Sally Noblett of Joseph Michael’s Salon

Photo: Nick Murway

Street cred As a fifth grader, Sally Noblett of Joseph Michael’s Salon lopped off her long locks to reveal crazy curly hair (thank you, hormones)—and an unflattering cut. “I went to a hairdresser who performed a magic act. She set my hair in hot rollers and calmed it down. I thought she had made the biggest change in my life, so I decided this was what I needed to do the rest of my life,” Noblett says. “I [realized I] could make a change in people’s lives quickly and easily. I wanted to change people’s perceptions of themselves, and it seemed faster than getting a degree in psychology.”

After getting a cosmetology license in Boulder, Colorado, where she grew up, Noblett made her way to Chicago in 1993 and started working at Joseph Michael’s Salon shortly thereafter. Her favorite ways to cut right now: organic cutting, razor-cutting and freehand, all of which bring out hair’s natural texture. Also, “I really like fine textured and straight textured hair because they’re not mine. Basically hair envy on my part.”

Why we love her Style writer Heather Kenny started seeing Noblett 18 years ago when she walked into Noblett’s former salon, Trio, in search of a good cut. Almost two decades later, their relationship is still going strong. “She remembers the specific quirks of my hair and works with them, and if I want something that won’t work, she’ll let me know,” Kenny says. “She never pressures me to do anything drastic but supports experimentation, again with her expert guidance. And she always seems to get exactly what I want, although with enough variation so that I don’t look like I’ve had the same cut for almost 20 years.” Cuts by Noblett at Joseph Michael’s Salon (1313 N Ritchie Ct, 312-482-9800, mychicagosalon.com) start at $125, single process color starts at $85 and highlights start at $160.