Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I Wish My Stylist And I Were BFF

I love/hate to get my hair cut. I love going into a salon, all shaggy, and coming out sleek and shiny. But I don't like the actual hair cutting process because I feel like a spotlight is on me. Well, maybe not an actual spotlight, but sitting in front of a mirror for 30 minutes, watching a stranger cut my hair, comes pretty close in my book.

Maybe the awkwardness of the experience is why people chat non-stop with their stylists. Conversation does make time fly. I wish I could pratter away with my stylist, but I only get my hair cut every two months, so I'm just not around her enough to develop a real relationship. Plus, I'm pretty shy.

Believe me, I try to make conversation. But when I need to make small talk, I compensate for my shyness by asking a lot of questions. It works pretty well in most situations, but not when I get my hair cut. I don't think stylists want to talk about themselves to a customer they don't know. They get paid to cut your hair and listen to you talk about yourself.

So after I've made my pathetic stabs at conversation--can you believe the change in the weather?--I accept my fate and start eavesdropping on other customers' conversations. Getting a glimpse into others' lives is such a guilty pleasure. The last time I got my hair cut, the woman next to me talked about redoing her living room. Then she moved on to how a relative made up with the family and they all went to Hawaii together.

Hmmm ... Hawaii .... Then she jolted me out of my daydream when she said her relative's boyfriend is Persian. "Which country are Persians from?" asked her stylist. "Eye-raq," she responded. I so wanted to correct her--Persians are from EE-ran, not Eye-raq. But then it would be obvious that I'm eavesdropping, so I kept my mouth shut, and racked my brain for another topic of conversation to try out with my stylist.

By that time, thank goodness, she started blowing my hair dry, so I didn't have to worry about conversing any more--at least not for another two months.

7 comments:

Cookie said...

I hate getting my hair cut too. I only do it about once a year and I'm overdue now. I even cut my hair myself just to avoid the salon. Maybe next time we can go together!

the mama bird diaries said...

I hate getting my haircut because I am so damn impatient that I hate sitting there (especially because it takes forever to dry my very thick hair). I am friendly to the stylist but then I enjoy my magazines or my Blackberry.

MaryAnn Ashley said...

It does take forever to get a haircut and it's not like you can read a magazine cause you have to keep your head straight & it would be rude. Maybe those conversation cards...I'm going to try that next time. Just memorize a few, and then bust them out at all the appropriate times.

The Parsons Family said...

I will be your BFF stylist..I should be working hopefully by your next hc appt:) let me know....we can talk about all kinds of stuff!! or you can read a trashy magazine:)

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

It's been so long since I've gotten a haircut.....Thankfully, when I do decide to get my haircut it will be by my bosses girlfriend. And we will have plenty to talk about, especially since I will be doing her books! haha

Kathleen W. said...

That sounds just like my experience too...I hate the chit chat, and I'm not good at chit chat anyway (shy also). To top it off, they sometimes butcher my hair, so that too prevents me from getting more frequent haircuts. Sometimes I just close my eyes when they're doing it, so it seems like I'm resting.

tracey (aka rainbowmummy) said...

Oh you sound like me. I hate sitting there, I feel like all ees are on me, I cannot talk, I hardly ever get my hair cut so I feel judged for the stae of my hair, the noise, the lights, ahhhh someone else washing my hair! How on earth do ppl find this relaxing?!