Getting a Haircut

It's been about 7 months since I've had my last haircut, which for me isn't totally unusual. See, I generally get my hair cut for only two reasons. Either (1) it is driving me crazy and I want to hack it off... This usually happens when the weather turns warmer and I want nothing to do with styling or caring for it. Or (2) I actually need to look nice. It was the latter that got me to cut it in August. My sister was getting married so I needed to look presentable.

Between me being a solo-parent this fall while CJ was away starting graduate school and not having the time, I'm also a bit frugal when it comes to paying someone to cut my hair. And it doesn't help that CJ does his at home with a pair of clippers, so any expense on my part is more than he's paying!

We have been in Rome now more than two months and while I've long given up on competing with the Italian women in the fashion department, I'd still like to look presentable when I got out with the kids. That competition would have looked like my high school basketball games where one team jumped off to a 16-0 lead in the first 5 minutes of the game. A foreboding event considering the winning team usually had a score the 40s. I won't tell you what side my team was on, but you can guess which side I've been on here.

I decided recently that a new haircut may go a long way to helping with my "image" in Rome. I was forced to rule out buying a new wardrobe. Much as I would love to look the part in Italian made garb, we are on a student's budget and even when I was working I wouldn't have been able to afford what would be the equivalent of 5th Avenue shopping. But a haircut seemed reasonable.

After lamenting about my fashion-less plight to CJ, he offered to watch the kids for a few hours so I could have some time to myself and find a salon. After an enjoyable stroll around some of my favorite streets to window shop during which I managed to keep the wallet closed, I focused on my mission and found a salon on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II - Micanti Paolo. Despite the fact that I didn't have an appointment, Paolo (who spoke English and Italian - FORTUNATELY!) was able to take me for a wash and cut - Taglio e piega. I explained my dilemma... I'm a mom, my hair has no shape, I need something different, do whatever you want without giving me bangs... and he happily obliged. He kept the length, which Celia (who is insistent on maintaining her own long hair) and CJ both like, and he added some layers and style. All in all, it was a drastic improvement from my previous, all one length, cut.

So while I'm still stuck in my old, much too last season and clearly too comfortable American clothes, I at least erased the goose egg from my score with this haircut.

My "results" photos are to the left and below. I figured I've posted enough "before" photos that I didn't need to remind you of how much I needed the haircut. (Just click on the left to see every other post/picture with me in it!)

Note: I added so many pictures because they were taken by Celia & Augustine and were just too good not to put up! Celia did first two. Augustine took the shot of me and Celia. Self timer did the last two. All the photos were taken in our outdoor patio garden on a beautiful spring afternoon.