joiekimochi
June 10th, 2011, 07:43 PM
I know I vowed to not let scissors touch my hair this year, but I finally got annoyed at my scraggly, uneven V-hemline, thousand-layered bangless hair. I decided to get bangs and to lop my fairytale ends (a good 3-4 inches) and achieve a completely straight and blunt hemline.
By rare happy chance I managed to knock of early at work and so I decided to get a wash and cut (I haven't washed my hair in 3 days as I've been working 3 consecutive full shifts). I went to a neighborhood salon that my mom usually goes and asked for her stylist, but he wasn't in. In fact it was almost near closing and I was the last walk-in customer and there was only 1 stylist around (and about 5 shampoo staff, all busy cleaning the place).
I've never seen this stylist, he was a tall and very dapper-looking man who recently immigrated from Mainland China. He asked me what I wanted and I replied (in my best Mandarin) that I wanted bangs that can be both side-swept and combed forward, and I wanted to trim off my V-hemline to a completely straight hemline.
Usually stylists would try to dissuade me ("Straight one-length? It's so boring, it'll make your hair look so flat, so old-fashioned! I'll give you some layers and your hair will have lots of movement and bounce!") but he simply agreed with a smile. He was still doing another customer's hair, so off I went to get shampooed.
The head massage was divine, especially after 3 days of non-stop work. Plus it was nice to hear the cute shampoo boy gush about how long my hair is, how smooth it was, how incredibly healthy it was for its length etc.
By the time my hair was dried, all the staff, including my shampoo boy, had left the salon and closed the register (I had to pay in advance). Only my stylist and I was left. If I were in his shoes I would've rushed my work so I could go home on time, but no, he was extremely precise in making sure my hemline was completely straight. I would think that it would be quick and easy but it took him about 30 minutes of micro-snipping.
My bangs took even longer because I have a very stubborn part that's been there for years, so he had to constantly comb it out, blow it out in different directions (not much success), but eventually he reached a point where we were both satisfied. My heart ached to see so many months of progress sacrificed and I told him so, but he replied,
"The ends of your hair cannot feel the pain, and it will still grow out eventually."
Except he said it in fluent Mandarin Chinese (with a Beijing accent) so it sounded really sage-like.
We were done at about 9:45 PM and every other shop in the mall had already closed for the night, but he still offered me some tea. I politely declined, as I didn't want to keep him from closing. He saw me all the way to door and bid me good night, and I went home with a happy heart and a thick, straight hemline.
Just for info, I went in with a V-hemline and fairytale ends reaching to BCL and came out with a straight hemline about 2 inches past BSL. It's a good thing that my work requires me to keep my hair in a bun or a French twist, so I won't be able to feel the loss of length so much!
By rare happy chance I managed to knock of early at work and so I decided to get a wash and cut (I haven't washed my hair in 3 days as I've been working 3 consecutive full shifts). I went to a neighborhood salon that my mom usually goes and asked for her stylist, but he wasn't in. In fact it was almost near closing and I was the last walk-in customer and there was only 1 stylist around (and about 5 shampoo staff, all busy cleaning the place).
I've never seen this stylist, he was a tall and very dapper-looking man who recently immigrated from Mainland China. He asked me what I wanted and I replied (in my best Mandarin) that I wanted bangs that can be both side-swept and combed forward, and I wanted to trim off my V-hemline to a completely straight hemline.
Usually stylists would try to dissuade me ("Straight one-length? It's so boring, it'll make your hair look so flat, so old-fashioned! I'll give you some layers and your hair will have lots of movement and bounce!") but he simply agreed with a smile. He was still doing another customer's hair, so off I went to get shampooed.
The head massage was divine, especially after 3 days of non-stop work. Plus it was nice to hear the cute shampoo boy gush about how long my hair is, how smooth it was, how incredibly healthy it was for its length etc.
By the time my hair was dried, all the staff, including my shampoo boy, had left the salon and closed the register (I had to pay in advance). Only my stylist and I was left. If I were in his shoes I would've rushed my work so I could go home on time, but no, he was extremely precise in making sure my hemline was completely straight. I would think that it would be quick and easy but it took him about 30 minutes of micro-snipping.
My bangs took even longer because I have a very stubborn part that's been there for years, so he had to constantly comb it out, blow it out in different directions (not much success), but eventually he reached a point where we were both satisfied. My heart ached to see so many months of progress sacrificed and I told him so, but he replied,
"The ends of your hair cannot feel the pain, and it will still grow out eventually."
Except he said it in fluent Mandarin Chinese (with a Beijing accent) so it sounded really sage-like.
We were done at about 9:45 PM and every other shop in the mall had already closed for the night, but he still offered me some tea. I politely declined, as I didn't want to keep him from closing. He saw me all the way to door and bid me good night, and I went home with a happy heart and a thick, straight hemline.
Just for info, I went in with a V-hemline and fairytale ends reaching to BCL and came out with a straight hemline about 2 inches past BSL. It's a good thing that my work requires me to keep my hair in a bun or a French twist, so I won't be able to feel the loss of length so much!