Bronxville on a Budget: The Value of Good Hair

There’s a fine line between being a girl on a budget and just being cheap; every girl knows when she’s crossed that line. I crossed it two years ago.

I was sitting in the chair at a “value” hair salon on Central Park Ave, thinking how smart I was to get a haircut for only twelve dollars, when suddenly, my “stylist” screamed "Oh No!" 

I looked up to see a one-inch hole where the hair framing my face used to be. No amount of savings would ever cover that hole; I still have nightmares.

Clearly I needed to find a midway point between “value” cuts and the seven-figure stylists you find in many Westchester salons. I asked around campus, and discovered that many of the students had been really happy with haircuts they got at Fabio’s Hair Studio on Parkway Road.

While the place can be pricey, the secret to saving money is simple: get your hair cut by someone other than Fabio, (who, I’m sure, is totally worth the money – if you have it). I called immediately, and was set up for a next-day appointment with Stefy.

I never would have guessed that my guardian angel would turn out to be a twenty-something girl from Yonkers in six-inch heels, but Stefy is most definitely an angel.

She fixed my botched haircut, and made me feel generally better about life. She told me about how she started working at Fabio’s in high school as an intern. She was in a special program where she earned her diploma and her cosmetology license at the same time. When she graduated, Fabio gave her a job as an entry-level stylist.

She told me the girl who had shampooed my hair was currently in that same high school program. I realized the extra money I was spending went not only to a local business owner, but also to career opportunities for local teens. I could see the value in that. When I got to the register, I discovered that my bill was 10% off because I worked at Sarah Lawrence, even more value.

Since then, Fabio’s has sent me free conditioning treatments on my birthday, invitations to fundraisers they did for Autism Speaks, and most recently, a calendar of specials for August’s Customer Appreciation Month. The value keeps increasing.

Today was a big day for me and Stefy. I finally got up the nerve to ask her to give me bangs. I’ve had some rough experiences with bangs, and I never thought I’d trust a stylist enough to try them again. But I trust Stefy immensely, and I couldn’t be happier about the way the bangs turned out. For a girl on a budget, that kind of trust is invaluable.