The Neil Geroge salon is the current top A-lister salon in Beverly Hills with clients like Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz and Paula Abdul. Since I have had a string of bad luck with my stylists either on constant maternity leave, traveling or moving, I decided to make an appointment with encouragement from my fabulous friend who used to fly in from London just to get her hair done by the good folks at Neil George (she lives in LA now!). With all this hoopla, I was expecting Neil to be your typical primadonna celebrity stylist but instead I was embraced by his total lack of pretense. He appreciates his high profile clientele but says he treats everyone the same, lucky for me I guess! Neil grew up in London’s east end, a son of a modest working family (his dad is a cab driver). He took up hairdressing so he can learn a “trade” but it also encompassed his love and inclination to all things fashion. His technical talent was immediate but he attributes his success to his people skills. As soon as I sat down, I knew I had found my new stylist, plus he is the kind of guy I wanted to have a drink with. As a stylist, he knew what I wanted, what looks good on me and has the skills to make it so.
He is of course on top of trends but he warns up front that the most important thing to keep in mind is what looks good on an individual and to not pay too much attention to trends when it comes to hair. Bangs and the cropped bob are in but he reserves them only for the appropriate face. With the Oscars coming up, he says we will be seeing a lot of vintage sets like what you see on Mad Men. Curls tucked under and set (think, Dita von Teese). He gave me the brunette bombshell which made me instantly glamorous but the cut unstyled is the best I’ve had. There are lots of long layers with tons of movement but most importantly for me, it looks great straight out of the shower and air dried. Even when wet, you can see the swaying, texture and shape which is how you can tell you got a good cut. I am definitely going back to Neil. At $225, he is the best deal in his league by far. Neil George Salon on 9320 Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.275.2808.