Short

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

My hair is kind of freaking me out.

I had a hair appointment after work today. I’ve been going to the same hair dresser since late 2020, when some salons started to re-open, following masking protocol. I started going to her at first because they were the only salon in town open with an available appointment. I was desperate. In November of 2019, I decided to go red. I’ve had my hair pretty much ever color under the sun. Now, the green wasn’t on purpose, it was because I was blonde and the blue faded. The orange wasn’t on purpose either, it was because I tried to go red with disastrous results. So, naturally, when I wanted to try red again, I forked over the money to have it professionally done. And it looked awesome (see photo below). Had I known that the world was going to shut down, I probably would’ve rethought my decision. But alas, as much as I try, I cannot predict the future.

After about 8 months of trying to touch up my hair color myself, I had to come to terms that I was turning myself into Carrot Top, sans curls (and creepy biceps). I marched myself (a.k.a. drove) over to the beauty supply store and bought the stuff I needed to strip my hair as well as a dark blonde color to try to get back to “natural”. Problem was, my hair was completely damaged. I had to try to strip it twice, and then apply the blonde color, to even come close enough to want to be seen in public… or even in the mirror. When I was finished, I had to accept the fact that I was in dire need of a cut before I would be forced to shave my head and start from scratch. In college, I had a pixie cut and found out that I really don’t have the head or face shape to pull that off. So, it was Jenna to the rescue.

There is a chance that she may have sternly lectured me to, “NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.” Point taken. It took a lot of cutting, several months of trimming and repair treatments to get my hair back to any semblance of “healthy”. Let’s just say, I spent a lot of time with my hair in clips and buns. I decided that Jenna would be the only person allowed to work with my hair. So, when she changed salons, I went with her. My daughter goes to her, as does the boyfriend. While we only really converse while I’m in the shop, I would consider us friends. Our conversations are not one sided, and we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well.

I’ve kept my hair relatively long since my early 20’s. The most adventurous cut I had involved more layers and some bangs. On a side note, anytime I ever get the itch for bangs, I regret it within a week. My hair has a strong natural part and bangs do not like to do what they’re supposed to. Well, last year, I decided to get a “lob”, which is a ridiculous word for a long bob. I really liked it. My hair was easier to manage and easier to just get up and go instead of spending an hour on it. I should’ve mentioned that my hair is VERY straight. I does not like to curl. Like, at all. If I manage to get it curled, I have, at most, 4 hours until it’s completely straight again. And it doesn’t matter how much product I use on it. Cement couldn’t get my hair to stay curled. The best I can do is get it to angle under while blowdrying it and even that usually doesn’t usually last. Well, when I went in today, and she asked me what I wanted done, I said that I wanted it similar to what I got last year. Shorter in the back and angled towards the front. Oh, and that I’m tired of my neck being hot.

She now owns the salon, and it was after 5, so it was just us. We did the usual hair wash and she started cutting. We were having an in-depth conversation about anxiety, relationships, and I even introduced her to the glory that is Sleep Token. I wasn’t so much paying attention to my reflection nor what she was doing. When I finally did, I almost freaked out. One word: SHORT. My hair was SHORT. Like, SHORT. It was a shock that I was not prepared for. She even quipped about how we just keep getting shorter and shorter. I did wonder when and if she was going to stop. When she brought out the razor for the back of my neck, I almost passed out. Please, don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad and I don’t hate it. It’s just different and I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. The boyfriend said he likes it, but take that with a grain of salt. My daughter mentioned “Karen” and I almost lost it. Amanda and her daughter love it.

I’m going to need time to adjust.

My long red hair back in November of 2019.

My new blonde bob.