Hair Cutter

This is a quick post in the middle of packing, we're moving in a week!

I've been cutting my hair for a really long time and it hasn't always been good, but it has gotten better over the years. I think in another part of my life I'll go to cosmetology/hair school and learn how to do this for real. I remember back in 8th grade I cut my friend Tara's hair. Jennifer Aniston's layered look was really popular and I remember saying "I can do that for you girl!".

After that I learned two things: do not cut a friends hair unless you know how and don't let 8th graders alone for any amount of time. Honestly, after styling it looked pretty decent. Extensive styling. She came to school the next day with jagged and very blunt layers in her naturally thick and wavy hair. She had a look on her face that read "you messed up my hair" and told me how mad her mom was. I naturally blamed her for not knowing how to "fix it right". Which really meant learning how to cover up a really bad haircut.

It didn't stop there, I never stopped wanting to cut hair. It all started at a very young age. In first grade I cut a bald spot in my hair trying to remove a huge chunk of gum. My sister was having a slumber party that night and I remember panicking in the bathroom with a very noticeable fuzz patch on the top of my head. I tried to cover it up, but I had really long hair. My mom wasn't pleased and I had to go to bed early. I was so upset with myself for not covering it up better. I remember her trying to hide it with headbands for weeks afterwards. I loved running my fingers over the area repeatedly while it grew in, it was soft like rabbit fur. I would sit in class calmly rubbing my bald spot.

Home hair cutting is just the way things were in my family. In third grade I got my first "real" haircut in a shop. Feista in the strip mall. It was short and curled under all around. I looked Dutch and I remember my mom making a big deal about this being my first hair cut by someone besides her.

Before that, I had a run in with my dad and his scissor expertise. He too, is a self-cutter. But, didn't really know what to do with hair longer than two inches. Everyone asked me that day "what did you do to your hair?!". I never saw it, but I was told it was as if he decided I needed a triangle cut right in the center of my hair. Before this, my dad was putting my hair up in pigtails that looked like they were put in by someone without thumbs. Bless my dad.

So now, I have shoulder length hair. Right before I moved to NY my hair was about two inches long all over. I hacked it all off before I got here, something I had been doing a lot in college. For some reason, I just stopped cutting it all off and now it's long. My hair gets really tangly and inevidably comes out when I comb it in the shower. I needed a trim, but I didn't want to lose the length I've been growing for so long.

And thanks to this woman:



I've got layered hair! Just like Jennifer Aniston. Sort of. But, seriously I'm so happy with it. It felt like I was cutting a lot off. I was safe at first cutting off what I thought was a lot. But, I put my hair up in the high ponytail again and cut even more. The result? The same length, but less hair and a really good trim. No more tangly hair and it actually has a lot more volume. I know the technique looks a little crazy for some, but it actually works. I just recommend using really sharp scissors. I'm seriously pleased, plus I didn't have to pay anything. Win, win. Man, I love youtube!