Anyhow, hubs doesn't have such a problem. He goes where it is cheapest. He's not bothered because he has to cut and dye his (white) hair every month anyway. Doesn't matter if the dye is 'branded' or not. But for me, if I want to keep my hair long, I'd have to be careful what I put on or do to my hair, isn't it? Besides, I have a natural wave to my hair. It isn't straight. My hair is fine but I have alot of it. You might not believe me, until you actually work with my hair. That's what a few hair stylists have told me. They didn't think I had so much hair until they actually set out to highlight, dye or blow dry it. Then they know, it takes forever.
Well, hubs told me that Snip Avenue was having a promotion on hair dyeing. Although I had such bad experiences with them that I'd told myself I was staying away from their chain of outlets for good, I followed him to make enquiries. Turns out, there isn't any REAL offer at all (for the likes of us). The prices are still the same for normal length hair. To them, short hair is a men's short cut. Medium is a lady's short cut. Long is anywhere after that. Yep. That's their intepretation. I've asked often enough. Even with very short hair, I've been told it was considered under 'long' hair charges.
This is one of the posters they have up on their glass panels facing the public walkway:
This 'ching-chong' chain of outlets believe themselves to be Americans, spelling colour as color. Ok, whatever. Anyway, I scanned the poster for any asterisk * (you know, the usual '* terms and conditions apply' crap that is in so fine a print that no one can notice anything) but couldn't find it. It says, '$7.80 Color + Wash + Blow). It does not say, when you come into the actual Snip Avenue shop, I will then tell you the truth (in mandarin); that it is only for 'very, very short men's hair. Those type where the hair is near the scalp and only for black colour dye'. Pissed, Michael and I walked out. No wait - VERY PISSED, Michael and I walked out. Suckers we may be for a deal, too good to be true - but you're misleading people, Snip Avenue!!! Anyway, thank goodness it didn't work out there cos I saw that the next available hair stylist was the same young Malaysian lady who had burnt my hair rebonding it. It is thanks to her that I had to cut it all off last year. How lucky can one get?
Not counting last Sunday, I had not cut my hair since slightly before Chinese New Year (early February 2011). I know, I was walking around with unkempt hair for 6 months because I was trying to grow out my (chic but short) hair. I knew that if I went for even a 'trim' any time in between, it'd be cut shorter than I really wanted and I'd have to grow it out all over again.
Well, I finally entered a salon last Sunday but only because my daughter had asked for her fringe to be cut. I didn't think the mandarin speaking stylist was very skillful but there I was sitting waiting for her and wondering if I'd have the time to enter a salon again. Although I was starting to like the way my hair was growing out (it was fairytaling beautifully at the ends), it needed a trim. A TRIM. That's what I said. In mandarin - because FIND ME A REASONABLY PRICED HAIRSTYLIST THAT SPEAKS GOOD ENGLISH IN SINGAPORE WHO DOESN'T PUSH THE SALES OF TREATMENTS PLEASE!!! Why must nearly ALL the hair stylists I speak to, hail from Malaysia or China and only speak mandarin???
I said TRIM. TRIM - yes. In mandarin. I KNOW I got it right. I explained clearly that I was trying to grow my hair long again and I only needed him to neaten it with a trim to the ENDS. But no. Oh no. He had to do what he had to do. Which is lop of like 3cm worth of hair. That bloody fool. Did he know how slowly hair grows??? We get like 1cm worth of hair growth in a month if we're lucky.
And you know what? (look, I don't care that one shouldn't start sentences with 'and', I'm in a pissed mood right now). I told him I didn't want it layered. No layers. No 'stepped' look. He asked me why he couldn't cut it short for me. I said I liked my current length because it allowed me to tie it up. I wanted a BOB. A level BOB at the ends. Just trim my ends a little cos they were uneven. But sigh. No. Nope. He couldn't do that. He lopped off my hair then proceeded to use those sickening thinning shears (with the teeth) which I loathe. I always feel that only lazy hairstylists use those thinning shears when they should be weilding their scissors and using their skills to produce the layers.
I had even pointed out ONE PARTICULAR portion of my top hair near my fringer which I had told him specifically to NOT touch because I was trying to grow it out. But of course, he cut if off. Mind you. I was paying a full professional price for this cut and wash. But did he listen? No. Did he wash my hair at the sink? Yes. And, while I thought it strange at that time, he had asked me, whilst washing my hair at the sink, if my scalp itched. I said, 'No'. I only realised that later, he was trying to bug me into buying his 'ampoule' for a discounted price of S$10 ('Ampoule' being the most difficult word in the English dictionary these chinese speaking cutters know). I declined and I think he wasn't too happy about that. He told me it was good for sensitive scalps, like if I felt it was itchy etc (didn't I say mine didn't itch???). Then, after he blow dried my hair, he advised me to add serum to my hair. I told him I didn't like anything on my hair. He then emphasised that my hair was REALLY, REALLY dry. Really? My hair may not be super silky soft because I do bottle colour it myself once every 6 months but it doesn't have split ends or anything like that. It's not wonderful but it's not as terrible as he made it out to be either. Oh and yes, he said he wasn't sure if I could tie up my hair anymore. He sucked big time.
I usually ask the hairstylist for his name and card if his service is good but I didn't bother this time. He told me, in that row of shophouses (in Toa Payoh Central) alone, there were 10 hair salons. I'd say, good luck, bucko. I know, I won't be a returning customer. The sign outside their salon says 'Japanese cut'. What was so Japanese about not listening to the needs of your customer?
Anyhow, one saving grace is my hair is still touching my shoulders. It's actually messier now because his cutting of layers has allowed my waves to go mad. And I do not have wonderful springy curls I see on Malays and Indians. I have limp waves. They are neither here nor there.
There are pockets of 'thinness' I'd rather not have but what's one to do? Hair stylists do not listen. Yes, I'm convinced they do not listen. Maybe it's because just like I don't like people to tell me what to paint and how to paint my shoes, they like to do their own thing when it comes to other people's hair. But wise up. My shoes aren't alive but I am. I'm the customer who has to live with the curls and whirls of my own hair. I know my own hair, therefore when I tell you to do or not to do something with my hair, you jolly well listen. Just as well, I didn't even bother to look at the salon's name.
So there.....I'm not going to another hair salon for another 6 months.
(Afterthought - Mike wasn't too bothered about my hair cut. He knows I'm very fussy about my hair and that joked that he should go take up a hairdressing course to be my hairdresser. He knows I'm never happy with whichever hair salon I go to. I used to have my regular salons to go to. I was willing to travel really far to visit the salon but as I said, they have either closed down or the stylists went away. But if hubs thinks I'm alone, he's wrong. Where I work, there are a whole bunch of ladies who have shared with me their hair woes. We often laugh about it in loo. They too have not found a single satisfactory hair stylist. Ha ha).
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