#ThankYouMiami Talks Hair Transformations

If it wasn’t for my mom, I would have no beauty routine to speak of. She was the one who introduced me to waxing, facials, and mani-pedis, subsidizing them throughout my teens until they became a permanent fixture in my budget. In middle school, she bought me my first make-up set comprised solely of Bobby Brown products, most of which lasted me past college and which I still buy today. (For the record, I recently discovered make up expires—that she forgot to tell me.)

Mamá also started me on regular haircuts and blow dries at the salon. If she hadn’t, I never would have discovered their power to transform you, like those two times, once at age 5 and once at age 23, when I was itching for a change and I found it by cutting my long locks into a short bob. Or, the time at age 26 when I started coloring my hair and discovered I feel more like myself as a blonde. In fact, the story of my coming of age— my insecure phases, my confident phases, my adventurous phases, my “basic bitch” phases—is told by the haircuts I sported throughout my journey to adulthood. My hair styles are both representative of and a consequence of how I felt at each stage in life.

Me at age 5 (on the right) the first time I cut my hair into a short bob.

Me as a teenager with the long, angled layers that became my signature Boca living hairstyle thanks to Steve.

That time I spent a summer in Provence, decided to cut my own bangs and regretted it immediately.

Me (on the left) sporting brown short hair at age 23.

When we moved to Boca Raton from Mexico City, my first hair stylist (Steve) had a very important role in my acclimation. After all, he was in charge of transforming me from Mexican pre-teen—I went to an all-girls Catholic school, for Pete’s sake—to Boca teenager. The two identities could not be further apart but Steve rose to the occasion, giving me an angled long cut that was simple yet trendy. It was exactly what I needed to walk in the first day of school fitting in, but still feeling like myself. It took a person who understood a haircut is more than just a haircut to make it happen.

If, like me, you’re a firm believer in the transformational power of a haircut, then you need to know about Nikita Hair. The Scandinavian chain of hair salons was founded in 1984 with the mission to give us “a great feeling,” a message that has resonated with so many people it has become one of Europe’s largest salons with over 140 locations. This year the company began its journey of taking the U.S. by storm, opening its first location in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park and catapulting from there across the U.S.’s 43,000 zip codes. Per usual, South Florida gets to be the launch pad for what is sure to become Nikita’s American revolution (and the benefactor of their opening specials like $39 blow dries and a buy two products, get a travel hair care free deal).

As I venture into my 30s this September, I am preparing to undergo the biggest metamorphosis yet—a transformation for which my hair will characteristically go along for the ride. Ever the trendsetter, I’m counting on the talented team at Nikita Hair to deliver on their promise of “a great feeling”. After all, it is going to set the tone for the next decade of my life and for Nikita, the next chapter in their illustrious success story.

What is the haircut you've sported that you have liked best? Why? What inspired you to get it? Have you been to Nikita Hair in Boca Raton? Who was your stylist? Why would you recommend him/her? Leave a comment below or send me a tweet @ThankYouMiami!