Tress Tribulations

Most of my friends and family wouldn’t consider me to be “high maintenance,” or at least I hope not! However, I’m definitely a “girly” girl at times. I even admit I occasionally go by the motto, “pain for beauty.” So having to “rough it” (as I so affectionately call it) in China has rather cramped my style...at least in some aspects...

When we first arrived in Guangzhou, it took only two days for my curling iron to kick the bucket. It flat lined while trying to adjust to the Far East electrical outlets. Meanwhile, my hairdryer was (and still is, for that matter) only able to work on the “low” setting, so the time to dry my hair is about equivalent to the time spent teaching one period (okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but humor my frustration, please!).

Furthermore, it has been a more recent revelation for me to go makeup free. While I never did cake it on, I’ve always liked to “touch up” my natural beauty (ha, ha, ha). But what can I say, I’m a girl! The reasoning behind my newfound desire to go “au natural” is Guanzhou’s terrible humidity! It is totally pointless to wear much makeup because by the time I walk down from my third floor apartment, beads of sweat are already collecting on my face (and it’s not even 8:00 am yet!). Going makeup free is a preventative measure...preventing me from looking as though I’ve just rolled out of a crowded mosh pit during a sweltering summer concert series (not that I’ve ever done that, it’s just the image I’ve conjured up).

So, it has officially been two months since my last trip to the beauty salon. Being a woman, I truly enjoy my bi-monthly cut, color, and style. Before I left America I so strategically placed my final haircut only days before my departure date, making sure my mane would be up to par for as long as possible. As you can imagine, I’ve been getting quite antsy, wanting to trim up my two month’s worth of split ends. Simply unable to take it any longer, I went to the salon today...
Accompanied by my American friend (and cooperating teacher) and three Chinese students, I ventured to get my hair trimmed. The salon had two floors, one just as crowded as the other. I was led to the top floor to get my hair shampooed. While sitting in the chair, the stylist put shampoo into my dry hair, only using a small bottle to squirt water onto my hair, creating the lathering effect. So, if you can picture this, my hair was being washed as I sat upright in the chair. This process took about ten minutes because she did a little scalp massage as well. Next time I will enjoy this part more, as my mind was consumed with nervous thoughts and “what if” questions in regards to the outcome of this venture. Secondly, I was led to a sink to have my hair rinsed. This process was a lot more comfortable than that in America. There were no neck breaking pains as are often felt in American salons because the chair in this Chinese establishment was lying down (again, I will enjoy this all more next time!).

Next came the scary part...The actual cut! I was led back down to the first floor and as is apparently universal, sat face to face with the mirror. Being the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed client in the place, the stylists were fighting over who would cut my hair. Finally, one male stylist won the prize ;). My Chinese friend explained to him that I wanted “a one centimeter cut all the way around, leaving the same style.” I’m sure you can visualize the color going from my face at this point...But anyway, he began to snip the tips...my stomach was turning at, as every girl has had the “terrible haircut” experience at least once and even though I’ve already had a couple such experiences, my mind was wandering...

However, I am happy to report that there was a happy ending! My haircut turned out great! All of my worrying was only trivial after all. The whole experience was interesting to say the least. First of all, I felt like a celebrity because all eyes (all 100-some pairs) were on me the entire time. Plus, all of the stylists came over to run their fingers through my blonde hair...it was quite comical from my point of view because I am definitely not worthy of all the hoopla! Furthermore, I paid 25 yuan (or about $3.50) for the entire process. How about that! Pretty cool!


The finished product ;)