It was a night to remember at the MID Nightclub on Sunday, April 22, where 11 Chicago salons all competed for the regional title of “Supreme Salon” in the annual Hair Wars Supreme Salon Tour. Each of the salons chose to represent a theme, and then were judge on elements like originality, continuity to theme, usage of extensions or props in the hair, make-up and choreography.

From the downstairs to the upstairs of the nightclub, the scene was very exotic. Journeying to the upstairs level, I entered a jungle of hair styles—hair pieces were exotically crafted into pirate ships, parrots, bird’s nests, birdcages and tissue boxes to more casual updos and men’s styles. The costumes were fantastic as well—some models were airbrushed or wore complete body paint. It was a photographer’s paradise!

Downstairs was a little less hectic, at least at the beginning of the night. Right when the doors opened to the public—hundreds of people poured in. Goody bags from sponsors like Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional, Joico and TIGI were made available for guests to take home. But the most striking feature downstairs was the long catwalk that stretched across the dance floor. It was definitely a sight to see!

The show started around 11 p.m. Hosting the show was BRAVO’s Shear Genius finalist Ben Mollin, who got the audience super excited between presentations. Judging from the VIP booth with me, was 2011’s NAHA Hairstylist of the Year, Eli Mancha; and Jose Schnekenburger, former education coordinator at Pivot Point International Academy and creative director at Lock & Loaded Salon in Chicago.

One after another, each presentation brought their theme to life through the use of props, choreography and the right selection of music. By the end of each of the presentations, it was a difficult choice for all of us to decide who would take home the prizes for the evening. In the end, first place went to Planet Color Hair Salon whose theme was, “Transformers.”

This presentation took the cake that night. Models walked out with light-up boots, and some of the hair pieces “transformed” into an entirely different hair look. Second place went to BCS Hair Design who stole the show with their "Pirate" presentation. Captain Barbossa, Jack Sparrow, mermaids and even a model wearing a treasure chest made out of hair were just a few of the memorable acts. Third place went to Colorrific Coiffure whose theme wowed the judges with "Zodiac Signs." As you can imagine, each of the models portrayed a different sign from Taurus (with horns created from hair extensions) to Scorpio (yes, the hair extensions were crafted into a scorpion shape!)

After winning the Chicago Hair Wars competition, these three winners are now invited to compete for the national title, which will be held later this year in Las Vegas. Curious to see what some of the styles looked like from the evening? Check them out below.

List of Participating Salons:

1. ROCKSTAR HAIR BOUTIQUE - Graffiti  
2. BCS HAIR DESIGN - Pirates (2nd place)
3. ASHLEY ALWIN SALON
4. HIP SALON - Super Nova Intergalactic Beauty Pageant
5. VERGO SALON
6. COLORRIFIC COIFFURE - Zodiacs (3rd place)
7. MGO FASHIONS - Birds
8. JAMES ANTHONY SALON - Garden of Eden
9. SALON FUSION - Amazon
10. BALANCE SALON - Pop Art
11. PLANET COLOR SALON - Transformers (1st place)