Too Cheap Or Afraid To Let A Stylist Cut Your Hair? Me, Too!

If hairstyling salons waited for my business to help them succeed, they'd all be fast food places! 

I've been to a haircutting salon exactly three times in my life with each visit being separated by approximately ten years because I've never completely liked each end result.  Am I too picky?  Too opinionated?  (Oops...can't let my husband read THIS article!)  Too hard to please?  Or am I just unable to adequately communicate how I want my hair to look when this process is over? 
 
Maybe I should write instructions to accompany that picture I bring with me...or make the hairstylist repeat after me what I just said when pointing to one of their available styles that can be chosen out of a book while waiting for your number to be called.

Oh...sorry...numbers are for the Deli...

This latest desire to have my hair professionally cut and styled was due to my oldest daughter's always looking so good, hair-wise!  Miss 'Oldest Daughter' could wear a burlap bag and no makeup while still looking stylish and 'put together' all due to her wonderful hair!

Of course, she pays the price, literally, for this fabulous cut while the whole family knows how cheap I am!

While grocery shopping a few weeks ago, my husband and I noticed that a particular shopping chain now included a hairstyling salon inside it!  

It's not just beef that they're chopping, now! 

And no appointments were necessary! 

And it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg!  (What can I say...cheapness flows in my veins).

Being the eternal optimist that I am...at least every ten years or so...I turned to my husband to get his opinion about whether or not to try out this new service being offered.  After all, my hair was getting way too long, and I pined for something new and easy to style.

"Do what you want, Baby", my husband said, giving his universal answer while adding,   " I'll be in the Automotive department!"

As he quickly bolted for Man's Land, I was greeted at the salon's entranceway by a very nice...and very young...girl who stated that she had an opening for me right there and then.

While wondering if this girl had reached the legal working age of sixteen,  I explained the look and the ease of styling that I wanted to achieve and then asked if they still had books "with pictures" in them that I could choose a style from.

"Of course" came the perky high-voiced reply.

After choosing a style that seemed easy and faintly familiar to me, and then having had my hair washed and towel-dried, I was finally led to The Chair where this girl...stylist...proceeded to comb, section, recomb, and then snip away at my hair while I cringingly watched each lock fall to the floor.  What had I gotton myself into?

After twenty minutes of cutting and blowdrying,  the stylist finally took a step back and pronounced, "Okay, it's all done.  Do you want to take a look?"  No, I didn't.  But I looked anyway.  In that large oversized mirror I now saw a completely different person looking back at me, sporting a wonderful hairstyle!   Wow!  Was that really me?

After generously tipping and thanking the girl while vowing to myself that only sixteen year old hairstylists would EVER touch my hair from now on,  I proceeded to the automotive department to find my Other Half.  Rounding a corner, I found him surrounded by floor mats, steering wheel covers, and assorted doodads that had placed a look of being in  Automotive Heaven on his face.  Upon seeing me, his grin widened into a full-fledged smile.

"Do you like it?"  I apprehensively asked while turning in a slow circle to better show off the entire result.

"It looks great!" he remarked while coming over for a closer view.  After picking up several different strands of hair with his fingers, my husband laughed.  "But I thought you wanted something different?"

"What do you mean?  This IS different",  I retorted. 

"Honey...each strand is the same length all over your head.  Which is exactly how YOU cut your own hair!"

Pulling down a mirror from one of the shelves, my husband put it in front of my face while telling me to take a closer look.

And sure enough, he was right!  Even though this particular style had more work put into it with curling and blowdrying, the cut was still the same one I'd been giving myself for years! 

"You're just not ready for change yet, my love", he chuckled.

Oh well.  At least it hadn't been a bad experience.   And who knows...I can always do it again when my hair grows out.  In about ten years!