Friday, June 9, 2017

Ode to hair

         
This post is for Jenny-O,  pursuing the perfect hair cut.

Back in the eighties, when I was in the corporate world and flew places in aeroplanes, I had the perfect hairdresser. His name was Pierre, he owned the salon, and every four weeks he sent me off with the same perfect shower and go hair cut.

Me, with good hair in the eighties; Jan, who always had naturally curly hair; Beth, about eighteen and gleeful over her illegal Scotch; Mom, the good one.
And so it went, until I moved far away, to be an artist and a weaver at art shows. The old hair cut was a bust; my small amount of curl air dried beautifully in an air conditioned car, and stayed nice in an air conditioned office.  It was a disaster in a hot, dusty tent. Sweaty, stringy, awful. I went from salon to salon to shop, and no one had the knowledge to give me a decent cut for my job.

One day, at the old house, I heard my sister on the back deck, shaving one of the dogs. I went out and sat on the end of the bench until she was done. Then I asked for the clippers, removed the clipper guard, and proceeded to shave off my hair. Jan was horrified, but only for a few seconds. We wound up laughing hysterically as I finished putting a hot, sweaty mass of hair into the trash can.

I had a show the next weekend, and it was one of my best shows to then. My customers thought I was dying, and if they didn’t buy it now, they would never have it. When my hair grew back enough to need my ears lowered, as my dad said, my ideal hair cut came to me. I had any operator cut the sides and back with a size six or eight clipper guard, and “cut the top to match.” I carried on with the same cut well into my township clerk days. Why fool with a good thing.

A couple of years ago, a good fifteen years into the same cut, I decided I needed a new style. It came about because I saw a picture on the internet.  I do not know the woman from Adam. I just swiped her picture to show my current hairdresser.

Mel, who cuts my hair, told me straight up I no longer had that much hair, though it is relatively thick. However, we could approach the cut. And, she did nail it, in about a year. I had good hair this year. Here I am at the gym, in February, I think. Not bad for an old lady with thinning grey hair.



Then the fateful trip to DC; slung down a bus aisle and stopped by a metal box. I think of my mom saying “It’s not the fall, it’s the sudden stop!” As I’ve mentioned, I do not remember arriving at the hospital, or anything for the next three weeks. But, someone took a picture of me, unconscious, after subdural hematoma release surgery. I’ve never been able to count all those staples, plus several stitches, hidden in there.



Mel cut my hair when I came home, six weeks ago, and I will go again this weekend. Poor Mel did not know what to do, and I said “Just what you always do, except skip the right side.”





So, dear Jenny-O, be careful what you wish for. I had a great haircut once. For about three months.


28 comments:

  1. Wash and go hair! Great style in my opinion. And it will grow out if it's a bad cut, or because of surgery! Great post, Joanne.

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  2. It will get back to what it should be. I have thin, baby fine hair and it lives in a clip all summer long.

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  3. It will get back to what it should be. I have thin, baby fine hair and it lives in a clip all summer long.

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  4. It's coming back and I like it. Can't believe you shaved your head. That's something I've never done.

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  5. I am completely unsurprised to hear that you have been a 'take charge of yourself' person for a very long time. Your hair is coming back nicely too.
    These days 'wash and wear' is my instruction to new hairdressers. No product. No dryers. And sometimes it works.

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  6. I use a #8 clipper on the back and sides and, like you, clip the top a little longer to match. It is definitely wash and go and does just fine here in the heat and humidity of Belize. I think you look great with short hair, rather like Jamie Lee Curtis. Good thing you were wearing it short; the shaved side will even up all that much sooner! Glad you are up to posting more regularly now.

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  7. You look good. I've got mine short again.

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  8. Hari OM
    Well, gran, all I can say is you are more rad than Emily when it comes to head-style!!! YAM xx

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    1. No one looks twice, and most not even once. Cell phone fixation, and such like.

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  9. Like a freshly shorn sheep you were! I'm not surprised you've had a fussless hair style for all these years. How does that wound feel? Is it pretty much healed up? -Jenn

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    1. Except for the occasional itch, I've never noticed it.

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  10. Your hair looks a hell of a lot better than mine, Joanne.
    A lot more color (other than grey), too.
    You look fine, m'lady. It's my day's pleasure to tell you.
    Mike

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  11. That is a truly great story, Joanne. It had me smiling and frowning in equal measure, simultaneously.

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  12. Just think,,, your head is a good conversation piece. Sorry. If you can find the humor it will help make the time go faster. You will have your pretty head of hair back in no time.

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  13. I saw the same hair style on a young 20-something the other day. Only difference was that her hair was dyed coal black with streaks of blue.

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  14. Thank you, Joanne! I'm so impressed by you - all the time. You are so grounded and matter-of-fact about the whole accident, not to mention your whole life. That is a LOT of staples in your head, my friend. I'm not sure whether to cry or faint. Your hair is growing back so fast! It's almost there!

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  15. Your haircut is perfect, except, I think you should add a little pink to it. I remember you writing about a friend who was going through an illness and dyed her hair a few colors. I remember thinking what a strong, passionate person she was and admired he for taking life on regardless of her adversities. I would like to be that person.

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  16. Hair shmair, just glad you survived that horrible fall!

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  17. The great thing about hair, for most of us, is that it does grow. It grows back from all manner of disasters! You are looking good!

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  18. There's always a potential for a wig while you are waiting for hair to grow out :)

    betty

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  19. You still weave a great story Joanne x

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  20. It's growing back nicely and you'll soon have matching sides again.
    I don't think the perfect haircut exists. Mine looks great when I leave the hairdresser and is a total shambles from day two onwards. It's curly but doesn't curl evenly, there are straight bits and wavy bits and curls, never the same two days in a row.
    Maybe a shaver cut like yours would work.

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  21. I think you are approaching this the right way!! Loved the story!

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  22. I agree that there are many factors besides the look to choosing a hair style. Climate, washing, clogged drains, etc. Thanks for sharing the pics. You could get a purple heart for that head wound. The pic from the gym could be photoshopped to have you being pull behind a boat on skis.

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  23. Your story moved me, Joanne! Different haircuts - different lives - and now: the hair is growing back, something new and exciting starts, and you make the best of it, as I know you do!

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  24. It is growing back! You'll have the wash and wear style again before you know it. Hey - so nice to see a picture of your mother.

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  25. That's the joy of short hair. It won't take any time for both sides to match. I love how positive and funny you still are.

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  26. Oh my gosh, Joanne! My aunt had the same operation and the same incision on her scalp. It amazed me how quickly she healed and her hair covers everything now. I have the same hairstyle as you. I'm so sorry you've been through such trauma!

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