I am not one of those every-six-weeks salon girls. I haven’t curled or straightened my hair in years, and my beauty routine is really not a routine at all- wash every 5-7 days, pump with dry shampoo, brush before bed and when I wake up, and mask damage with a few pumps of Oi oil to make it look like I (hair)care. And haircuts? I usually wait for a sign. That sign hit me by my hands and brush hitting the walls of my tiny Brooklyn bathroom as I tried to blow dry it the past few weeks. I realized that my long hair had outgrown my living arrangements. It was time to take action.

I contacted Nackie Karcher, the brains, namesake, and creative force behind The Karcher in Greenpoint, for input.

I was led to her because Nackie and her salon had become an institution in the neighborhood. The devout testimonials I’d heard over the years made me curious, and her approach to hair and style seemed to match my lifestyle flawlessly. Growing up both in St. Petersburg and Key West Florida, Nackie’s attitude towards hair is reminiscent of her coastal roots; natural and no-fuss, concentrating on styles that balance facial structure and hair type instead of chasing a look that will take hours to tame and tons of products to maintain.

When I contacted her, she agreed to meet but made a request. “Trust me to do whatever I want,” she said. “I’m always looking for a muse.”

My immediate reaction was obviously, hell no. I’ve always felt that my hair was a signature part of my look. I’d worn it long and wild ever since the one bob I had at the age of 5 when I was mistaken for a boy at Disney World. After that, I instated the hairstyle that would definitively define me for the next 25 years. “Long layers, only cut off enough to make it look healthy,” I’d said to so many stylists in so many hydraulic chairs.

When I had time to think it over, I felt the frustration that happens when anyone doesn’t trust an artist enough to do their craft. When someone “edits” a piece that I’ve written so much that all that exists anymore is red rewrites and punctuation, or when a guest extensively looks over the cocktail menu and asks me in detail about the concentration of our herbal infusions and where we source our ice before finally saying, “You know what? I’ll have a vodka soda.”

Nothing is more frustrating than feeling deliberately untrusted to execute the craft that you have so passionately devoted yourself to.

“I love this idea,” I told her. “Let’s do it.”

And then I found myself half-holding on to my tangibly-long brown hair as I biked to The Karcher this past Sunday. I walked up the stairs hesitantly into what I feared could be the end of me, hair-wise, and towards what I hoped would be the best haircut of my life.

When I sat down in the non-hydraulic, vintage leather chair in front of Nackie, everything felt different. For one, I wasn’t staring back at my head unnaturally sticking out from a creepy vinyl cape; I was wearing a colorful kimono-esque robe. “You aren’t a mannequin,” she told me. “I need to see your body too when I’m imagining a style for you, not just a floating head.”

She began a series of movements, twisting and squeezing and observing the way my hair naturally lays. “I want to totally shag it out,” she said. And the 1970s vibe of the space and her overall demeanor gave me the confidence that this was a good idea. “I won’t cut anything shorter than your cheekbones here, but it will create a shape that has tons of volume and depth,” she told me. I looked in the mirror and at myself and my 20” of dead, heavy hair. It was apparent that I needed a good shag.

Then she got to work, washing my hair with Hair Story’s New Wash, a cleansing cream that yields conditioner useless. It’s a detergent-free product that nourishes as it cleans instead of stripping your hair of its natural oils, a no-suds approach to cleansing that replenishes a lifetime’s worth of shampoo damage that you didn’t know you had. It felt like a full hair baptism that I decided relinquished me of most of my other sins as well.

When I sat down with her in the chair, she began razoring through my hair in a rather haphazard yet calculated manner, twisting and turning and pulling the hair to see how it would react. I saw her creating a loose frame for my face as she began to paint a picture of her life in the neighborhood I’d now accepted as my home. “I met my husband when we were both living in a converted loft space on Greene Street,” she told me. “We started dating and moved in together. Then we got a dog, then we had to kids, and we still live there now, on the same block.”

I let this sink in as she fussed over my hair, this perfect little Greenpoint love story. I realized that this is why we are drawn to Brooklyn; we are pulled here by energy and curiosity but kept here by the feeling of community, of real human connectivity, of creating some sort of sanctuary on a little block in Greenpoint from which so much of our lives will transpire, eventually maybe into new lives.

She started to blow dry my hair, using only her fingers to define my natural, yet oft-hidden, waves. She squeezed and twisted and every so often and started to form this perfect 70s-esque shag style that fit right in with the funky interior of the salon – palm tree murals, statement lighting, gold accents and a revived-disco era feel that made me feel cooler just by being there. And now I also looked cooler.

She worked more as a sculptor forming clay instead of a stylist taming hair, creating a sustainable look that wasn’t going to disappear once I left the black armchair. She added a bit of Hairstory spray powder to boost my layers and gave my hair a healthy bit of definition that I couldn’t stop playing with. I left realizing how much I had been holding myself and my style back for years with the phrase, “Long layers, only cut off enough to make it look healthy,” instead by changing it to, “I trust you. Do whatever you want.” And also, looking exactly like Stana Katic in For Lovers Only, just two weeks before I leave for Paris.

Visit The Karcher for a salon experience that will help you reimagine your “signature look” and develop a style that is definitively yours. No harsh chemicals, no high-tech tools, no feeling that you’ll never recreate that fresh-from-the-salon look; just your hair, looking a hell of a lot better than it ever has before.

The Karcher is located at 760 Manhattan Ave. Visit their website here and follow them on Instagram for daily style inspiration and honest hair advice.

We all care about looking good. We put in time, money, care and attention into maintaining a certain level of vanity. And while this isn’t something to be ashamed of, when our beauty routine harms the environment, that’s when it gets ugly. We’ve created an industry that pours chemicals into the environment and depletes the ozone layer, melting the ice caps in hopes that we’ll turn some heads and stop traffic. Don’t feel bad about wanting to look good, but we all need to find a sustainable way to maintain your beauty.

It was from this desire that led me to discover Davines, an Italian beauty brand that has been helping us feel more beautiful and confident for over 35 years now. And at the center of all of this has been to do so sustainably, through production, practices and promises, even before caring for the environment was trendy. Their mission is paving the way for the future of companies to survive and support the world we live in, and by making us feel and look a little better living in it.

The magic in their products comes from plant-based additives that are sourced from Italian farms near their headquarters in Parma in order to help support the farming industry, earning them a certification as a Slow Food Company, the only beauty brand to hold this certification. They also work to uphold their standing as a B Corp company, a certification comparable to Fair Trade with coffee or Certified Organic with other foods, an honor that requires them to uphold numerous rigorous certifications, from sustainable packaging to the amount of paper used in their offices around the world.

I can’t help but realize that that amount of care and effort, and knowing that I’m supporting a brand that cares about the environment makes me shine a little brighter, makes me walk a little taller, and my heart feel lighter knowing that my beauty routine hasn’t caused more harm than good.

Read about the Davines products I can’t live without, and update your approach to haircare this season.

I love my hair. But how often do I show it love? My hair care routine usually consists of washing it as infrequently as I can get away with using whatever products are on sale at Zoe’s beauty in Greenpoint, pumping it full of dry shampoo in the interim and begging it for forgiveness when I throw it up in a ponytail at the gym and behind the bar and admittedly subjected to cigarette smoke too many late nights. So do I actively show my hair love? I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t.

How can I expect it to keep up with my lifestyle if I’m not giving it the care it needs? That’s when Davines swooped in and showed me how to give it the love it deserves. Using the whole Love line of products, from smoothing shampoo and thick pot of conditioner and hair smoothing cream, my hair is getting the attention and love it deserves to allow me to keep moving without worrying that my lifestyle is fighting against my beauty routine. It cuts down on frizz, making my hair soft and full without weighing it down. The secret is olive extract from a farm in Messina, Italy, so every time I wash and style I feel good knowing that my hair care is helping a family farmer keep his business alive. I’m sharing the love and feeling the love everytime I wash and style my hair. And that feels damn good.

Dry shampoo is my weapon of choice. It’s the only way I can keep up with my lifestyle. Washing my hair once or twice a week and refreshing with dry shampoo saves me so much time and ultimately is better for my hair, but I’m constantly battling dullness and strands that look lifeless. Finally, I discovered Oi Oil, an “absolutely beautifying potion,” which is the hair product I never knew existed yet is exactly what I’ve been looking for. This miracle serum revitalizes and refreshes my hair between washes, adding shine and life without weighing it down. It also helps give definition to my finicky waves, that between washes can get tired and flattened. And the fresh scent stays with me all day, and through long nights, whether I’m burning the midnight oil or painting the town red. While Oi Oil is ideal for long-haired girls with busy lifestyles, this miracle product doesn’t discriminate. Just a few spritzes tossed into dry hair will perk up your style and keep you moving without worrying your hair is giving away all your dirty, dull, and delicate little secrets.

Believe it or not, it is going to get warm in New York at some point. And that means weekend trips to the Rockaways, sweaty days shuffling around the city in a ponytail, and an overall lack of care, time, and effort put into our beauty routine. Arm yourself with this miracle spray to protect your tresses from the season-related stresses. Oi All In One Milk helps defend, condition, and adds body and texture to hair while protecting it from the elements and giving it a long-lasting fresh scent that always feels impossible to maintain in the summertime. I spray it on damp hair after the shower as a leave-in conditioner and style it accordingly to help my blow out last super long, and my hair to somehow look flawless when the rest of me is dying from the elements. Stock up with optimism that Spring must be just around the corner.

I hadn’t ever done a hair mask. I’ve never really thought of my hair the way I think of my skin, where I can see the impurities building up in my pores, but trust me, they still exist within those strands. Your hair needs renewing and rebuilding, and taking the time to mask your locks every month will do wonders to your hair’s health and growth potential.

The Purity Circle mask was made for New Yorkers. Its secret weapons are bamboo charcoal and matcha tea extract, helping to protect and energize hair from harsh pollutants and our often worn-out spirits.

The Quick-Fix Circle is the perfect answer for those of us who are always working, always moving, always on the go. It gives you the benefits of a 15-minute home treatment in just 3 minutes. Red clay and hyaluronic acid work quickly to treat, purify, and protect your hair in a pinch. Use it like conditioner after shampooing – cover towel-dried hair in the mask and let sit for 3 minutes (this is when I usually shave my legs, #multitasking) then rinse and, you know, get on with your life.

Update your beauty routine to show that you care, not only for how you look but for the beauty and sustainability of our environment. Davines is the only brand that makes it easy and affordable to use products that are helping more than they are hurting, so that the depletion of the environment is not one of the circumstances of our vanity. Let the only ugliness that comes out of your beauty routine be the jealous looks from flat-headed dull-locked passers-by on the sidewalk. You’re better than that.

Finding a steady stylist in this city is harder than settling into a consistent lover. We are surrounded by attractive potential suitors and shiny bright salons, happy couples and people with inexplicably nice hair. so how does one bridge the gap between lust and love? We have numerous apps at our fingertips to find our next lover, but searching for a salon is way more difficult. Instead of focusing the initial attraction on looks, what you want to know is how they will make you look. You want to see the faces and hair of their past intimate connections, relationships, and maybe even know how they did it… Which trust me, is not an update that tinder is adding anytime soon. (although I can’t deny the efficacy of seeing a brief slideshow of after-sex hair as a measure of a man’s prowess in the bedroom)

It’s easy to remember how you feel after a great first date, and you’re likely riding that high well into the second and third. But the first time in a stylist’s chair? Months later you’re left with an outgrown style and split ends and searching for someone to blame other than your expensive hairdryer that you were promised actually makes your hair healthier. It’s nearly impossible to remember how you felt leaving the salon. And so inevitably, you start thinking you want to try something and someone new. Have some strange hands tousle your hair. Dare yourself to commit; maybe this will be the one.

And while everyone seems to be searching for something different in a salon experience, from someone to tame their mane, a progressive place to get them to try something new and experimental, a place that will give them the same consistent look and feeling time and time again, it’s hard to get beyond the noise.

That’s why Sanctuary Salon in Williamsburg offered me a place of refuge from the barrage of options, reviews, recommendations, and after seven years of searching, finding a salon to settle down with.

Inevitably I was nervous when I arrived because to be honest, I really fucking like my hair. And I like how long it is. So walking into the salon always makes me feel like I’m going to leave missing a part of myself, my soul laying in clumps on the floor around me. The atmosphere at sanctuary felt, well, like a safe place. Owner and hairstyle-maven Jill Syslo is not new to the hair game, especially in North Brooklyn. Formerly part owner of Bull in the Heather in Greenpoint, her new spot is bright, serene, and feels somewhat alive. The walls are covered with budding air ferns, and the gates outside were painted with an organic jungle landscape by famed artist Adrian Picker. All products used are eco-friendly and never tested on animals. Welcoming and peaceful, it helped calm my nerves along with the glass of rose I was offered and gladly sipped as I was introduced to Paige, my new stylist. We discussed my wishes, which left a lot to the imagination. “Um. I like the length but it needs to look healthier. And I’d love to have more volume. And um… you should know I use a lot of dry shampoo,” I admitted as she tried to comb through my once-a-week washed hair. She understood exactly what I was looking for, somehow, probably based on my demeanor and lifestyle. “You want texture, you want body. And I bet the term beachy is something that appeals to you?” she asked.

Yes yes and yes.

This is what I want from a stylist. Someone who listens but offers their own input and expertise, and then gets to work. Paige didn’t mess around with aimless small talk. We discussed our shared fear of what the neighborhood was becoming, the rather hilarious normality of her Thanksgiving this year, and a bit about the salon itself, all while she explained enough of what she was doing to make me feel comfortable and confident.

An hour later she asked me to flip my hair upside down, sprayed some magic into it, and when I looked in the mirror and I felt like a million fucking dollars. And it There was no audacious blowout to distract me, there was just my hair, styled and shaped exactly how I’d hoped. And in the days that passed, I realized that my cut kept up with my lifestyle, from the gym to the “office” (read: every cafe in greenpoint) to hours behind the bar and then, admittedly, hours in front of it. It required little to no attention and was full of life even when I wasn’t. It perked right up when I seductively removed the bobby pins from it post-shift, it fell effortlessly after being cooped up in a bun through cycling class, it looked perfectly but not offensively disheveled when I woke up each morning.

And I realized, maybe, that after foraging through this concrete jungle for seven years now, in search of love and life and liquor and attempting to maintain really really fabulous hair the whole time, that perhaps I’d finally found a salon to settle down in. I’d found what I’d been searching for in this charming little sanctuary in Williamsburg.

Oh yeah and it doesn’t hurt that it’s right beside Night of Joy, that funky, musty, attic-like bar with fantastic cocktails and a bright rooftop to show off that new ‘do.

As an exclusive offer for Brooklyn, I’m Trying readers, schedule an appointment any Friday noon-4pm in December and get 20% off your cut and style. Just drop my name, baby.

Sanctuary Salon is located at 677 Lorimer St.

Find them here.

Follow them here.

Book your appointment here.

and don’t look back.