Walking out of Russian Hill salon Spoke & Weal last weekend, I felt glamorous and refreshed—like I had just converted to a new religion. Not only did I have my hair dry cut for the first time, I had also been instructed to stop conditioning my hair—forever. Weird, right?
I was there to experience a haircut from sought-after coiffeur Jon Reyman, the lead stylist for more than 30 runway shows during New York Fashion Week. Not only has he worked with designers like Carolina Herrera, Betsey Johnson, and Nautica, he's also snipped the glossy locks of Lana Del Rey, Paris Hilton, Christina Milian, and Sienna Miller. Now the Project Runway and The Apprentice alum has set up shop in San Francisco. But he refuses to talk about all of that. He asked me not to judge him by his famous clients, but by how I felt when I walked out of his salon. "A lot of celebrities have really bad haircuts," he warned me.
Spoke & Weal offers all-natural haircuts and coloring using exclusively Aveda products from some of the city's best artists. Easily the fastest haircut you'll ever experience, Reyman knows exactly what your hair needs and, more importantly, how to make you look your best, while simultaneously listening to your every desire. I wanted more volume, hence the need to cut out conditioner from my life. You may be skeptical at first, but sit back and let him work his magic— you're guaranteed to come out looking fabulous.
After an initial consultation—in which Reyman asked me what I loved and hated about my hair and what I wanted out of a haircut—he cut it. Right then and there, no shampoo first. I was surprised, but Reyman explained that hair should be cut so that you know what it will look like in real life. The haircut took about ten minutes, and is easily the best cut my locks have ever experienced.
In honor of the changing seasons we tapped the legendary stylist's brain to offer his best hair care tips for winter:
Why open a salon in San Francisco?
There’s a lot of energy in SF. I do in-salon education all over the country, and I’m always traveling to the West Coast. We wanted to open up where there was need and opportunity for our services and Aveda products. SF was a great place to start. Spoke & Weal isn’t fluffy—we are about really high quality craftsmanship and simplicity. I figured the population of SF would appreciate the concept, and based on our growth, it seems I was right! Opening brick and mortar is a wild ride.
How does cold weather damage hair?
Cold weather can dry out hair, causing more breakage, or brittle ends. Some of my clients are big skiers, they pull oil based moisture through their ends to help protect in harsher or dryer weather.
How can we fight back?
Spoke & Weal does a botanical hair therapy in the salon, either Dry Remedy or Damage Remedy: these penetrate the hair leaving it softer, more moisturized, and more resilient.
What hairstyle trends are hot right now?
The Lob is big. A longer blunt bob styled naturally (not too straight, not too curled) is definitely hot. Warm and rich dimensional hair color tones not only look pretty for the holidays, but richer colors add strength and shine to hair.
Go-to beauty products:
I use Invati haircare from Aveda, rosemary mint hand and body wash, and Wella's Wild Rose deodorant spray. Love the rose spray. Also, dental floss — take care of your teeth! I always have floss on me. Traveling so much, I pretty much live off of this basic list.
Favorite SF haunts:
I juice, love Moose Juice, Juice Shop, Gracias Madre, and The Plant has some great salads.
