I walked into the salon just as they were flipping the sign from closed to open. Was welcomed with an “oh hey girl!” as I put up my coat and sat down to hype myself up for the scissors that were about to give me a heart attack as the girls opened up shop. It’s really no news to anyone who knows me how anxious I get about getting my hair cut. Hell, if you tell me you’re going to chop off your hair, I get nervous for you. It’s actually really silly.

But I really do have complete faith in my current stylist and she barely has to ask me what I want done anymore. She GETS long hair. When girls with long hair say they want a “trim”, she knows it means DON’T YOU DARE TAKE OFF ANYMORE THAN YOU HAVE TO. She takes as little off as possible and doesn’t laugh when I say that it’s just getting long again. She completely understands.

After a little shampoo, conditioner and some small talk, she had cleaned my layers up nice, trimmed my bangs, gave me a killer blowout and smoothed out a few pieces of hair with a flat iron. When she pulled off that little cape thing and turned me to face the mirror, I let out an audible sigh of content. She laughed and said, “feels good doesn’t it?”

I’m absolutely convinced there is no better therapy than a good trip to a salon. There is nothing they can’t solve.

Break up? Haircut. Job stressing you out? Color. Big date? Blowout. World peace? HAIRCUTS FOR EVERYONE WITH BONUS MANI/PEDIS!

(You can give me my Nobel now)

Anyway, now that I got my hair cut finally, I can share photos of my gorgeous new headband. Pretty, right?

My friend Tia, of Icing on the Hair fame, made me a special custom headband because she loves me a lot. It’s called the Jamie Lovely and I do believe she might be making them for her Etsy shop in the future. It has a two purple felt rosettes and two black sheerish chiffon (I think?) ones and a couple of tiny rhinestones on either side. It’s adorable and I’m in love.

(I even changed into my pajamas but I’m still wearing it)

So yeah. I have something named after me now and I’m pretty sure that makes me even more awesome than I already am.

And it gives me another reason to obsess over my hair.

(like I really need one!)

I should have just rescheduled.

But I was stuck in traffic and running late so I missed my regular stylist. I could either wait another couple of weeks or see someone else.

Guess which one I did?

NEVER SEE SOMEONE ELSE.

Little bit of a back story: I keep my hair long. Very long, usually about mid-back or longer.

I’ve been told I have great hair so I’ve taken that and ran with it. And I think I do (when I put the effort in to making it look good instead of wrapping it up in a bun on top of my head).

So it’s kind of a security blanket for me. Maybe if people think I have pretty hair they won’t see the rest of me. The rest of me that I’m so uncomfortable with.

Chances are if you see me, I’m probably wrapping my hair around my fingers or fiddling with it one way or another. It’s what I do when I’m anxious or have something on my mind. Like I said – security blanket.

Anyway, I seen someone else. And now my hair is short. Anyone who sees me, will think I’m crazy for saying it’s short. It’s just past shoulder length.

But for me?

That’s short.

I can barely pull it in a bun without it sticking out everywhere. My pony tail is so short. It doesn’t feel right when twirling. It slips through my fingers too fast.

I feel kind of naked. And I don’t like it.

Moral of this story is: if there is bad mojo flying around on hair cut day?

ALWAYS RESCHEDULE.

I tried a new hair salon.

Cue: Shock! Awe! Gasp!

I was well overdue for a cut and my normal stylist, Mary, schedule changed so she’s been harder to book. The next available appointment was like June 20th and well, that just wasn’t happening.

So I had to look elsewhere. I searched Yelp! like it was my job until I found a new salon and someone to ask for.

Enter: Twisted Scissors

I magically managed to score an appointment with one of the owners, Angela. I was told just how hard it is to get in with her last minute because she books at least a month out in advance. Once they told me this, I knew I was in good hands.

Angela was every bit as amazing as they say she is. She listened to what I wanted (less boring, more edgy but still keeping length) and gave me her input (texture, more layers and bangs!) and I even felt comfortable enough to let her take a razor to my hair. And you know I’m an anal retentive freak when it comes to my hair. She took off some length (my hair was almost down to my waist), added in more layers for texture and volume and did a more blunt bang than the sweepy long ones I use to get.

The salon itself is a really cool spot. Great music coming from the speakers, kitschy decor and pin up decked walls. Best part about it? Haircuts start at $30 for women (mine was $40). Affordable and the best blow out ever.

I’m in love.

When everything in your personal life is kind of crazy, when you only have a whisper of a relationship left because it’s now a “friendship”, when you work 6, if not 7, days a week and are about to go cross eyed from staring at your computer so much, when all you really want to do is sleep and lay around with your puppy…

Sometimes all you need is a haircut.

No, really.

I know sometimes in movies, salons are made out to be full of gossipy women who vent and rant to their hair stylists.  But really, my stylist rocks. While I filled her in on what’s been happening since the last time I see her and she snipped away at my hair, she listened and wasn’t just feigning interest. Then she gave me her thoughts on it.

And she’s right. All I needed was a little perspective, especially from someone who isn’t all wrapped up in my life.

I walked out with a new way of looking at things, some great conversation and an all around fierce head of hair.

P.S. That’s a picture I took last night, you can’t really tell but it’s about 3 inches shorter, layers are cleaned up and I have a bang again.
P.P.S. Chicago, if you need an amazing stylist talk to Mary at Orbit Salon. I also found out last night that she blogs too! Go say hi to her!
P.P.P.S. Just don’t try to book her when I’m in need of a hair cut or we will be in a fight.
P.P.P.P.S. No, seriously,I will kick some ass when it comes down to pretty hair.

(And don’t forget you can still ask me questions here and I’ll post answers soon)

I have pretty hair. It’s long, down to the middle of my back and when I blow it out, it’s shiny and super straight. People tell me all the time how pretty it is and they like to touch it, even if they don’t know me. That kind of freaks me out. Anyway, one of my favorite things is to go to the salon because I always get told how gorgeous it is. Confidence booster! I also hate going to the salon because I’m always afraid it will get butchered! I rarely go get haircuts because of that reason, plus as a nanny, my long hair is always up in a bun. Babies and long, styled hair, don’t mix. I was incredibly overdue though, my last cut was in December.

Yesterday I made my trek after work to Urban Lift here in Chicago and $60 later (tip included), Mary hooked me up. She cleaned up my layers, took about two inches off and gave me some bangs. She was lovely and I highly recommend her if you are in need of some hair therapy! She also said if I need anything to call and email her and she would gladly talk me through any hair disasters that might sneak attack me. Plus, PLUS, free bang trims whenever I need them. I think I’ve found my hair guru here, people. She is that good.

I know I just wrote a whole entry about my hair but whatever, I can have one thing I’m vain about! So yes, love my hair.

Since some of you asked via twitter, I’m adding a picture. I should have taken it yesterday when my hair was blown out by Mary because I will never get it to look as good! I’m at work and it’s been up in a bun since I got out the shower so sorry for the messy waves, but you can see my bangs. Also, I don’t have time to pose and take 500 pictures until I get a incredibly flattering one, haha, so take it or leave it!

(more…)

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a little too obsessed with my hair. It use to come to my shoulers and have a little bit a layers. Until, the day after prom in high school, I hacked it off to about my chin and dyed it reddish orange. More red than orange but still. I had my red hair for awhile, until right before my freshman year of college started and then dyed it this deep burgundy color. I got bangs, kinda flipped it out sometimes and it was still kind of short. There was more than likely a bandanna tied up some way or another in there too. I was one of those kids, whose closet was full of band shirts and low slung Dickie like pants and, yet, it still took me forever to decide what to wear.

Cursive? No, how about Thursday? Okay, Thursday it is. Wait, but which Thursday shirt?

Yeah, I was always on my way to the Metro or the Fireside to see some band or another and acting all pretentious about, um…everything. I was, most definitely, not one of those douchey, obnoxious scene kids with like 500 million buttons, 3 studded belts on every which way and two different color Converse. Oh gosh, just thinking about it cracks me up.

Anyway, back to my hair, not too long after, I started going through a really rough time. A lot was happening and I became borderline obsessive with exercising and food and lost a bunch of weight. I cut my hair even shorter and dyed it black. I guess the black represented the color of my soul or some nonsense. HAHAHA. Totally just kidding, but it was dyed black. I look back on it now and laugh, but it really wasn’t too funny.

It’s been about 4 years since then. I can tell because around the time I started dating the boy, I was practically out of my “funk”. All the color has grown out and I’m my natural light brown color. It’s past the middle of my back with lots of long layers. I get lots of compliments on how pretty my hair is and I love it. I’m very self conscious about other aspects of myself, more than anyone really knows, so it’s nice when others notice something other than my “flaws”. I freak out at the thought of cutting it and it takes me forever to get up the nerve to go to the salon even just for a trim. I’m always afraid someone will mess it up and then what will I have? Confidence doesn’t come as easy to me, but I’m working on it and I’ll get there.

It’s interesting thinking about how much it’s changed in the past 5-6 years and how much I’ve changed. I’ve unknowingly at the time marked each change in my life, with some sort of change to my hair.

Funny.

P.S. From over a year ago. This is all you get since I’m not ready to come out of the blogging closet!