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Face-To-Face in West Portal
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Proprietor and stylist, Kelli Simmons
West Portal Avenue is dotted with hair salons and day spas catering to nearby residents, as one might expect of a residential business center. However, there is one salon with a unique specialty that finds its clientele coming from all parts of the Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley and beyond, including London and Austraiia.
Face-to-Face is located on the second block on the east side of West Portal Avenue in a converted house with a dry cleaning storefront. Unless one knows what one is looking for, it would be easy to walk by the open door and twenty-six steps to the second floor apartment that serves as a comfortable, light and intimate salon. According to proprietor and stylist Kelli Simmons, there is little to no walk-in traffic, which suits her just fine. She can focus instead on her existing clientele and those newcomers in need of her special skills and expertise.
Face-to-Face offers hair replacement services to women with hair loss. Kelli's clients have conditions known as alopecia totalis and alopecia areata that may be the result of genetics, hormone imbalances, cancer treatments or other means of permanent or semi-permanent scarring. The clientele is divided evenly between those coming for styling of their own healthy hair and those in need of hair replacement services. According to Kelli, cutting and styling healthy hair informs her hair replacement business. It allows her to learn and practice current styles.
If one is looking for a surgical remedy to hair loss, this is not the place to come. Face-to-Face exclusively provides human hairpieces ranging from complete, whole head vacuum fit pieces to hair pieces designed to integrate with a woman's own natural hair. Although there is a definite science to creating a custom mold for a well fitting cap, selecting the right hair, and weaving it for the best result, hair replacement, says Kelli, 'is mostly an art'.
The process is straightforward. Kelli creates a mold of the woman's skull and helps the client select the hair for the piece. The fit of the hairpiece is key to a natural look. The hair comes mostly from Indonesia and India, but it may come from anywhere in the world. The hair and mold are then sent to a local manufacturer for production. This can take a few months. The finished product comes back to the salon for cutting and styling. The cost of a hairpiece may range from approximately $1,500 to $4,000 each, depending on whether the piece is a complete or integration piece and depending on the length of the hair.
Kelli credits her Sassoon training of the late '70s for giving her the discipline and skills needed to provide the best and most natural looking cut for her clients. Add her talents for styling and coloring and it is no wonder Kelli has a loyal following. According to one client who wishes to remain anonymous, 'Kelli is trusted implicitly'.
In addition to her training, Kelli has over twenty years experience in hair styling and human hair replacement design. She believes her role is to educate her clients and to facilitate their decision making by remaining sensitive to their needs. Face-to-Face was originally owned and operated by Kelli's late mother, Raine Davidson. It was working along side mother that Kelli learned and honed her craft, beginning with their first salon in Campbell, 'Youtopia'. The San Jose Guardian ranked this salon first out of ten in the area.
The joy of her work comes in seeing her clients' smiling faces and the confidence a well crafted and styled hairpiece brings. As I observed, the results are remarkable and one is hard pressed to pick the lady with the hairpiece out of a crowd.
For more information about Face-To-Face hair styling and design services, contact Kelli Simmons at kellilsimmons@att.net.
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