Last week, it seemed everyone was getting haircuts.
Everyday, I’d notice a new shrunken ponytail, or in the case of my friend, Dean, who took a scissors to his own hair, I noticed a shaggy mop transformed into a three-quarter inch skull-hugger.
I wanted one too. Not a skull-hugger, just a trim.
I knew I wasn’t as brave as Dean; I wasn’t about to cut my own hair, and I didn’t know who I should have cut it.
The last trim I had was over Thanksgiving break when my sister cut it. She’s been cutting my hair since I was seven years old and she was eleven.
Back then, she styled my hair to look like Harry from Dumb and Dumber, and I would cry when I looked in the mirror.
Now she’s a certified professional, and I look slightly more normal. I trust her. Yielding to the hands of someone else with the risk of looking like Harry again is scary.
Change is scary but so are split ends that can be seen at a distance, which was true of my frayed, frizzy hair.
By Friday afternoon, I was feeling desperate.
It was time to get a haircut, no matter who cut it. For me, getting a haircut is for the purpose of looking neat and healthy. It’s simply to meet an aesthetic need.
For others, the needs a haircut meets may be different.
In Japan, a haircut is a reflection of the economy. At least, that’s what Business Week Online reported in the March 7, 2008 article, “Japan’s Haircut Indicator.”
The article says statistics show that, “Japanese women start wearing their hair short when the economy is worsening and let it grow longer when times are getting better. One theory is that women adopted shorter hairstyles because in harder times they have less money to spend on hair care products, such as hairsprays and gels, which women tend to use more heavily for longer hair.”
For Helium blogger, Alissa King, the haircut is a way to cope with a break up. She writes, “I came to a point where I did not want to have my long locks for a single moment more. This had to do directly with my distress and unhappiness at the time. When I went for the haircut, it was very personal. I felt like I was changing more than my appearance; I was taking the needed step to get on with my life.”
My quest for a haircut in Winona was not a breakup haircut. I’m getting married in less than two months, and I needed to keep my hair long.
I just needed a trim, but it wasn’t that easy. I had a couple of obstacles to surmount. One, my only mode of transportation is a bike. Two, I am poor.
The obvious solution was to walk over to the closest salon in site that had a huge sign boasting haircuts for $10.95.
I swung the door open, walked in and was approached by a woman who appeared to be in her mid-50s and wearing a gray bob parted to the side. She glanced back at the row of dryers occupied by elderly women in curlers and said they were booked for the afternoon.
I was disappointed, but my hopes were still high. I walked to the next closest salon. Haircut: $17. Next opening: Tuesday.
Tuesday wasn’t going to work for me. I wanted a haircut immediately. I could feel my split ends progressing.
This is when I got smart and realized I had a phone I could use to check for openings rather than the walk-and-be-disappointed method.
I found one downtown that could hack away at my split ends as soon as I got there.
The price at this salon was also $17, but hey, it was nowhere near the most expensive cut in the world, which is by London styalist Lee Stafford for $1,925 according to Economic Times.
It wasn’t a $400 John Edwards style.
It was even cheaper than what MSN news says is the national average of $21.
I decided I’d take it.
Now, what would be an appropriate amount for a tip?
I had no idea. My sister usually cuts my hair for free, and I’d never had to deal with tips. I paid with a $20 and said to keep the change.
According to www.tippingetiquette.org I didn’t need to tip that much. The site suggests 10-20 percent, but they also say to tip the person who loads the groceries into your car $5. They also make a note that there is no need to tip for a baptism, so I don’t know how credible these people are.
I still have no idea what is an appropriate tipping amount for a haircut, but my split ends have vanished.
I got my spring haircut, and it feels good.

Questions or comments?
Contact Lydia at
LCOglesb3075@winona.edu