Burned

I hate my hair except for a day or two each month when I like it.  It is usually too short, too long, too thick, too thin; only occasionally just right.

This week I've experienced a whole new hair situation: SCORCHED.

I have been going to the same hair technician (is that the proper term?) for the past five years.  I really like her and know her quite well by now. Mollie has been getting more and more difficult to get an appointment with because she has become so popular.  I guess I feel possessive of her, I was one of her original customer at her first salon and I followed her to the next two places she worked and finally to her own salon.  Somehow I feel entitled to some sort of priority when it comes to scheduling an appointment, but I know that is not the way it works.

When I called her salon last week, she was scheduling out 3 weeks and I was at a point where I needed a cut NOW.  So I called someone who had lived in my ward and had opened her own salon in her home a year or so ago.  I know her and her family quite well and felt comfortable going to her.  Unfortunately, I was late due to some unexpected out-of-town guests who showed up 20 minutes before my appointment.  So when I arrived late to my appointment, I suggested rescheduling to another day or else a cut only, no drying or styling.  She said, "sure, no problem" and went to work.  The cut was going well and when she finished, I reminded her not to worry about the dry/style portion.  She responded, My next appointment hasn't arrived, so we will just go ahead and finish."  She quickly went through the whole process and I was writing out a check when her next appointment walked through the door.

As I rushed out, I noticed a strange odor emanating from my head.  I thought it must be a hair product she had used and went home and got back to work with duties of the day.  During the night, I kept catching a whiff of that strange smell so I was looking forward to washing my hair in the morning.

As I lathered my hair in the shower, it felt strange in my hands--dry and rough. I started to suspect something was not right.  I slathered on conditioner and left it on extra long.  When I started blow drying, it seemed as if I was handling dried grass and when I finished I had this ball of fluffy, feather-like stuff billowing around my head.  My fears were confirmed, my hair was scorched.  She must have  had the straight iron turned too high in her rush to finish!  I was shocked and dismayed.

That was Thursday afternoon.  I've spent the days since snipping away at chunks of scorched hair. Every time I look in the mirror I take my scissors and try to cut off the worst parts into my bathrooms sink.  The ends of hair landing in the sink are letter-shaped: 'C's, 'L's, 'S's, 'U's and 'O's decorated the sink.  I wonder what I could spell with all my burned letter-shaped hair ends?

Lesson learned!  I will never be in a rush to get an appointment again.  I am going to schedule myself three, four or five weeks out and never complain.  I will call Mollie when she opens on Tuesday (she takes Mondays off) and see when she can fit in an emergency case and I will confess my impatience, plead for forgiveness and hope for a solution to being burned.