For the past five years or so, I've had the struggle of finding someone to cut my hair. Yesterday, I went to Great Clips and a young lady got to have the privilege. For the price I paid, I expected the cut to be not so great...And I was correct.
To those just tuning in, I'm Asian. In the past five years or so, I have realized a few things about my hair and what I need from whoever cuts it:
1. She/He needs to be Asian.
Okay, not "needs to be," but someone who understands how Asian hair has to be cut. No matter who the Asian is, Asian hair is thick as all hell. Even if you hear an Asian (or specifically an Oriental) say that their hair is thin, call bullshit. The only Asians who have thin hair are probably babies and possibly the elderly. Every time I have gone to a white person and asked for "a trim and thin," they don't understand.
2. I need to be able to go at least three months without having to get a haircut.
For the price I pay at any hair studio (I've paid between $30 and $50 over the years, and every time have been utterly disappointed), I should be able to without a cut for the next months, not go back the next day. Great Clips was an exception because the price I paid wasn't anywhere near that, but I've had an experience where I literally paid $50 and had to go back the next day because the stylist missed cutting a bunch of long strands right above my ears and she left blunt cuts at the back of my head. Like, excuse me, did you not realize I would go home and inspect every inch of my head? You think I don't have two mirrors so I can look at the back of my head? Bitch please. Also, a month after getting the haircut, I shouldn't have an oddly shaped head of hair. *****You KNOW you have a good hairdresser on your hands when you can go months on end without having to go back. Don't EVER let them go because they're gems and hard to find if you lose them. I know, because I had an amazing hairdresser, and then she moved away to a less reachable area by transit, and have been depressed ever since.
3. She/He has to be creative.
That perfect hairdresser I mentioned a few seconds ago? Whenever I told her what I wanted (usually a trim here and there, and a thin), she did that and more. She gave me cuts that were above and beyond my expectations, always different, but they were constantly gorgeous. The cost was unbelievably inexpensive as well, but I always tipped well because she deserved it. These past years though? Very uninspired. I find that no matter who I go to, my hair always looks the same, just a tiny bit shorter. Am I asking too much? I'm even trying to grow my hair out! How does it still look similar though?
That's all I've got for now. Every time in the past five years or whatever, I've always had to take up a pair of scissors and snip more than a few strands of hair for myself. It might be my fault for entrusting my hair to so many different people and never getting the results I want, but I think it's fair to want more hair stylists to understand that there are more hair types and colours and cuts in the world than just what they're used to. No one's hair is the same and these hair people need to understand that. I have a friend who has extremely curly hair and she has to see a specialist to tame her curls. Unfortunately, since the hairdresser is a specialist, she charges an arm and a leg and is usually booked for a couple months before my friend can get an appointment. I've had another friend with curly hair who said most hair stylists straighten her hair before cutting it. Excuse me but that straight hair curls back up after a shower and then you can't see the difference, so what's the point?
What are your hair woes? Got any tips for me?
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