Hair stylist Stacy Ringling is used to working in her sister's Brentwood beauty salon, where there's an ample supply of sinks, swivel chairs and hair dryers.

But since February, Ms. Ringling, of Pleasant Hills, has been washing a lot of heads of hair in kitchen sinks, right next to coffee pots and toasters.

Two days a week, she takes her giant duffel bag of beauty equipment and visits elderly and infirm people who can't easily get out to get their hair done.

"She even brings her own towels," said Florence Dryer, 73, of Baldwin Borough, as she sat happily in her kitchen, getting her hair set with rollers last Thursday morning.

Mrs. Dryer, who lives on Willett Road, has a hard time getting out. She doesn't drive. She has had two knee replacements and stenosis in her spine, which makes walking difficult.

Her husband, Robert, 75, hasn't driven since he had a stroke.

So the Dryers have to rely on family members, some of whom live nearby, to help with grocery shopping and doctor appointments.

So having a hairdresser who will come to the house is a welcome service.

"It is really nice," Mrs. Dryer said.

Ms. Ringling has worked for the past 18 years at Hair Designs by Gail on Brownsville Road, which is owned by her sister, Gail Snyder.

"A lot of our clientele have been in this area for a long time. Every so often, someone would ask, do you have any girls who can come out?" Ms. Snyder said.

After several years of thinking about it, Ms. Ringling decided to try to provide the home service. Thus far, she has found it to be very fulfilling.

"I had a woman who had not had her hair cut in a year because she was afraid to go out, afraid of falling," Ms. Ringling said. "Once she had her hair cut, her grandson said it made her like a different person."

Other hairdressers probably provide the same kind of service, perhaps without advertising it. Notices about Ms. Ringling's new service have been running in a Brentwood church bulletin.

Ms. Ringling said she still works at her sister's salon, but sees about 20 home-bound clients on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Before she comes to visit, she outlines what she needs.

"I let them know I will be using their kitchen sinks," said Ms. Ringling, who carries a portable sprayer in case the sink doesn't have one.

"Sometimes, they will shower and wash their hair before I get there."

"I bring my own supplies. I tell them that I will call 30 minutes before, just to confirm that they are ready for me," she said,

In cases where her clients are suffering from serious illness, such as Alzheimer's disease, she asks that they have a caregiver, or even a neighbor, come and sit with them.

"I ask for a sturdy and comfortable chair and have pets put in another room," she said.

Ms. Ringling's duffel bag is like a traveling beauty salon. It contains everything except the kitchen sink: scissors, shampoo and a portable hair dryer that puffs up to look like an astronaut's hat when it is used.

She has a second bag that holds the equipment she needs to do a permanent wave.

"I do everything according to state regulations," she said, adding that, after each visit, she sterilizes her dirty equipment, which she then keeps in a separate bag.

She said customers who are home-bound feel so much better after her visits.

"When your hair looks good, you feel good about yourself. You are happier," said Ms. Ringling, who currently is visiting clients in Baldwin Borough, Brentwood, Whitehall, South Park and Jefferson Hills.

She didn't want to list her prices, which, she said, are competitive. But she does add a surcharge, between $8 and $20 a visit above normal salon prices, to cover cost of gasoline and time involved.

For information about her home-bound hair service, call 412-655-4089.