THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505190207
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
If you've ever wondered what a new haircolor would do for your appearance or how you would look in a radically different hairstyle, now you can know before the first snip of the scissors.
Computer technology has taken the risk out of cutting and dying, giving individuals an opportunity to try out dozens of new looks before committing to anything.
An interactive computerized video system makes selecting a new style or color as easy as watching television. For less than $30, you can preview, risk free, the new you.
After a trained consultant classifies your facial shape, coloring and style choice (classic, romantic, natural or dramatic), she enters the information into a computer, and the show is on.
Oohs, aahs, giggles and even an occasional scream are likely to break out when clients see their own images on the color monitor, modeling hairstyles and haircolors the computer has modified to flatter their particular face shape and coloring.
``It is funny to see how they like some styles and others they absolutely hate,'' Jennifer Griffin said. Griffin is a Styles on Video consultant at Mirror Image in Suffolk. Styles on Video also is available at Mirror Image and at The Both of You in Churchland.
For clients who need more time to study their options, the system prints out a ``before'' and three ``after'' pictures of their favorite selections along with a list of personalized hair care suggestions.
Styles on Video is also programmed for men's hair styles and is especially helpful to men with ponytail length hair who are considering a shorter, more conservative cut.
Dennis Harper, a 25-year-old chemical process worker from Myrtle, has worn his hair to his shoulders for 10 years. He thought it was time for shorter hair, but hesitated. ``Change is good, but I don't have the guts to just get it chopped,'' he said.
After a session with Styles on Video, Harper saw exactly the style he wanted and how it would look on him. ``You can look in a magazine but that can't compare to this.''
Reassurance is one of the system's greatest advantages, said Griffin, who knows how unsettling it can be to change hairstyles with no guarantee of the results. ``I am one of those people who get really upset with haircuts,'' she said.
A recent high school graduate, Griffin had wanted to do something different with her brown hair that was cut all one length to the middle of her back but she hesitated to take the plunge. With Styles on Video, she saw how she would look with shoulder length, spiral permed hair and liked the effect enough to make the change. ``It was a lot less traumatic because I had already seen myself in the new style,'' she said.
Styles on Video was developed over a two-year period by Lisa Johnstone, who describes herself as ``a hairdresser gone technical.'' Johnstone, owner of Styles on Video Inc. headquartered in Newbury Park, Calif., has marketed 50 of the systems nationally, four in Virginia, for the Redken Laboratories, a hair care company.
Mary Retha Langston, owner of The Both of You, sees the new technology as a good way for small privately owned salons to compete with large chain salons.
``Although 75 percent of the people who make a change are happy with it afterward, this reassures them ahead of time, and that is important, especially with a color change,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Patty Pearce changes a Styles on Video hairdo at Mirror Image
salon.
by CNB