CHECKING IN WITH...SPLITENDS SALON:

With Tina Fey’s turn as Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” creating a stir — in part due to her spot-on bouffant wig — we thought it was time to check in with Christopher Hall, the owner of the wildly popular Splitends salon in Costa Mesa.

The salon will appear at 5 tonight on the Style Network’s “Split Ends” reality TV show.

What is the most common color or style that people are requesting now?

A lot of people have been cutting off their long hair into bobs and bangs. We’ve been getting tons of the razory, edgy haircuts. There’s enough long, flowy hair in Orange County to go around! We’re also seeing a lot of highlights, and more color this year over last year.

Could you describe your typical client?

We have a pretty large cross-section. We’re not the punk rock hair salon, although some people think of us that way; we try to accommodate anybody and everybody — people of all different ages and walks of life. We’ve got everything from 17-year-old high school students all the way up to exclusive clients with higher demands.

Do color preferences change, or are there tried-and-true favorites?

I try to move most clients from a full color change into a highlight. With highlighting, it’s less maintenance, and you can change color effects from service to service easier. We’re seeing a lot of lowlights, and panels [wide swaths of color] have been popular all summer. People also ask for a bright color for one night.

What’s your salon culture like? What makes you so popular?

I don’t really like hair salons. The product industry has kind of taken hold of the salon business. We try to act more like an art gallery. We have revolving art shows on the walls and no shampoo or products in sight. We don’t want to make women feel insecure or intimidated. We’re only 540 square feet, and somehow we came up and swept up all the Orange County salon business in two years. It’s a different kind of thinking; it’s really tight and organic. We offer free bang trims, and people come in just to hang out or browse the Internet.

What’s your biggest pop culture cut or style request?

We had a big run over the summer of people asking for the Victoria Beckham short style.

What if someone asks for something trendy that wouldn’t look good on them?

I tell it like it is, almost to a fault. We almost always work to find something that will flatter the person. But I’ve sent one or two people home over the years when I don’t think we’re a good match. I don’t sell service that I’m not comfortable with.

Have people changed their usual hair routines due to the economy?

We’ve pulled back from the absolute insanity that we had last year, but we’re still really busy. If people tell me they can’t afford to come in right now, I suggest they have their hair done by another stylist here, since we have different rates. We want to accommodate people, but we’re still happy to wait and then help guys with six months of hair pulled back in a ponytail.

765 Saint Clair St., Suite A

Costa Mesa

(949) 645-1223

splitends.com

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (949) 494-5480 or at [email protected].