I do not know how to style my hair. I shower at night before bed (I hate going to bed feeling dirty, and I hate waking up early). I towel dry, comb, then go to bed. In the morning, I brush out the tangles, gather my hair and twist it into a folded(?) sloppy mess tied into a scrunchy at the base of my head. Throughout the day, I’ll release the “bun” because I get a headache when it’s pulled back for a long time. Then, at some point, I’ll tie it back again because it’s a mess that gets all over my face.
On the rare occasion, when I’m not feeling lazy or I want to look a little more put together, I’ll take a straightener to my hair.
This is how it is when you don’t know how to use a blowdryer and style your hair.
It’s all good, though. I’ve never been what one would call “fashionable.” I still prefer to wear t-shirts and shorts/sweatpants, and I only know enough about makeup to even out my skin tone so I don’t look like a piece of moldy wheat bread. When I hang out with people, even when I try to look like a grown woman, I am still the derpy girl who looks slightly out of place.
This is just who I am. There are a lot of things about myself I am still learning to accept, but this inability to look put together…I’m down with that.
The other day, I got a haircut.
I don’t keep up with haircuts. I get them when my hair gets too long or frizzy or hard to manage. Usually this means that when I pull it back, it’s so heavy that I get bad headaches. So, I went to my forever salon, Hayadi.
Do you have THE salon or THE stylist who absolutely understands your hair? A few years back, I was looking for a salon closer to my house, and I tried a number of places. None of them felt right, and one place was downright rude when I called to try to make an appointment. The conversation went like this:
Me: “Hi! I’d like to make an appointment for a hair cut. Are there any openings on Friday?”
Receptionist (in a lazy voice): “No. We’re booked.” *hangs up phone*
Um…what just happened? I guess I wasn’t cool enough to go there. I don’t know.
Anyway, all this to say I ended up at Hayadi. They have an online appointment booking system, by the way, for introverts like me. However, one time I had to call and fix an appointment I made, and the receptionist was SO NICE. And she didn’t hang up on me for no reason.
No, I’m not still bitter.
There are three stylists at Hayadi: Zaid (owner and master stylist), Carmen, and Laith. They are the nicest, most down to earth people. This is not a snooty salon. This is not a hip salon. This is not a Hollywood salon. This is a professional, classy small business with kind people who are passionate about their work and who care about their customers.
I promise they are not paying me to say these things.
Beach wave hair
I have never had a stylist (Carmen is my stylist, by the way) whom I’ve trusted to do whatever with my hair. I can trust her because she’s listened to me talk about the types of styles I like, she knows how low maintenance I want to be, and she gets my personality. I also wanted to go to a salon that understands that Asian hair is different! All hair is different! They get it!
Also, Carmen has a million dollar smile. (teehee).
Mark gets his hair cut more often than I do, and Zaid makes his hair look exactly the way I love it. (Does it matter if Mark loves it? Hahaha…kidding. He’s beyond super happy with his cuts.)
So like I was saying, I got my hair cut the other day. Four inches chopped off! But I got a special treat because Carmen cut my hair, and then (surprise!) Laith not only styled my hair, but tried to teach me how to style it myself! I mean, I still don’t know how because I am just not coordinated, but it was very impressive to hear him explain it. They made me feel like a star. Collaboration cut and style!
If you live in the Northern Virginia area, and you’re still searching for the right salon, look them up. OH, and follow them on Instagram because they post little videos which are fun to watch.
Kind of random, only semi-related…
Finally, just because I love sharing, here are some YouTube videos I’ve been obsessed with watching lately about makeup. Am I weird?