Thursday, April 10, 2008

Getting a Haircut in China

I have curly hair, so getting a haircut here in China is a bit of a crapshoot. Actually it's a little like jumping off a high cliff with a tiny pool of deep water somewhere at the bottom. So you set yourself up on the cliff edge, trying to increase your odds of hitting the water by going to a reputable looking salon, and then you just have to jump. And let the stylist cut with his own free will (after he has retrieved his cutting utensils from a huge locked suitcase.) My last haircut adventure here turned out badly, with one side turning out longer than the other. That guy seemed to be trying to cut off every bit of curl. He would cut a little, and then try to smooth it down flat, and then cut a little bit more. I had to stop him, or I would have ended up bald.

But this new guy seemed okay. And I was semi-satisfied with the result. It's still a little wonky, and he used thinning scissors (!!!!) all over my head, which isn't good for my curls. Makes them a little too wispy at the ends to look right. But it's better than last time, for sure.

Another interesting thing, haircut prices are determined by the level of complexity of the cut. I didn't know that when I first came in, so I chose the 30 yuan option. Afterwards my stylist said that my haircut should have been a 50 yuan cut, since doing the sideburn hair right was tricky and required more time. Ah well. Next time.

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