Leco launches Be who you are

Leco, Be who you are, €20.99 bol.com

I truly believe I was a bit nervous when I first met him. Because ‘the’ Leco, he would pull you through his imaginary MRI in ten seconds and, whether you asked for it or not, hit you with the final judgment. “Of course not,” a friend told me with whom I shared my ‘fear’. “He's just a really nice guy.”

Now that's true, about being nice. Intensely sweet and loyal even, as I know after seventeen years. But that thing about the beauty MRI and your final grade: that was true too. “When are you going to do something about that red spot on your cheek?” I heard during our second meeting. And when he cut my hair (I worked as editor-in-chief for Beau Monde and one of the many cheerful perks was that you could occasionally take a seat in Leco's chair) he said the words: “So, and now first get that mess of hair off.” Meanwhile, he looked at editor-in-chief John and asked him when he had last sat in the sun. “Honey, the only thing that has color is your teeth.”

My fear, in short, was justified. But what I didn't know was that behind that rain of witty opinions lay something else: bringing out the better you. Because that red spot was indeed gone after four laser sessions. And I was also a woman who lived by the hair credo ‘the longer, the better’, while a sleek bob suited me much better.

If I got a euro for every time I quoted a famous Leco quote and fifty cents for every time Leco was ready to do my hair or give me a little makeup, then I would now be happily standing next to John de Mol in the Quote 500, because those times are countless.

And he does this not only for me, but also for Aaltje, Chantal, Leontine, Daniëlle, Caroline, Patty, Nyassa, Estelle, Mirjan, Heleen, Jada and so on. From high to low, from highly educated to streetwise, from old money to new wealth, from famous to beloved; they all come to Leco. But no matter how different they are: they have one thing in common: they are the best version of themselves. And they share the same man. Leco, that is.

In ‘Leco, Be who you are’ Leco talks about his journey and his destination. How he became who he wanted to be. And I can tell you: that's top-notch.