By Lauren Saslow
Superstars like Lady Gaga, Nikki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Pink and Cher have all been nearly as well known for their outrageous hairstyles as they have for their singing careers. But, how can the average modern lady switch up her look without doing permanent damage to her hair or making a long-term commitment to a new hairstyle?
Many celebrities use hair extensions with natural color and/or fantasy colors (such as bright pinks, purples, blues and reds), to achieve desired looks. However, one local salon offers not only maintenance haircuts and styles for men, women and children, but also extensions, fantasy colors, highlights, lowlights, perms, “up-dos” for special events (weddings, proms, etc.), Keratin treatments, facial waxing and even special effects make-up designs.
Rebecca Weeks, a Tampa native who now lives and works in Wesley Chapel, opened Rebecca Does Hair (located in the Summergate Professional Center behind Sam’s Club in Seven Oaks) in September 2013 as an independent business inside the Lady Grace Beauty Spa. As a 2010 graduate of Paul Mitchell The School Tampa, she holds a Cosmetology and Business License through the State of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Board of Cosmetology.
Weeks has been trained to cut all hair types (wavy, curly, extra curly and straight) and textures (fine, medium, coarse). She also has completed a two-day, 16-hour course to become a certified stylist for Cinderella Hair Extensions®, qualifying her to apply hair extensions and educate clients about how to maintain those extensions. Weeks also attends continuing education courses regularly, including Organic Color Training and the Paul Mitchell Advanced Cutting Class with artistic director Lenny King.
Her previous salon experience includes Cuts & More, Inc. (Wesley Chapel), and SmartStyle Family Hair Salon inside the New Tampa Walmart Supercenter. Because Rebecca Does Hair is only a few months old and is still building a client base, Weeks currently services all of her clients without the assistance of subcontractors, offering a truly individualized experience.
While Weeks originally went through nursing school and later completed certification in Digital Publishing and Design through the Erwin Technical Center in Tampa in 2001, she says that she was continually playing with hair during her free time. Her mother Sarah King suggested that she take her passion to the next level and become certified in the field. Now, Rebecca uses her digital design background to run her business’ website, where clients can view a list of services, prices, detailed directions to the salon and a photo gallery of her previous work, including before-and-after photos.
Because the business is simply a one-seat salon inside of an upscale spa, Weeks is able to offer a uniquely client-based experience in a comfortable environment with appointment availability during hours when most salons are closed.
She explains, “I want my clients to feel comfortable in their surroundings.” The salon has wood laminate flooring, a cutting chair in front of a three-way mirror and vanity, a hair-wash sink, one chair for a waiting client (or a client’s friend or family member), and Paul Mitchell home hair care products for purchase.
Amenities include a well-decorated and clean restroom, free Wi-Fi access and client-controlled music selections. Because the salon was created for only a single client on an appointment-only basis, individuals may feel less rushed.
Sarah Hughes — a Licensed nurse practitioner, pharmaceutical sales representative and New Tampa resident — has been one of Weeks’ regular customers for four years, setting appointments every three weeks.
“I like the way she does my color and cut, and the hours and location are convenient,” Hughes explains.
In addition, when Weeks recently gave Hughes a Keratin treatment, Hughes says she received compliments from her work partner, who indicated that her hair, “looked natural and smooth.” Hughes also purchased Cinderella Hair Extensions® from Rebecca Does Hair because her natural hair is so fine; she says the finished product made her hair appear more full-bodied and thicker.
Weeks adds that she is able to, “work around my clients’ schedules and will sometimes schedule a midnight appointment for a nurse just getting off work, then return to the salon at 6 a.m. the following morning to meet another client before their flight out of town.”
Jeremey Terry, a Temple Terrace resident and owner of Jeremy’s Hair Studio (the other independent hair stylist located in the Lady Grace Beauty Spa), has been a loyal client of Rebecca Does Hair for four months.
Terry insists, “As a hair stylist myself, it’s hard to get someone to cut my hair the way I like it. I’m particular about how it’s cut — it’s very fine — and you need to be precise.”
Terry and Weeks enjoy working in the same building and consult with each other regularly, especially for hair color tones for clients. They will oftentimes combine both of their opinions on a hair treatment option and agree that the results have always been positive.
Standard & Unique Services
Rebecca Does Hair offers a competitive rate for standard wash, cut, blow-dry and style services for new clients, starting at $25 for women, $15 for men and only $13 for children under 13 years old, while teachers receive 20-percent-off any service year-round. Weeks also offers up-dos for special events either on- or off-site, as well as various color treatment options. She is skilled with the trendy Ombré color technique, in which the locks are two-toned, usually (but not always) brunette on top with blonde tips.
The salon uses Redken professional hair products and hair color, in addition to Organic Colour Systems hair dye and Organic Keratin that has a non-formaldehyde formula. The Cinderella Hair Extensions® offer 100-percent Remy Hair, meaning the entirely human hair pieces have cuticles all facing in the same direction, which prevents tangles and matting problems. Remy hair blends seamlessly with the client’s own natural hair to create an appearance of natural, healthy looking hair.
The process of applying Cinderella Hair begins with a free initial consultation. The client discusses the desired look with Weeks and selects from one or more of the 76 color options, with lengths ranging from 8-24 inches. Hair texture options include fine, medium and coarse while hair types includes straight, body wave or Euro wavy. Weeks then orders the client’s selection, which generally takes less than a week to ship. During the second appointment, Weeks applies low levels of heat to soften and contour the Organic Classic Bond around the hair shaft. She says that the extensions, with proper care, can last 4-6 months and can be applied to all hair types.
When the client is ready to remove the extensions, Weeks can apply a “bond remover” to each bond in order to soften it. Applying gentle pressure allows the bond to slide off the client’s hair along with the extensions. Weeks says that any residual bond may be removed with a gentle shampoo without damaging the client’s natural hair.
Several other services are offered at Rebecca Does Hair, including facial waxing of the eyebrows, upper lip and chin, as well as special effects make-up applications. While Weeks learned some make-up techniques through her cosmetology training, she says she has perfected her art over time.
“Halloween is a busy day,” Weeks explains. “I’m usually booked beginning in the morning for everything from vampire bites to dead pirates (which also might come in handy for the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival on Saturday, January 25, in downtown Tampa) with prosthetic bones exposed on the face.” Weeks says that she even replicated a design of the character Pinhead from the horror flick “Hellraiser.”
Community Involvement
Rebecca Does Hair is scheduled to donate time and services to the American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life of Wesley Chapel/Wiregrass at Watergrass Elementary School in May 2014, a popular overnight fund-raising event to benefit ACS.
Weeks will be on-site at the Relay for Life event where she will cut the hair of willing participants according to the Locks of Love (LoL) donation guidelines. Long-locked volunteers can donate eight inches of hair or more to LoL, which is a public non-profit organization providing hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Cancer constitutes the second highest percentage of LOL recipients (the largest number of recipients being children suffering from the auto-immune disorder, alopecia).
For more info, call 943-4023 or email RebeccaDoesHair@hotmail.com to make an appointment. Rebecca Does Hair is located inside the Lady Grace Beauty Spa, at 27551 Cashford Cir., Unit 101, off S.R. 56. Clients can also ‘Like’ her page, Rebecca Does Hair, at Facebook.com.
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