Something that really helps is if you have a picture of the cut, style, or color that you want. I found a tiny little beauty salon where the owner/only worker lives in the adjoining rooms. She can copy the hair cut in any picture I show her. I trust her completely in that department.

Coloring your hair, on the other hand, is dangerous business. I was blonde as a child, and for some idiotic reason that I can't remember now, I suddenly decided I wanted to be blonde again. (My hair is darkish brown with splashes of blonde and red.) So, armed with a picture and a translator, I marched myself into a well-known and popular beauty salon downtown. I think I was their first foreign customer.

Astarte (my friend/translator) entered into a deep conversation (argument?) with several people standing near my hair and already wielding scissors. I was sure things were under control. Four hours later, I emerged from the shop with what can only be described as nuclear orange hair. I started buying hats.