Hair Therapy

They say that you don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone and that is certainly true of most things. People move so fast; we hardly take the time to appreciate the special gifts we are given and the people we have come to love. Life is fleeting. Spending moments with gratitude in our hearts keeps us grounded and helps us to become better humans to each other and to ourselves. One of the relationships that I have cultivated over the years that I never forget to be grateful for is my friendship with Lore (pronounced LOR-EE) Lis.

Lore and I both grew up in Sunland. She was a couple of years ahead of me in school and our sisters were friends, but I didn’t really spend time with Lore until we were both adults.  In the month leading up to my wedding day my sister, Lisa, convinced me to have my hair professionally styled for the big event. I was a simple girl back then and hadn’t really done that before. I was just planning to fluff up my long blonde hair myself – maybe even curl it. I thought better of it though, when Lisa came back from her pre-wedding cut and her hair looked amazing. As it turns out, her hair stylist was Lore. Lore had been cutting hair for the past 12 years and had gotten quite skilled. She agreed to “set me” on the day of the wedding and the week before we did a practice run. That day, I spent an hour or more in the chair getting all curled up while getting to know Lore for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable I felt talking to her as we swapped stories and learned about each other. We laughed the whole time. The atmosphere in the shop was relaxed and I felt right at home. By the end of my appointment my wedding stress had melted away and I looked like a princess.  She had talent.

Before long, I found myself returning to Lore every eight weeks or so. She made me feel like I was the most important person in a room full of clients and I looked forward to the refresh and reboot. Husband Jeff soon followed and one by one, so did our kids. She was so gentle and kind with them as the comb worked to tame their mopheads. I progressed to long-hair perms during the 1990s and later added some color. I always looked forward to our great talks, which I came to call “hair therapy.”

Lore is well known in the greater foothills area having worked and owned several shops around town from Shadow Hills to La Cañada Flintridge and beyond. Not only is she respected as a talented stylist but she also does her magic while sharing her heart, adding insights into life and always engages with a touch of humor. She is hilarious. A friend recently said to me, “You can get a haircut anywhere. What Lore brings is priceless.” That is so true.

Over the course of the past 40 years, Lore has been a fixture in the life of my family and has become my dear friend. We have shared stories of joy and cried through our tragic losses. We talked about the deeper meaning of life and the need to clear away the everyday minutiae. These discussions were deeply personal and took place during my time in the chair.  You can’t get this experience from ordinary service providers.

Lore has been weighing a lifestyle change for some time and finally announced her retirement. She will be leaving Layers in La Cañada Flintridge on Aug. 1. She plans to move with her husband Stephen to their mountain retreat in Tehachapi and we wish them many adventures.  

Lore will be missed more than mere words can express.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com