Beauty School Knock Outs

Shear Fear (Noun): a phobia of your $7 hair school haircut becoming seven weeks of hiding under a hat. Common symptoms include poodle perms, dye-lights, lopsided layers and hearing the word “oops.”

When it comes to your hair you’re no dummy. But it’s hard to say no to a haircut that costs less than you spend on lunch. Shouldn't there be an option between the $70 salon splurge and the $7 hair scare?

Enter the Black Cat New Talent Salon. The new kitty on the block opens today, right across the street from its sister salon, the Black Cat Hair Studio, whose Brazilian Blowouts we first told you about back in January.

The new salon features recent hair school graduates who've earned their diplomas and are just getting their careers off the ground. The pick of the litter, these protégé stylists are hand-selected by The Black Cat’s owners from local hair schools. Which means you can employ their services for seriously discounted prices without the fear of being someone’s failed midterm.

Cuts (including a shampoo and blowout) start at just $30 for women—half the price of what their senior stylists charge. And color treatments start at just $45.

Plus, for the next two weeks you can score a free dry cut or a five percent discount for every inch of hair you cut off. The chopped locks will be donated to Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that uses the clippings to help clean up oil spills.

Talk about reasonable hair fare.

Black Cat New Talent Salon, 33 Oneawa St., Kailua, 808.263.7366. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.