In my experience, most hairdressers only know how to do about three or four hairstyles and you're destined to leave their salon with one of them.

It doesn't matter how much you gesticulate in front of their mirror while explaining what you want or how many magazine pictures you show them or how much they assure you that they understand exactly what you want.

A couple of hairdressers back, during my first and last visit to a recommended salon, I remember how the stylist stared at my hair with a pained expression before she was able to utter, "Look at all these split ends! Your roots are showing and you're even beginning to grow some nasty stark white hairs in your eyebrows."

"Here's a picture of the kind of hairstyle I'd like," I said, handing it to her.

"Oh, it's you," she now smiled. "I'm going to take care of all your problems, just relax."

Two hours later, I emerged from the salon hoping I wouldn't see anyone I knew on the way to my car. I grabbed my sunhat to cover my butchered hair and donned sunglasses to hide my super thick Groucho Marx-style, pitch black eyebrows.

After my hair grew out a little, I changed hairdressers yet again. The new one solved my hairstyle dilemma during my first visit and immediately started working on my limp crown hair problem.

"I'm adjusting your hair's aura," he assured me in his strong French accent. "See how happy the hair in your crown is now!"

Now I ask you, can I pick a great hairstylist or what?