This past week I had a hair incident ... the incident being a hair cut and colour I'm not happy with. Strange for me, since in general I could give two hoots about my appearance - but this time, I really wanted some good hair and was seriously not happy when I didn't get it.
It all started a few months ago. My usual hairdresser, who I've been to for about 10 years, started to act all weird. I'd go in, asking for brown hair, and I'd leave with black. I'd ask for a short haircut, and have one which was chin-length. She'd started to really push the salon products on me, too ... something she knows to be a lost cause since I am married to my el cheapo shampoo. It was like she all of a sudden lost her hair diva mojo. She went overseas for an extended period, which was a great time to divorce her.
I happened to get a voucher for a local salon, and the place came highly recommended so I thought I'd give it a try. Ummm...no. Good haircut, shocking coulour (I do subtle highlights, people, not really bloody obvious stripes) and it took a whopping 4 and a half hours. For a haircut and colour, that's about 2 very long hours too long, and with only out of date Women's Weekly mags for comfort, it wasn't a pretty thing.
Some months past and 007 tells me about another voucher she has - bring a friend and it's 50% off (or whatever.) So we carefully plan our hair assault for a time when she and I need colour (a rare thing, we're not in the same hair cycle....although you know how girls who live together get their period together? I wonder if that's true for regrowth...hmmm.) Anyway, we go. We get one chick assigned to both of us. It's clear that this stresses her out, having two clients at once.
Long story short, I asked for a (much) shorter, no-fuss haircut and a warm chocolatey brown colour. I left the salon with decidedly dark purple hair and the same hair as before, just 3-4 inches shorter. plus a huffy comment that I really should learn to blow dry my hair every day.
Yes...I am going to blow dry it so that an hour later I can shove a chef hat on it and wave sayonara to the blow drying effort. I don't think so, stressed out hairdresser lady.
I dealt with it for most of the day, until I realised my jaw was aching from clenching my teeth so hard and my eyes were burning from trying not to cry. I really needed the pick me up that great hair gives you. I called back to complain (something I've never, ever done) and scheduled a do-over. This time I got one of the owners of the salon. She vaguely pretended to re-cut it a bit, but they can't do much about the colour (once it's dark, it's hard to go back without basically killing your hair.) She did tone down the purple ... so now it's just vampire dark (see new pic in profile!). She also gave me a lecture about blow-drying.
Let's make one thing clear: I DO NOT OWN A HAIR DRYER.
Ugh, ugh, and ugh. It's annoying the living SHIT outta me. The haircut is basically not what I was after, the colour was not what I wanted, and 4 hours later there is no way I am stepping into that salon again. Today someone tried to comment on my hair and I just showed her the hand and said, "Please. We will not, and cannot, talk about the hair. There is no hair to talk about. " (Gotta love that Jedi Mind Control, works every time.)
Funny, isn't it, how much this is pissing me off - for a self-professed anti-girl-maintenance sort of person, I'm surprised at how upset I am. I guess when I finally, finally drag my ass into a salon, and leave a mortgage payment at the door, I want to walk out looking fabulous. I don't want to walk out of there looking like a lost member of the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
What say you? Should I have complained again? Chalk it up to experience and never go there again? Should I really be making the effort to blow dry my hair every day? Ignore international politics and weigh in on this heavy debate, people.
P.S. I know, I know - if I hate it so, why am I smiling in that pic? Because I needed a new profile pic and I figured I should photo my hair while it's straight rather than it's normal boof-headed curliness.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The post about the hair
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
If you're not happy I think you should complain, although I know this is much easier said than done! I think even if you are a low maintenance girl, your hair does matter a great deal! I have shoulder length hair - it would probably look much better shorter but I get it cut maybe once a year and then tie it up for most of the time - it won't hold a style for longer than about 5 mins - even if I do blow dry! Blow drying is bad for your hair so don't feel bad about not doing it! I colour my hair myself but once it turned out way, way darker than intended and I really tried to live with it but it upset me every time I looked in the mirror so, in the end, I went to a salon to have it corrected. That meant basically bleaching it and then adding a temporary colour over the top - not good for my hair but the relief of having a normal colour was worth it, I just had to treat it really carefully until the bleached bits grew out. :)
Definitely complain again, I wish you lived on my side of town,I would send you to my magic lady. I knew her socially and so when I went to her she was all ' I'll leave it just long enough to pull back so that when you are baking it wont fall out of your hat la la', brilliant, and I am a blonde so she helps my colour with those lovely subtle highlights you were talking about. And when I asked her about a new shampoo she said the best was baby shampoo beause its ph balanced and finish with a good conditioner. Love Love Love her. Your profile pic looks great though, your face is really open and you can see where your kids get some of their stiking looks.
Commiserations emzeegee :-(
I have been on a hunt for a good hairdresser for about 4 years, trying lots of local salons.
I asked lots of local people where they went, and lots of people travel quite a distance to get a hair cut (not as far as my house from yours though). Finally someone I knew recommended a salon in the next suburb, but even better, gave me the name of the particular hairdresser to ask for.
I would cut my losses I think, and find a new salon.
For the record, I don't ever blow dry my hair unless it is really cold (I am lucky enough to have thick hair - it takes a long time to dry) and I buy the only brand of supermarket shampoo/conditioner that does not have dimethicone in it, (silicon that bulks up the liquid and coats your hair) which also happens to be quite cheap, and perfectly adequate.
I don't know what you should do about the colour though - I am too cheap, and time poor to bother getting my hair coloured, so have no advice to offer. Good Luck!
I love the new profile photo, I also am a Buffy fan and can see nothing wrong with looking like one of them, which you don't, and I like the cut, too.
Find a new salon. Fall in love with your hairdresser and be happy. My hot tip to achieving this- get a gay man to cut your hair. They usually like women, especially ones as flamboyant and gay friendly as you, and they want you to look good. I think some women hairdressers couldn't really care how you look. Sorry to all those I've just offended, but it's true. I often go into salons, my usual unkempt, unmade-up, unblow-waved self and women look at me like 'well, if you aren't going to bother, why should I?'. Gay men just get on with working with who they've got, however they've presented themselves.
In the meantime, remember, hair grows. It will all be ok in six weeks.
You guys are the best - not only are you making me feel better, you've got heaps of useful comments as well. :)
I think TBW might be onto something with the gay guy...but then on the weekend I read an article about people who go to hair salons and are never happy and hairdressers can spot them a mile off. I don't want to become a salon slut! Hmmm...how to find someone without having to do this over and over again?!
M
I don't own a hairdryer either!!!!
Post a Comment