Saturday, September 19, 2009

oh haircuts...

i had a wonderful hairdresser that i accidently found when i first moved here 4 years ago. randomly, a great stylist in the mall. she showed me how to pull my bangs back with bobby pins. she "taught" me how to cut my own bangs so i wouldn't have to come back as often. she tried to teach me other ways to style my hair (even though i never attempted this myself) she had cool hair. (key to a good hairdresser) and while regular haircuts weren't my forte, she never judged when i returned to her chair. then she got pregnant and off she went on maternity leave never to return again.

so my hair has been growing...in length and unruliness. and you know what that means...enter the ponytail. that gets old pretty fast. and i've had my hair in a ponytail now for 3 months less one day. yes, the length of time ben has been around.

today at the gym, i spent an hour looking at this ponytail in a mirrored wall during a fitness class. and as i left the gym, i saw a mom putting her stroller in her car sporting my old haircut...one that i liked very much when i had it. 10 minutes later, i had an appointment for a haircut...with a stranger. but maybe this would be love.

after years of not having to explain how i want my haircut, i practiced what i was going to say before i got there. (i'm serious) when i got there, my hairdresser had terrible hair. a bad sign. as i began to explain what i wanted, a red-headed hairdresser was standing next to us and she also had a terrible haircut. but the more talked, the more it sounded like i wanted the redhead's haircut. so i began backpedalling. "like a bob but not too short...like inverted but not extreme. you know, the top layer not too high. but longer in the front but not too short in the back." blah, blah, blah. i knew i was in trouble.

it was a desperate feeling. i don't do well with change. and as new hairdresser cut, i realized i had backpedalled too hard. my haircut was nothing like i wanted. i tried to tell her it could go shorter. but my initial anti-redhead speech has been too convincing. after blow-dry, straightening, and lots more chopping, it still wasn't right. i told myself, "you cannot leave without trying again to get it shorter and sleeker." i explained again that i didn't want this girth at the bottom. she chopped a tiny bit more but no.

so i thanked her and paid my money. i looked at myself in every mirror in the mall and every car window reflection in the parking lot as i left. i came home and cried. i have a haircut that looks like it's at the awkward growing out phase. sigh. but you won't notice. and you'll say, "it's...cute!" and "this is what you were upset about?" therefore, there is no photo. this post is really just my public debrief. you know - for people to reminicse about their bad haircuts over the years. it's hair. and it's "not that bad". but as for love and hairdressers - i hope there are more fish in the sea.

10 comments:

Sharelle said...

I understand.

I went through a similar time where I was searching for the right one. It was also around the time when I had REALLY short hair, so if they screwed up, I had the potential of looking like a boy (and sadly, I might have at points).

I understand the tears too.

But I think there will be more fish in the sea. I mean, there's gotta be.

ashlee said...

i understand completely...i just found my fish...it's been 26 years of searching :)

Unknown said...

"more fish in the sea" .. from your lips!

I got my haircut last weekend, by a girl I happened across about ten years ago .. She informed me that she's moving to Penticton at the end of October!

Laurie Trueman said...

OK - I think we need to see a picture - I'm sure you look great - too many other things going for you besides the HAIR...and thankfully, it grows...! I do know what you mean though - everything in being able to manage your hair is about the haircut. My hairdresser that I've had for over 25 years, retired a few months ago, and I'm going through similar issues. And to add insult to injury, getting older and having your hair go through its own ridiculous changes doesn't help the situation one bit. What we must put up with to look good??!!

Alyssa said...

Yes, I love my hairdresser, and if he were to ever leave me, I just don't know what I would do with myself. But this is the first time in my life I have ever found someone I really like, and I know too well how scary it is going to someone new that you know nothing about.

Anonymous said...

try alica, Tim's cousin she works in Mission, very good price and I like her, seemed to know exactly what I wanted without me telling her, although she knows I will not style my hair so she had to cut it so it would look good on my mostly lazy hair days. I am sure it is not bad though. I went to a hairdresser at the mall too, just because I wanted a haircut now, it was horrible nothing like what I wanted.

Marcy

Megan Thiessen said...

story of my life. I grew up with a hairdresser who cut my whole families' hair (which may say something about us), she moved to Osoyoos when I was at ywam (my age 19). I came back & was lost for years. Found a girl I loved at Haven, then they merged with aru spa which I can't afford. I am back in that same boat. Got a $5 hair trim at a hair school in Oregon but backed out of getting colour there b/c the girl gave me no confidence. I am on the ongoing search...though I did just get my hair highlighted at a new place & I did enjoy the results. Not sure how the girl would do with a cut though....oh hair, it causes us girls way too much stress.

theRachel said...

I hear you, friend. I have a fantastic hairdresser in Edmonton (Lauren at Raw Beauty, which is technically in St. Albert), and she is RAD. I will ask her to move to Victoria with us when we go.

Do you remember when I got all my long hair cut off just as I was finishing grade 12? You were there (I'm pretty sure) as i BAWLED in the hairdresser's chair. Because I looked like a boy. Then she dried & styled it and it was better. Point is...you were there for me. As usual. xo.

ps - updated the blog too!

Margaret said...

I really liked Danielle at Mystique, if you're up to going to WR for a haircut. I am REALLY picky about who I let touch my curls. I research online for someone with good reviews before I even call.

Lana said...

Hey bec! Yikes, there's nothing like getting a hair cut you don't want and it took me a while to find someone like you were describing your perfect hair dresser to be like.

I now have the perfect hair dresser (I'm not trying to rub it in). This person cuts my hair perfectly every time, I barely even need to describe stuff to her and she gets it. Karlin (who has great hair) also uses her and I highly recommend her! It's Jacqui at Mystique. And contrary to what people say, Mystique costs no more then any other Salon, as long as you don't dye your hair.