I am going for a haircut tomorrow. This is, for me, a relatively rare occurrence (last time I went was January). But at least I am no longer scared of the hairdresser. I have finally found somebody who cuts my hair as curly hair, rather than as straight hair, bent to their will with a blow drier, thus looking fantastic, swishy and gorgeous as I leave the salon and a hideous, cowlicked state the rest of the time.
Adrian, my scissor wielding saviour, likes my curls. In fact, he goes so far in 'encouraging' them, that I tend to leave the salon looking like a poodle, but at least when I wash it the following morning, my hair works as its curly self. This is worth the large amount of money I pay for his 'creative director' status (especially since haircuts generally only happen a couple of times a year).
But tomorrow, I am not going alone. Mark has finally consented to cut his hair, but only if he gets to go to the same place as me. So I called for appointments for three of us (only two of us are NOT getting the creative director).
They used to go to Sara - the biker chick owner of the local barber's shop. She would discuss Top Gear with Mark, tickle Johnny with her neck brush and give the swiftest, most sensible boys haircuts on the planet. And lollipops. She had cut their hair right from little baby wisps, through first days at school and I was hoping she would navigate teenage trends on my behalf, but she left to go back to the Isle of Man. And since she did (and it was almost 2 years ago), the kids hair has been getting more and more unkempt.
We've cut it, in many different walk in barber shop type places, but the styles (or lack thereof) have been getting worse and worse. Mark is commonly sporting what can only be called a bob. Not good. So I was determined that we should get decent haircuts out of the doubtless extortionate bill tomorrow. And the key to a decent cut? Knowing what you want.
Cue pinterest. I'm a big fan of Johnny's choice.
Source: Uploaded by user via Ali on Pinterest
Okay, I realize he's a bit young for facial hair, but the rest is good, no?
Mark is still keen to be more hairy and scruffy than I, and his school I suspect, would ideally like. But I bow to the whims of pre-teen fashion. At least he isn't asking for piercings or a tattoo (yet).
Though it is clear that some people are in doubt over the motives behind my pinboard....
Do you have input into your kids hair? How do you manage it? I have high hopes tomorrow for finding a Sara relacement, who can tread the fine line between pleasing the customer and producing something on their heads which looks reasonable. Keep your fingers crossed - given that it took me over 30 years to find a hairdresser I liked, it might be a big ask.