“Even
when I was a child, I knew I would become an artist,” says Rodolfo Valentin. As a teenager, growing up in a Buenos
Aires suburb, encouraged by his parents, Rodolfo studied with leading Argentine artists and looked forward to a lifetime career
as a painter.
Today, he remains an artist, with his
talent directed not to painting but to the beauty of hair. Hair to him is what an empty canvas is to a painter –
something to be filled with life and color. His special gift attracts patrons to his Rodolfo Valentin Long Island Beauty
Center in the hub of Cedarhurst shops from all over Long Island and his ultra-modern Rodolfo Valentin NY in the heart of the
elegant Madison Avenue is visited by celebrities, models and the Park Avenue crowd as it has been featured in such publications
as Vogue, Elle, W and The New York Times.
“Nothing is more
important than beautiful hair. It is the priceless ingredient. In itself, hair color is a cosmetic,” Rodolfo points
out. “Women whose hair is too pale tend to use too much makeup. Correct color in the hair makes skin color
more natural.”
All color applications in the Valentin salon
are personally supervised by Rodolfo. Healthy hair is of prime importance. “We never damage the hair,”
he says. “In fact, the way we apply color, we give the hair body,” Rodolfo is the inventor of several techniques,
including spot highlighting, a method of using color in specific areas, which remains a house secret.
What is the most
difficult color to do?
It requires concentration when working
with blonde and much more especially golden blonde. Rodolfo Valentin has no patience with colorists who do what
he calls “flat” hair. “Nature does not give you one color hair,” he says. “Natural
hair has many colors.” In fact, he will use as many as seen different tints in blonde spot highlighting to achieve
the richness and depth that hare his trademark. Brunettes and redheads receive the same attention. “To lighten
dark hair is easy,” Rodolfo says, “To give it life – that is another story.”
Dealing with gray hair is another Rodolfo Valentin specialty. “Many women with
gray hair want to be golden. It is necessary to give back to the hair that pigment. Most technicians will darken,
and then bleach. I don’t do that. I work from beneath.” He also deplores the way older women’s
hair is styled. “Most salons cut older hair very short. That is a mistake. The hair must be long enough
to flatter and to camouflage imperfections in the face and neck.” If the hair is thinning, he cuts and styles
for fullness. If need be, he adds hair.
Today, long full
hair is the prime fashion look, and Rodolfo is known for his extensions. (In the past year alone, his business in extensions
has tripled). His hair pieces are famed – made only of the best human hair which he travels the world to acquire.
An acknowledged master of color, cuts and extensions, Rodolfo
is more than a hairdresser. He is a hair designer, trained in Europe (where he was apprentice to the legendary Alexandre
of Paris). Among his clients have been Hollywood stars, TV personalities and Broadway celebrities. He is a “name”
among New York socialites who are delighted with his Salon Spa in Manhattan. It is the latest chapter in a success story
– created by a man who loves his work, who cares about people and who was born with a gift – a story that is still
being written in “headlines.”
