Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been basically staying home for the whole. Entire. Pandemic. As a germaphobe with a husband who is at a higher risk for COVID complications, this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one and is fitting to my stubborn Portuguese routes that force me to fight fiercely for what I believe in. So for me to come out of the house to get my hair done, it would have to be a really, really good reason and I’d have to do my research on making sure it was safe (especially while being 32 weeks pregnant!). Honestly, I don’t think I would have done it if I didn’t have a stylist that I absolutely trust with my whole heart.
Courtney at Spoke & Weal on Newbury Street has been my go-to gal, and ever since she welcomed me into her chair I can’t imagine seeing anybody else. It was hard to stay away from her during the pandemic as I watched my roots grow (real talk: ALL of your body hair will grow in pregnancy like CRAZY thanks to the hormones!). I knew that once I sat my butt back in that chair, my poor girl was going to have a LOT of work to do. So when my doctor gave me the go-ahead to get my hair done, I was thrilled! Yet for me, that wasn’t the only step to take. I also needed to check in with Courtney to find out what their COVID protocols were and ensure that I would feel comfortable going. As always, she was a gem about it and ensured me two things:
- She’d use products that were safe for pregnancy on my hair (yay!)
- She actually went as far as to open early so that for the first hour, she and I were the only people in the salon in a chair that was thoughtfully spaced out from where other appointments would be. We both wore our masks (I even double masked), and Courtney made sure to ask if I’d like to stick to just her doing my hair or if I was comfortable with having someone step in to blow dry. (Personally, I felt most comfortable limiting my interaction with others and chose to stick with her.)
The first thing she did was give my mess a spray down with detangler & brush through. Then, it was time to set the color! As she did, we caught up on life & before I knew it she gingerly sat a foil cape over her work as I sat back, relaxed & watched baby boy kick around in there.
Next, it was time for a rinse & hair mask! She used a product called K18 Biommetic HairScience, described as a “professional molecular repair hair mask”. Now, she put a lot of work into my hair, but can confirm that this was definitely a next-level product that left my hair feeling silky smooth and oh-so-in-love with it. Not that I’ll be ditching Drybar anytime soon…but it seriously felt like learning a secret to how they give you that salon-soft feel!
Once I was out of the wash chair, Courtney sprayed my hair down this time with Aveda’s Pure Abundance Style Prep & Nutri Plenish Leave In Conditioner. Now, neither of those are things I use in my daily routine: I usually use a heat protectant when I blow dry, a hair mask once a week and run some invisible oil through my tresses on the days where it feels a bit dry, so there was definitely an opportunity to learn here about products I likely should be adding to my routine. Although we were short on time for styling (my fault for not saving enough time between a doctor’s appointment!), my hair STILL felt like heaven when I walked out the door after my blow-dry.
Here’s the full video that takes you inside Spoke & Weal so you can see for yourself Courtney’s process, kindness and get a firsthand look at what the Newbury Street shop has to offer!
*Video will be aired at 10:30AM (EST) on Saturday, March 14th, 2021
Emmalyn Reid 