I really only like to have men cut and style my hair. I feel like they're more objective, and not as chatty. I also am partial to having the owner of a salon cut my hair, and fortunately I've always been able to find skilled men who own their own salons and don't chat too much.
However, I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about how much my haircuts and highlights cost, so last week I went down a new path. I went to the Douglas J Aveda Institute, which is a fancy name for school. So I entrusted myself to a very tentative young stylist and just told myself that anything she did could probably be reversible.
What I neglected to consider was the amount of time it would take a student to highlight and cut my hair. When 30 minutes had gone by and she was just getting around to sectioning my hair for the foils (which, by the way, is not something pros do - they just start foiling), I knew it was going to be a long morning.
Three hours later my hair was still not cut. I had texted Matt multiple times pushing back my ETD, as well as made it clear to poor Suzie (don't worry, I'm giving her a fake name) that I needed to leave by 2:00. (this was sort of a lie, but just couldn't take it anymore!)
Thankfully, Suzie's supervisor swooped in and saved the day by cutting my hair in 12 minutes, while Suzie supervised, or, rather, observed. This almost totally redeemed the situation, especially because I got a professional haircut for only $16! Oh, and you're not allowed to tip at the Institute, so I scooted out of there without a hole in my wallet.
Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I think it's a question of what's worth more to me - my time or my money.
And of course I'd like to find a male student, but I'm still figuring out a tactful way to make that request!
