Change Is In the Hair with Johnny Ramirez

{Going California surfer chick for summer!}

When WWD calls you the “ombré man,” well, you’re the man. And so I finally made it into the chair of the ombré man and celeb colorist Johnny Ramirez of Ramirez Tran Salon in Beverly Hills. The verdict? Winner, winner chicken dinner! For those of you unfamiliar with Johnny, he’s based in 90210 but visits New York and Miami every three months. He counts Kirsten Dunst, Victoria Beckham, Faith Hill and Amber Valletta among his clients. While traveling, he’ll color 35 heads a day (yes, 35!) and stylist Anh Co Tran will wield his scissors for really sick haircuts.

The price? I paid $600 (I know — if my dad is reading this, he’ll most likely disown me or sever one of my limbs, BUT WHATEVER! I TAKE HAIR VERY SERIOUSLY) just for the color. I can, however, rationalize this high cost in my twisted mind because Johnny reports I won’t need color again for 8 months. Cuts with Anh are $300 and up. But I wanted to see what all the hype was about and to experience Johnny first hand because I’ve always admired his work. Besides, he’s a babe and I dig that fedora he wears on the regular.

The process? As the go-to-guy for ombré, his technique is totally different and time consuming. I’ve heard stories of girls leaving his chair at 2:30 a.m.! Knowing this tidbit — I arrived at 10 a.m. and left at 3:30 p.m. — I came armed with my laptop, breakfast, lunch, dinner and book like a complete fucking nerd. As for that technique, Johnny uses enough foils to construct a rocket ship to Mars and teases the hair big time which is pretty freaky because the knot situation was intense. His assistant literally took 30 minutes to comb out my hair. This is followed with a few other coloring steps, but the end result is the perfect, sun-kissed California surfer chick tresses.

If you’re in New York or Miami, Johnny and Anh will be back on a three-month rotation —  just follow them on Instagram (@RamirezTranSalon) to keep abreast with their cross-country tour dates, or email [email protected] or call (310) 724-8167.