Eddie Plishti Salon in Water Mill Working Wonders

It has been two weeks since I walked into Eddie Plishti’s new salon in Water Mill. The master stylist didn’t just give me a new look to frame my face—the makeover I had put me in a new frame of mind.

This is the second summer Plishti has been in his bright, airy space in the shopping village in Water Mill. He brings with him his staff of professional stylists from his Manhattan salon on 73rd and Madison. The salon in Water Mill offers cuts, color, extensions, lashes, manicures, pedicures and makeup services.

My hair is a lengthy, wavy chestnut swath with a blunt cut at the bottom. No layers. No fringe. The texture is fine. I’ve maintained this look since I’ve walked upright, and avoid trims. I am not handy at styling my own hair. The last time I wrapped my hair in rollers without supervision, the unrolling proved painful and destructive.

I asked Plishti what he would do to give me the most dramatic transformation. He quickly ruled out going blonde, anything with beachy waves, and I refused a trendy Kardashian “lob.”

“When I consult with a client for the first time, I look at the shape of the face, neck, her clothes and jewelry,” Plishti said. “The most transforming thing I do—more than going blonde—is to add extensions. It’s life changing. It will put the spark in your marriage.”

I had heard nightmares about extensions—injuries from hot glue guns and cutting out hair to remove them, but Plishti explained the technology has evolved. His soft-spoken expertise convinced me to try them. As most women can attest, having children shrinks the circumference of your ponytail. Plishti assured me the process would be painless and reversible.

Plishti’s plan began with a calming head massage, thorough wash and a voluminous blowout.  He spritzed some volumizing spray and revealed some bow dry tips that will help your hair survive the Hamptons summer humidity.

Plishti said, “You have to have the right brushes. Metal brushes heat up too much and break the hair.” Take note ladies: Use wooden brushes for a blowout. Bring your own brushes (BYOB) to the salon if necessary.

Working in small, 1–2-inch sections, Plishti wrapped my hair around the brush with some tension. He first blasted the heat from below to add volume and lift to the roots. Then angled the heat from above to smooth away frizz.

This method offers the best protection against beach elements, but no guarantees if you’re taking a spin down the highway in a convertible.

After drying the sections, Plishti wrapped them with half a dozen Velcro rollers and let the hair cool for a few minutes to set the curl. Meanwhile, he treated me to a luxurious manicure.

In minutes, Plishti added four sections of extensions and matched my color and length perfectly. No further modifications were necessary. The extensions are reusable and held in place with an adhesive strip and blended in with my blowout. They have to be adjusted every six to eight weeks depending on how quickly your hair grows out. They can be removed with an alcohol-based solution and reapplied with fresh glue strips. Plishti explained that you wash and brush your hair normally between salon visits. My hair is now fuller and thicker from root to tip, and if I weren’t writing all about it in Dan’s Papers, nobody would ever know the difference.

Though I didn’t stray from my roots, my swishy, swingy new mane has given me a boost of energy. Hair possesses a unique magic. Eddie Plishti knew I needed this subtle change to achieve dramatic results.

For more on Eddie Plishti, visit eddieplishti.com.