Hair I Am Again!

The new 'do!

Hair I Am Again!

         Today I went to get my hair cut.  I went to my usual chain salon who claims to take no appointments, walk ins only.  I’ve gone there for six years or so.  I arrived 20 minutes after they opened and they said they were booked until noon.  There were no names on the sign in sheet but a few people sitting in chairs waiting.  I left, I’m not going back.  Today is the only day I have for a while to get my hair cut because I have off of work and once back at work it gets tough trying to go at a convenient time.  I went to the park and googled hair salons in my area because if I’d come home I would have given up and then either remained shaggy looking for another month or tried to cut at least my bangs myself and my daughter could tell you from first-hand experience that my bangs cutting skills are not great. At any rate I called a couple of places but although they said they do take walk ins they couldn’t get to anyone until at least 2:00 which didn’t work for me.  So, I decided to go to a large salon I went to a few times many years ago and stopped using because it’s like a little hair cutting factory and not the atmosphere I prefer when treating myself to a little pampering.  I figured that most likely they’d have a couple stylists on hand for walk ins and I was right.  They took me almost immediately; I was in and out in less than an hour which suited me just fine.  I might go back there next time I need a trim since it was such a quick in and out and the cut and styling are good.  After I left, as I was driving to a coffee shop to treat myself to lunch, I reflected on how different things are today in hair salons (at least in my corner of the world) than when I was growing up.  I used to go with my mother when she got her hair done to a salon called “Coiffures By Georg”.  There were, I think, 2 other stylists besides Georg himself, and many wigs displayed in the shop front window on the street.  He used to let me try on the wigs while I was waiting for my mom.  I really loved doing that!  There was one in particular I liked trying on, it was platinum blonde, had thick straight across bangs and was very long and sleek.  I always wanted long, sleek, straight hair like my friend Dina had and this was my only chance to have it, even if it was just for a few minutes.  Trying on different wigs is like trying on hats or shoes.  It’s a chance to see yourself and feel differently, a nice little break from reality and a chance to daydream.  My reality, hair wise, is that I don’t control it; I let it do what it wants and do my best to make it look presentable.  There’s a cowlick on one side which on occasion forces me to clip ¼ of my bangs off to one side and brush the rest to the other side.  It grows very fast so it may look one way one week and the next everyone’s asking me if I got it cut.  Growing fast can be a good thing if I don’t like a haircut because I know it will be grown out in just a couple of weeks.  Quick growth is not so good for keeping those gray roots covered. Whatever!  For today at least, I’m happy with my hair and feel good that I did something for myself.