Sunday, December 19, 2010

Santa's Appointments

Here comes Santa Claus, for his beauty shop appointment

When Santa's having a bad hair day, he comes to see Susan Myers, a beautician who lives on a couple of rural acres outside Midland. Her business card announces her as "Santa's Personal Hairdresser."

Myers, 47, personally poofs the pompadours of 30 shopping mall and hobbyist Santas from Michigan and around the country each season, applying purple potions to dye their hair and beards into a touchable, believable snowy hue. Santas from around the country also mail her their beards and wigs to fluff during the off-season.

"The Santas are all like having a hundred Grampas," says Myers.

She developed the niche clientele through her friendship with Tom and Holly Valent, the Midland couple who run the Charles W. Howard Santa School, which draws about 100 participants to a four-day seminar every October.

A beautician for 30 years, Myers has ministered to Santas for 13 of those years. She started with Santa wigs.

"Grueling work. Lots of thick, snarly hair," she recalls. After her kids went to bed, she would work on the wigs while sitting on the floor watching television. "It would take a long time, because you have to extra careful with them -- wig hair does not grow back."


The rest of the article here.

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