Cultivate Your Coif: What's Your Hair Saying?
"Trying on clothes at Buff Ex today and they were playing...you're not going to believe this...Enya came on. And she was singing Oroniko Flow!" When Emmy (above, cutting my hair yesterday) finally catches her breath it's to laugh. "You knew who it was and the name of the song?! You just lost street cred, girl."
Ah, Emmy Swenson. You give it to me straight so I keep coming back for more.
We have an odd relationship with hair as a species. We crave consistency - think about Jennifer Aniston - her hair hasn't changed a heck of a lot since she became famous for the long layered look on "Friends."
(Images via Google Search / John Abbott)
And we love to see extremes - think Malcom Gladwell (above) and Seth Godin (below), both widely known in their spheres and both possessing a memorable head of hair (or in the latter case, a lack thereof).
(Image via Oprah.com)
In a recent Oprah episode, she talks about hair with Chris Rock and Beyonce's sister, Solange Knowles - all three have clear messages about your hair - don't let it possess you.
The "hair odyssey" is one you take alone. And if you live to tell the tale, as Merlin Mann has, you maybe share it:
From time to time my grandmother will tell me to grow my hair out because she thinks I'm "so beautiful" with long hair. Not sure what I am with short hair. But I love it short. It gives me time to focus on other things - like travel. And a project or five.
Also, I like to believe I have perfected the Parisian chic look - I got a cut in Paris once and it was like none other. Massage, French accents, flair. Lots of razor. Not at all like the 1000 yen cuts you get in Japan. They have vacuum cleaners built into the booth (kid you not. They use them to vacuum hair off you at the end of the cut). You go in, pay for the cut at a vending machine, hand the hairdresser (if she can be called that - more like a lawn care specialist) your card. She proceeds to make short work of your hair with very little input from you. It's hit or miss, but when it hits, you definitely feel like you got a deal (with 1000 Japanese yen equalling roughly ten USD).
What's your hair saying about you? Do you care? Yesterday at the salon, one of Emmy's neighbor's said, "your hair is 52% of your look. You could be wearing sweats but if your hair looks hot, it doesn't matter. Put it in a ponytail and suddenly you're not looking so hot." What's the most you've ever spent on a cut? (Me, accidentally, 8500 yen - but that wasn't the best cut I've ever had. Yeah, perhaps buyers remorse is responsible for 9/10s of why I didn't love it.)
Retreat month has begun. I kicked it off yesterday by spending time cultivating the coif.
Hair stories? Got 'em? Share 'em.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Reader Comments (16)
Some of your comments from Twitter (I asked about hair horror stories) (the @____ is the person who made the comment - go follow them!):
@christijarland interested in how vodka and an impromptu conversation while "high-lighting" my friend's hair turned into a next morning emergency?
@fusionofme Tried to dye my hair blue at 13. It ended up granny blue, not electric blue. I cut it all off.
@SusanW There was that time my stylist turned my hair orange ... three days before BlogHer '07. Yikes.
@ckwilk The time I asked for highlights and my hair turned grey? Grey streaks. I was 28 at the time.
@missleah26 I asked for a Katie Holmes/Posh 'do and wound up looking like my mom circa '94. I'm 23... not the look I was going for!
@VictoriaKlein I've got countless hair nightmares to share!
@elegantmachines some people might consider my hair a catastrophe, but obviously I like it :)
@andrewghayes RT @gwenbell: Writing post on hair & personal brand. Any hair catastrophes you want to tell me about for poss. inclusion? <ooh interesting>
@BigBags I once had a dude with the hickups cut my hair. Bad news bears...
I've gone black, blue, red, purple, pink, orange (for 2 days!). But I have never in my life been a blonde. The only time my parents complained? When I shaved the back half of my head.
I constantly have hair envy. LOVE the new 'do.
I showed you ancient photobucket pictures of my hair so you know SOME of the catastrophes. But the biggest one was probably my "scene" hair where it was cut uber short and had BRASSY (not the blonde I was going for) panels in it. Yuck. I thought I was so cool hahahaha.
ps; I forgot to say--I LOVE THE NEW CUT! <3
Great cut! I don't think I have any horror stories (except that time in 4th grade when I let my mom cut my bangs...), but my hair's kind of a trademark. It's constantly changing back and forth between blonde and dark, but there's almost always a presence of streaks that don't shy away from bright, bold colors. I'm about to go dark and blue!
slackmistress Your hair is brazen, bold and speaks volumes about you. I think all the changes suit you - dark black is spankin' hot on you right now. And, I love that I never know what you'll do next.
Liz Franco Hot. Regardless of what you do with your hair. You're hot.
Doniree Ok, that sounds awesome and delicious. Can't wait to see pics!
My hair is kind of my trademark too. It's currently in a short asymmetrical purple & red 'do. I've had everything from long naturally curly hair, to a razored pixie cut, to a purple and green mohawk (such a pain to style, but I do miss it sometimes!). I love using my hair as a vehicle to express myself, and I get a lot of comments on it - we used to live in small town Missouri, so most of them were rude. But since moving to Austin in June I haven't had one rude comment, only compliments! If I could change anything about my hair-story (ha...ha...) I'd have myself chop it off sooner; as a young teenager I think I hid behind the long locks & hoped it'd attract attention off my face. Barrier from the world, if you will. Having short hair is a huge confidence booster for me, and so much easier to take care of!
Love the haircut, Gwen, by the way. :)
Michelle you said "hair-story." Love it. And...ditto. Kept in long in HS & first part of college thinking I was more "beautiful" with long hair (as I mention my grandmother telling me in the blog post). First part of recognizing true beauty for me came when I understood beauty has nothing to do with hair and everything to do with how we live our lives. Shorter hair gives me more freedom to lead a fuller life. Sounds like it does the same for you.
I shaved my head on my 21st birthday, on a trip to Boston with my boyfriend. I had hair down to my shoulders, and when I woke up the next morning, in a bed and breakfast, I couldn't believe I had actually done it. I loved what I saw. I loved how it felt.
I shaved it a few more times, kept it short for awhile, and now I'm letting it grow. It's still short, but it looks softer. I like it.
For me, most of how I look (and, somewhat in consequence, how I feel) is tied to how my hair and nails look. I want healthy, natural and shiny on both counts. That's when I feel beautiful, like I could go anywhere and talk to anyone.
BEAUTIFUL Gwen!
I could go on and on about hair horror stories....but where to begin......the tightest perm in the world, unlayered and resembling a christmas tree, or the poodle explosion after my mother insisted on brushing it out. or maybe the 7th grade haircut that changed my life and inspired me to become a hairdresser and to never EVER make a pre-teen feel more awkward, homely, and self-concious on their first day in Junior high than they already do. I thought the cheekbone length half curled in, half curled out bob with the bangs that were a slow crawl back to the crown of my head ("just poof them up a little Em, they'll be fine") this look definitely complimented my teeth that were too big for my face, and my head that was too big for my body quite well :)
Emmy! thanks for coming by, girl. Ok, those are intense. Here's my worst: right before the start of high school (9th grade) I went to church camp for the summer and experimented with L'Oreal haircolor that was supposed to be "auburn." Turned my hair orange. Then, as the dark grew out I looked like a pumpkin with a brown stem on top. My grandmother made me dye my whole head of hair b/f class started.
Also, did the perm thing. They had to perm it twice in the same day b/c it wouldn't take. Kid you not. Trauma. Because it shrunk it up and accented my buck teeth.
That's why there are people like you in the world, Emmy. To help heal our hair wounds. *smile*
My story began the day I was born. I'm a curly hair person trapped in a thin, straight hair head
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - you ROCK the short locks! Your face pops out, your smiles shines and your eyes sparkle. Your new do is dead sexy.
Short haired chics have more fun and deep-soul-kickin'-spunk...i'm convinced!
Do you remember the hairstyle video fad in the early 90s? You could have a VHS video made of yourself with all kinds of different hairstyles. My mom had one made. It's hilarious. She's gone, and it's one of the things I treasure most that she left me.
Jessica I definitely don't remember that but wish they'd bring them back! (Also, I'm guessing that means the world to you - I'd love to see my mom in a video like that. Most of the vid we have of her was when she was sick. But still beautiful in her own pixie way. Big love to you.)
Earlier this year, i finally got my hair cut. after 8 years of well past shoulder length dude hair. there were moments of only shoulder length in those 8 years, but now is the first time since i was 15 that i've had proper short hair.
frankly, i can't believe it too me so long, i love it, everyone is commenting on how it suits me and how i look handsome. all in all a smart move. The reason i got it cut?
i met this guy who looked way too much like me, same build, same glasses, and same long dark curly hair. worst of all the guy was *such* a loser (bless i think he was only 17/18) that my ego demanded i get all my hair cut off! i ended up going for a 40's style hair cut (for a rat pack tribute show i was musical director for) and ended up looking like al pachino ala the godfather.
not a hair disaster, but definitely a story, and all for a mere £8 sterling (that's UK for those who don't know)