Raising Maine

Limington mom and hairdresser Sherri Mooney was ready to ditch her ponytail. "I'm such a plain Jane. I don't have time to do my own hair, so that's when the ponytail comes in," she said. "I feel like when I go shopping, I'm the only one with a ponytail, and everyone else has a great haircut."

Her husband, Bob Mooney, nominated the busy mom of three kids and two dogs because he said it would be a well-deserved opportunity for Sherri, who runs her part-time hairdressing business out of her home but never blow-dries her hair or uses any kind of hair product. "She just throws her hair in a ponytail with no makeup," said Bob. "But I still think she is hot."

Sherri said her husband urged her "to go for it, to let them do whatever they want, because I'm always complaining about my hair, but I like to keep it the way it is."

"I'm not that brave," she said. "I'm hoping to get out of the '80s and to look more updated, more professional. I don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed every day. But I want to keep the length."

Yet, she confided that she was reluctant to leave the '80s because she liked that era.

Stylist Sarah Clark and Sherri quickly slipped into hairdresser lingo, with Sherri discussing her color preference: "I don't like chunky – I like subtle color, and I love being a brunette."

SARAH'S THOUGHTS
Sarah aimed to refresh Sherri's layers and do some foils, but she didn't plan to go too light. "We're looking for a fresh, clean look," Sarah said, emphasizing that it wouldn't be a huge change, but she planned to give Sherri's hair golden tones, two levels lighter.

"We'll lighten her up for summer - it's a good time of year. We'll give her a little boost while still keeping her in her comfort zone."

SHERRI'S THOUGHTS
Sherri was pleased with the result, conceding that taking off 3 1/2 inches (up from the 1 inch she initially approved) was a good idea. "I hate to admit it, but it feels so good to get some of the length off," she said. "I love it. It needed some oomph! I don't feel like a mom!"

Stylist Sarah also enjoyed the experience: "It could have been intimidating" to do another hairdresser's hair, she said. "But she made it easy."


– TEXT AND PHOTOS BY BETSY RING