From a very young age, Beth Ramsey found herself drawn to the Comsmetologial Arts. Armed with a brush, some rubber bands, and a fierce determination, she taught herself all sorts of creative hairstyles using her precious life-sized Barbie head.

As she got older, her friends became her victims. There was that one time, in high school, when she pulled her friend Sharon's ponytail through a 45 record of The Knack's "My Sharona", and sent her off to the football game a fabulous fashion statement. (Come on, folks, it was the eighties. Sheesh!)

In college, as a music major, Beth learned so much about jazz, and possibly even more about Cosmetology. For example: do not bleach one's hair out six times in one week, just because Madonna is making resurgence. And: just because you can't sleep at 3 a.m., it is no excuse to cut off all of your own hair (even though it resembled a haystack from all the bleach).

Though her passion for hair was always with her, it wasn't until her twenty-eighth year that she decided to take the plunge into the shallow (and catty) waters of Beauty School.

Beth refers to this as Beauty Boot Camp. There were definitely Beauty Drill Sergeants barking out perming orders, and cowering, makeup-encrusted Privates chain-smoking back behind the dumpsters. But Beth, with only her Divine Sense of Purpose to guide her, made it through this boot camp in one shimmering, pink piece.

Beth landed at Nurture Salon, where she could be in the company of her favorite Portland stylists, and where she could truly be herself.