The other day, I went to study at the local coffee shop, and decided to get my hair cut this weekend. Every time I would look down at my notebook, my hair would fall in front of my eyes, blocking my view. No matter how I tried to push it back, it would fall right into place. I grew so frustrated that I used my left hand to hold it out of my eyes.
As I was getting dressed this morning, I must admit that I was a bit nervous of getting my hair cut. Growing up, my Father would cut my hair for me. He trimmed my mother's hair, and had cut my brothers' hair too. When I needed to get my hair cut on Oahu, I would visit a barber shop in Chinatown, but even then, that was very rare. I have never felt comfortable with anyone besides my father cutting my hair. I tense up, and get a tingly sensation in my head when they cut my hair. So not only was I nervous about what I would like after my hair cut, but I was also nervous about going to a stranger for it.
The place I decided to go to was Defrag, which opened up not far from the university. Like I said in my last post, the reason I decided on that place was because they're new and dont have many customers. I also figured that since I have nothing to compare them to, if it was a bad place, I would never know. It also was a good place, because one of the other Americans thinks the guy that works there is cute. So after meeting up, we set off to Defrag. I didnt think I needed to make a reservation, because they're almost always busy, but as it turned out, I should have done so. There are two workers there, a guy and a girl. For them, one customer means they're busy. And today just so happened to be the day they had one customer. Politely, they asked if we would come back in four hours. With nothing else to do, we said yes. Somehow, we spread four hours doing nothing between Youme Town, 味しん (lunch), and Cafe Ecran. After the time had passed, we headed back to Defrag.
I couldnt decide which of the two hairstyles I wanted at first, but after hearing my friends' opinions and thinking a bit more, I decided on the first hair style. It was really simple, and not too different from my usual hairstyle. I printed off the page and brought it with me to show the guy what I wanted.
The guy who cut my hair was really cool. He was fairly young, but I got the feeling that he was experienced and knew what he was doing. And as most Japanese in the service sector are, he was very attentive to how I was feeling, asking if he was pulling too hard on my hair and stuff. Since he put me in front of a huge mirror, I was able to watch him cut my hair. He combed my hair straight down to see how long it was (結構伸びてますね。), and misted it with water. Here and there, he began to cut my hair, starting on the one side, to the other. It was actually rather interesting to watch him cut it. I could literally feel my head becoming lighter, as more and more hair got cut off. I didnt get a picture of it, but it was a lot. And that was just the sides! As he cut the back and the top, I got my usual uncomfortable feeling, but I somehow got myself to relax. When he finally started to cut my bangs, I really got happy. The black curtain was slowly lifted away from my face, and I could see the light again! Actually, seeing my lobes was more exciting. With my hair much shorter, you can see my star earrings when you look at me head on, and I could feel the tip of my ear in the air.
After cutting my hair, the girl worker came over to wash my hair. Having your hair washed professionally was the most interesting experience I've ever had. After wrapping a towel around my neck, she lowered my head into a sink. It felt weird to have my hair be washed by two hands that werent mine. And naturally, when it came time to wash the top part of my head, I felt chills all down my spine. I dont know what kind of shampoo it was, but it was an awful pretty smell. Rinising out the shampoo and toweling it dry, it was back to Mr. Man to get it blow dried.
After drying it, I saw him grab a long, metal object. At first, I thought it was a straightener, which I thought was strange. I'm Asian; I have pretty straight hair to begin with. But upon closer inspection, it was a flat iron, and he used it to curl my hair on the top of my head, to achieve the permed look in the original. A bit of hair wax to set the curls, and to set the back of my head, the look was achieved! Although I didnt take a picture at the place (so this isnt exactly what I looked like), I did take a picture when I got back to my room. What do you think?
Since I dont have a flat iron (and I'm doubtful I should buy one), I will have to make the curls by myself when I wax my hair in the morning. And also, I needed to buy wax, which was challenging as well, because there's about a million different types of Gatsby to choose from (couldnt find whatever brand he was using). I hope this yellow Gatsby will work.
My friend that came with me said that she really liked my hair, and the British girl we ran into at Youme Town said it looked good, so I guess I'm satisfied with my hair. Dont get me wrong, I dont hate my hair, or wish that I had picked a different hairstyle. But I am very resistant to change, and miss my old hair. But you know what? Hair grows back, and right now is the time in the my life where I need to チャレンジ multiple things. It'll take some getting used to, but I am sure it will happen. I hope that everyone I meet will agree and like my hairstyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment