of scissors is like watching a single samurai slice through an entire invading Mongolian army. It is awe-inspiring and frightening in its sheer efficiency and speed.

Even if you are not thirsty, the receptionist will insist that you have a complimentary drink while you watch your head quickly transform into a comelier state of being. Sipping on soda and watching yourself get hotter in a giant wood paneled room is pretty much the epitome of luxury.

Emerson not only does cuts, they practically have a menu of different services they provide for your head. They offer seven different kinds of coloring, including a fancy exclusive French alternative called “Balayage” that Drew Barrymore has done or something. It’ll make you real pretty.

Think of Emerson as the opposite of Great Clips. You will not feel vaguely uncomfortable inside its walls, you will not wonder if you will leave looking like a Troll Doll and you will not pay $5. If you are willing to pony up a little extra cash, Emerson will make your hair look so good.

Link to the full article