The Adventure of Getting a Free Haircut

To say I need a haircut is an understatement. It's been six months since my last professional trim and my split ends now have their own split ends. However, I refuse to shell out a day's wages for someone to chop my locks off. Having said that though, a bad haircut is one of those things that can make life truly unbearable. So I turned to the trusty internet to find a way to get a quality haircut on the cheap. 

What I learned is that many salons host classes for their stylists to continue their training while on the job. Many of these salons are looking to give the model a specific cut (interestingly bobs are one of the most popular styles advertised for) but some will allow you to choose your own style. I browsed through several days of Craigslist ads before stumbling on salonapprentice.com. This site provides a database where stylists can list what they're looking for and prospective models can reply to the ads. I found an ad listed by a stylist at Salon Ziba and called in. They took my name and number and set me up for an appointment today at 11 AM. Read on to find out how my experience went.

I arrived for my appointment promptly with picture in hand of what I wanted: face framing layers and a few inches off of the length a la Salma Hayek in this photo. With the approval of her instructor, the stylist proceeded to shampoo my hair. I should have known I was in for it by the look of astonishment on her face when the instructor told her (mid-shampoo, mind you) that she would only have 30 minutes to complete the cut. I felt like I was on Project Runway but instead of the stylist feverishly cutting fabric, she had my precious locks in hand. 

After 30 minutes of snipping, she blow dryed my hair and her instructor came over to evaluate her work. Although I could not see the back, there was obviously a problem because for the next hour, instructor and stylist took turns cutting and re-cutting my hair. I was cringing for most of it, trying to imagine just how bad the damage was back there. And from what I could see in the front, my face framing layers looked more like a helmut of hair than anything else.

Finally, after a lot of trimming and "texturizing" (whatever that means!) by the instructor, my haircut was complete. The result...a shorter, less voluminous look than my muse Ms. Hayek but definitely a haircut I can live with. Here are my before and after shots:

After
Not too shabby, right?

Before
Little did I know what I was getting myself into!

If you're interested in getting a free haircut, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Allot a generous amount of time to have your haircut- This is supposed to be a learning experience for the stylists and instructors will take extra time to explain a technique

2. Be open minded- So what if you're haircut isn't exactly what you had envisioned. Even when you pay full price, haircuts rarely turn out looking exactly as we had hoped.

3. Be aware of internet scams- That guy on Craigslist who wants you to meet him at his apartment and send photos of yourself may just be a creep trolling on the internet for desperate, broke gals. Stick to established salons!

4. Know your options- Top salons like Aveda Institute, Bumble & Bumble, and Youngshee Salon all offer free or cheap cuts and color. And don't forget the Craigslist free section and salonapprentice.com for other smaller salon listings.