Time to Trade the Bleached-Out Ombré for Rich Fall Hair

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Welcome to Esther Tested, where Racked contributor, surfer, equestrian and blogger Esther Hahn shares the beauty and fashion products that stand up to her stylishly rugged lifestyle.

Finding the perfect hair salon is so much more than picking and choosing from the street. And trial and error makes the search a lengthy process with long intervals to grow out bad cuts and color jobs before giving it another go. But I finally found my SF hair heaven. It was this insta-snap that first landed Barrow Salon on my radar. Mira Picket of Mira Mira is our town's perennial fashion darling so how could her pick for salon be wrong? Well, it wasn't. And now I know what all the fuss is about.

Before I made a visit to Barrow Salon in FiDi, my hair was overgrown and sun bleached from summer surfing. I was accidentally rocking that ombré trend, which Barrow colorist Eileen McCarthy declared as "over." So in the airy, thoughtfully designed and decorated fourth floor space, she went to work with a balayage treatment to gracefully feather in warmer colors to follow fall's trend of darker, richer tones.

Following the color, hair stylist Shelly Cross cut into my long mass of locks, creating subtle layers and bounce that brought my hair back to life. Shelly told me that the "lob" (the long bob) is all the rage right now, but she thought a little length best suited my facial structure. And I knew I could trust her eye, especially because her side gig is to style hair for commercial and fashion shoots.

Michelle Snyder opened the salon just this past May, but she's far from new on the SF hair scene, growing a cult-like following from her time at Cowboys and Angels. She also earned her NYC styling chops at Bumble and Bumble, taking her scissors to magazine shoots and fashionable ladies including Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Sienna Miller and Zoe Kravitz. So it's little wonder that Michelle is influenced by fashion, always keeping an eye on runway hair trends and bringing in NYC talent to give hair clinics to her team.

Michelle is growing her salon slowly and carefully, and appointments are a little hard to come by, often requiring three weeks' notice. But once you're in (and this online booking tool is totally clutch), follow-up sessions are a breeze. Armed with a new color-and-cut (and possibly a few Oribe styling products tucked into that tote), emerge from the wallpapered walls of Barrow Salon looking ready for fall and for the great stretch of holiday parties ahead.
· All Esther Tested posts [Racked SF]
· Barrow Salon [Official Site]