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View Full Version : I miss playing "hairdresser" for other people



WinterInBloom
November 2nd, 2010, 09:46 PM
When I was growing up my mom and I both kept our hair long, she kept hers at about waist length, and I had tail bone length hair. Before layering became popular we used to trim eachother's hair instead of going to a salon. My mom has also highlighted her hair so it would be a lighter blond for as long as I can remember. As soon as I was old enough to not mess up her hair I started helping her. I think I was about 9 when I started helping do the highlights, and by the time I was ten I was doing most of the work and regularly trimming her hair. It wasn't long before I got good at it and would just do the whole cut and highlight process for her.

Once I moved away from home I did a few dye jobs and trims for friends, and even my sister in law once. She wanted her highlighted while she and her husband were traveling around China and she went from dark ash blond hair to very light, bright strawberry blond. She hated it, and when she found out that I could help her correct the color and trim some of the damage off she was super happy. I got about 80% of the red out while keeping some of her highlights and bringing the over all color back down to a darker shade.

I miss being able to help people with that stuff! And I must say that I am quite proud that I can trim a hemline evenly, and when I cut off an inch (or whatever) it's an inch!:cheese: I don't have friends where I live really, so there's no one that I could this stuff for. Not that anyone would trust me to do it anyway, since I don't really have proof that I'm good at cutting hair and doing dye jobs.:p

I don't know what the point of this was, just thinking about happy memories I guess. Before anyone asks I'm not actually interested in going to beauty school and starting a career as a hairdresser. I finished a massage therapy program after high school and ended up not being a massage therapist because my wrists were just wrecked. I had dislocated both of them twice when I was younger (don't ask why I thought the strenuous work of a massage therapist would be good for them), so by the end of my program I was having to do ice and hot water baths just to keep the swelling from getting too bad. Since one of the things we studied was the kinds of strain on the body that people develop in different occupations, I learned how much of a strain cutting hair can be on the wrists. So that's not something I can see myself doing as a career since I already passed up one career because of wrist problems.

Le sigh. I just wish I could cut and/or color someone's hair for free, or maybe trade on occasion. I'd work for blocks of organic cheese if I wasn't just doing it for free, lol!:laugh:

Does anybody else really have fun playing hair dresser for friends or family?:)

Beets
November 2nd, 2010, 09:57 PM
I fixed many of my little sister's hair cuts when I was in college and she in high school. She was really adventurous with her hair, and she'd get these really trendy, really product-dependent styles that she'd love for two weeks, then hate madly. So, we had fun with fixes.

And with the confidence and experience I got with her, I did a lot of my own cutting. At the time, it was mostly adding a few long layers here, doing swept-over bangs there, etc., nothing really, really drastic, but I do miss it.

Now, I cut my husband and my children's hair. My husband's, I'm proud of. I can approximate an entry-level barber's cut 9 out of 10 times, and he has a tough head to cut--three swirling crowns of the thickest, most dense hair I have ever felt on a human being. (Seriously, he had something like a 7" diameter ponytail when it was long, for a very brief period in his life, pre me. He said it looked like a rocket engine sticking out of his head. "Very weird.") So, I take pride in being able to shape that into something he likes.

WinterInBloom
November 2nd, 2010, 10:03 PM
I cut my husband's and son's hair too, but it's just not the same as cutting long or even shortish hair on women. Hubby actually likes cutting his own hair, but I do a better job since I can actually see all of it, lol! I try to get him to let me do it when ever possible.

HintOfMint
November 2nd, 2010, 11:43 PM
I show affection towards close friends by playing with their hair, either braiding it or petting the freshly buzzed ends after a haircut. My inner primate, so to speak.

Night_Kitten
November 3rd, 2010, 02:45 AM
I sometimes do updoes for my mom (APL, very layerd hair) when she feels like wearing it up, but most of the time she wears it down, so I have to settle playing with my own hair :p
I don't think I have the guts to try cutting her hair, it's a rather complicated layered cut and I'd be too afraid of ruining it...

enfys
November 3rd, 2010, 05:24 AM
I only play barber for DH. Following a disaster haircut which I had to neaten up I took on the role permanently. He's had people ask where he goes to get his hair cut so I can't be doing that badly!

I would never want to be a stylist of any kind though. I only take so much care over DH because I have to live with it if I make a pig's ear of it! I wouldn't care half as much for strangers.

I have thought it would be fun to have someone to try out braids and things on other than myself though. That would be fun.

pepperminttea
November 3rd, 2010, 09:09 AM
My mother has a long pixie cut. I don't do the actual cut for her, I'd have no idea how to get a pixie even, but I do trim her fringe for her in between cuts. It's rather satisfying to have her look in a mirror afterwards and smile at herself. :)

MonikaHa
November 3rd, 2010, 09:29 AM
When I was a teenager, I used to trim my friends' hair and it was fun. During that time my sister and her friends were into the heavy metal music, so all the guys had looong hair and did not want to trim it at a salon.
Besides applying henna I was never brave enough to play with the colors though.
But yes, I miss those days too.

Dani
November 3rd, 2010, 09:42 AM
Absolutely! We sound like two peas. :D :p But I didn't cut and highlight or color my mom's hair growing up (though she dyed her hair blonde often and highlighted mine a couple times), it just started with me cutting off my tb hair when I was 12 and it's all history from there. I love to cut my hair, and other people's, too. It's so much fun, and I just like to do it. Every friend I meet I tell about how I can cut their hair any way they want or do any highlights or color they want (if they start going on about how they need to get to the salon for such-and-such), for Free, of course! Just because they're my friend, they get special privileges. ;) Plus, I'll randomly buy some good coconut oil for friends after telling them about how fantastic it is for ones' hair, and eating too. :p It's so easy to cut hair and I feel like I can do anything. I have definitely never wanted to go to a beauty school of any sort, but only because I know what that entails, and being around LHL and LHCers for so long, one learns quickly how to -really- care for hair, and the LHC way is not how business works. I've never wanted any part of that in my life. Can you imagine? It would go against everything the LHC part of my brain believes in, heh. Besides the fact that all I've ever really wanted to be is a momma, and here I be. :D I get to cut my dd and dh's hair, whee. :cool: Anyway, thanks for posting this. I've never met anyone that was like me in this way, ha. :cheese:

mellie89
November 3rd, 2010, 11:34 AM
My mom enlisted me to fix my little brother's haircut once after a stylist got a little too creative with it. I did an okay job, but he was about 12, so he didn't care either way. He's 15 now, and he wouldn't let me near his hair with a 10-foot pole.

I have a friend with super thick hair almost to her waist. I've practiced a bunch of braids on her. It's fun, yet also depressing, since she has about three times as much hair as me. She's funny, though, because she has no idea how to braid. So I'll do a simple Dutch braid or something and she'll be in awe. It makes me feel so cool. :D

LouLaLa
November 3rd, 2010, 12:13 PM
I sure do. I dye and cut my mums hair.

I also got asked yday by a colleague to "save her hair". It was so sweet she said I had great hair (which was nice!) and asked where I got it done, I said I cut myself and she was thrilled when I offered to fix hers- a salon wanted to charge her £60 to fix a fringe she cut herself!!! It was an utter disaster but I fixed it. The salon were very mean to her and said it was an insult to bring such bad hair to them- so I said id fix it for free since they were rude!
Long story short I did a blunt fringe, cut off her overprocessed ends and made up and SMT for her to take home to do.

I was always in charge of doing hair at Uni as it was free and I just did as they asked.

I love giving people that happy feeling and also knowing im doing it for free so im cheering up people who cant afford/hate the salon.

I think salons can do a great job too but I like to help people if I can :)

WinterInBloom
November 3rd, 2010, 05:46 PM
I show affection towards close friends by playing with their hair, either braiding it or petting the freshly buzzed ends after a haircut. My inner primate, so to speak.

Haha, I like that, braiding and playing with hair for the inner primate. :monkey:


I sometimes do updoes for my mom (APL, very layerd hair) when she feels like wearing it up, but most of the time she wears it down, so I have to settle playing with my own hair :p
I don't think I have the guts to try cutting her hair, it's a rather complicated layered cut and I'd be too afraid of ruining it...

I haven't tried to do a whole cut on my mother now for a while either because of her layers, it's something I feel like I should learn since it doesn't look too hard in the pictures of a book she has. She'll still have me trim the longest hair just a tiny bit if the ends get dry though.


I only play barber for DH. Following a disaster haircut which I had to neaten up I took on the role permanently. He's had people ask where he goes to get his hair cut so I can't be doing that badly!

I would never want to be a stylist of any kind though. I only take so much care over DH because I have to live with it if I make a pig's ear of it! I wouldn't care half as much for strangers.

I have thought it would be fun to have someone to try out braids and things on other than myself though. That would be fun.

I think braiding other peoples hair would be fun too. Must find some people with long enough hair to braid though....


My mother has a long pixie cut. I don't do the actual cut for her, I'd have no idea how to get a pixie even, but I do trim her fringe for her in between cuts. It's rather satisfying to have her look in a mirror afterwards and smile at herself.

That's sweet that you can do that for her and make her feel happy!


When I was a teenager, I used to trim my friends' hair and it was fun. During that time my sister and her friends were into the heavy metal music, so all the guys had looong hair and did not want to trim it at a salon.
Besides applying henna I was never brave enough to play with the colors though.
But yes, I miss those days too.

You know, my husband used to record demos for a lot of metal bands, perhaps I should have asked them if they wanted free trims.


Absolutely! We sound like two peas. :D :p But I didn't cut and highlight or color my mom's hair growing up (though she dyed her hair blonde often and highlighted mine a couple times), it just started with me cutting off my tb hair when I was 12 and it's all history from there. I love to cut my hair, and other people's, too. It's so much fun, and I just like to do it. Every friend I meet I tell about how I can cut their hair any way they want or do any highlights or color they want (if they start going on about how they need to get to the salon for such-and-such), for Free, of course! Just because they're my friend, they get special privileges. ;) Plus, I'll randomly buy some good coconut oil for friends after telling them about how fantastic it is for ones' hair, and eating too. :p It's so easy to cut hair and I feel like I can do anything. I have definitely never wanted to go to a beauty school of any sort, but only because I know what that entails, and being around LHL and LHCers for so long, one learns quickly how to -really- care for hair, and the LHC way is not how business works. I've never wanted any part of that in my life. Can you imagine? It would go against everything the LHC part of my brain believes in, heh. Besides the fact that all I've ever really wanted to be is a momma, and here I be. I get to cut my dd and dh's hair, whee. :cool: Anyway, thanks for posting this. I've never met anyone that was like me in this way, ha. :cheese:

It's always great to meet someone that shares similar interests. I think it's great that you're sharing LHC ways with your friends, I'll bet they feel pampered and really like how their hair turns out. I also know what you mean about not wanting to have to go through all the stuff they'd teach in beauty school. Oh, and I'm the same way about pretty much just wanting to be a mom.


My mom enlisted me to fix my little brother's haircut once after a stylist got a little too creative with it. I did an okay job, but he was about 12, so he didn't care either way. He's 15 now, and he wouldn't let me near his hair with a 10-foot pole.

I have a friend with super thick hair almost to her waist. I've practiced a bunch of braids on her. It's fun, yet also depressing, since she has about three times as much hair as me. She's funny, though, because she has no idea how to braid. So I'll do a simple Dutch braid or something and she'll be in awe. It makes me feel so cool. :D

Haha, isn't it fun when someone thinks you're a hair magician?


I sure do. I dye and cut my mums hair.

I also got asked yday by a colleague to "save her hair". It was so sweet she said I had great hair (which was nice!) and asked where I got it done, I said I cut myself and she was thrilled when I offered to fix hers- a salon wanted to charge her £60 to fix a fringe she cut herself!!! It was an utter disaster but I fixed it. The salon were very mean to her and said it was an insult to bring such bad hair to them- so I said id fix it for free since they were rude!
Long story short I did a blunt fringe, cut off her overprocessed ends and made up and SMT for her to take home to do.

I was always in charge of doing hair at Uni as it was free and I just did as they asked.

I love giving people that happy feeling and also knowing im doing it for free so im cheering up people who cant afford/hate the salon.

I think salons can do a great job too but I like to help people if I can :)

Wow I don't know what that is in American dollars but I know it's an extreme rip off! I can't believe they treated you friend so horribly either.

Anywhere
November 3rd, 2010, 05:49 PM
My friend makes me dye her roots every month or so. I think its cute how she comes to me for that instead of her family or a hairdresser. :)

My mom also comes to me for hair advice every once in a blue moon. Not quite the same as playing hairdresser but still..

Alexannee10
November 3rd, 2010, 06:21 PM
I cut my friend's hair once :) and I think she liked it. And I regulary cut my sister's bangs.