Tuesday 11 October 2011

Day 103: The Hair! The Hair!

Very straight and very thick ...
It is now nearly 5 months since it was cut.

Have a look back at my graduation photo on Day 1.  The hair there is almost shoulder length.  Then mentally add about 3 inches to that.  Three untrimmed and shapeless inches.

The cheapest I can get a haircut at an Edinburgh salon is £35.  When my hair is bobbed, this should really be once every two months.  Gents seem to get away with a £10 short-back-and-sides at the barbers, or better still, they simply run the clippers over their head.  But I am clinging desperately to what little femininity I possess, and am not ready to go close cropped just yet.   So for the moment, long hair seems like the most frugal option.

The problem is, I have difficult hair.  I like it very much, and am inordinately proud of the total absence of grey given my increasingly advanced age.  But it is straight.  Very straight and thick.  Straight and very thick.  I cannot emphasise this enough.  It does not like to bend.  It will not submit gracefully to comb or clip.  Any stray hairs do not fluff softly around my face, but stick out at defiant angles.  This means that if my hair is to be styled even in the most simple of ways - say, a ponytail - then it has to be really very long indeed.  That stage being still some weeks away, it is currently an increasingly shaggy mess. And besides, even long hair needs to be trimmed at the ends now and then to keep everything neat and professional looking.  Hairdressers charge £35 for that too, regardless.

I have discovered, however, that our local hairdressing college likes to experiment on willing members of the public.  I am resolved to give them a ring shortly and see if they fancy getting their hands on a classic bob.  With instructors standing by, it seems safer than the Gumtree option, where I could currently get myself a "Proffesional" haircut.

1 comment:

Moyra said...

It is indeed an excellent option. Each college will vary, but I pay £6.50 at mine for a wash and cut, and £2.75 for a just a cut.

The downsides can be - you need to allow loads more time than you may be used to allowing for a hair appointment, and loads more patience, especially if your trainee is young. You may be lucky, and get someone who is fast and competent, but you may not. This time of year, when the year is new, they may be limited with what they can offer either sills wise or time wise. I can't use mine at the times when I can get there until the New Year, so I'm steeling myself for a proper hairdressers!

But, I have only once, over the last two years come away unhappy, and it was put right for me the next day by a tutor. (Long story, will maybe blog it.)