i left my hair in San Francisco

Don't we all love a good haircut? Haven't you, at least once in your life, gotten yourself a new hairstyle to simply change your image or after a major life-changing event such as a failed relationship or death of a loved one...as if cutting your hair will free you from the aches and pains of the past? But then, getting a hairstyle you like is just half of the challenge. The other half is finding a stylist who can transform your messy hair into something that matches your personality and one that you would be happy to wear everyday. After all, it's your crowning glory...

We Filipinos often joke about it. Everytime we see a friend who just had a haircut, we ask him "buhay pa?" (is he still alive?) referring to the hairstylist who did our friend's hair. It's like implying that we are ready to "kill" a hairstylist who messes with our hair. hahaha.
Just as some people have the fear of a dentist's chair, so is the case with me as far as hair stylists go! I remember when i was in grade school, i topped my class so my dad sent me to a beauty parlor to get my hair and face done for the honor's convocation. And guess what?! i stepped out of the salon with a colorful makeup that matched my overly-decorated hairdo. You know those glittery disk-shaped beads about the size of a 25 centavo coin with a little hole in it? They're like sequins but much much bigger. Anyway, i had about a dozen of it in different colors pinned to my hair. I thought then i looked glamorous and mature, my dad thought i looked cheap so my mom had to troubleshoot my hair & face before the ceremony started. hihihi.

And there was another time also in grade school when i decided to have curly hair but after spending a couple of hours at the parlor, my hair still remained straight and flat. I think i had my hair shampooed and conditioned before i went to the parlor and the hairstylist didn't wash my hair before she applied the treatment....or maybe she forgot to apply something that will make my hair curly. Anyway, i was traumatized. That day i made a decision to just stick to my straight hair.

So the only decision left for me was to choose whether to keep it long or short. In college, I have tried growing my hair until it touched my waist then woke up one day craving for a change so i had it cut short, just a couple of inches below my ears. It was after i finished school when i finally settled for a long hair 'coz my friends kept telling me i look better in it and also, when i gained weight, it somehow compensated for my chubby face.

Caring for my hair for the past 16 years was easy because of Ate Amy, our neighbor in the Philippines, who became a close family friend since the day i entered her salon in 1991. When i got here last year, seeing a hairstylist was the least of my concerns 'coz i was pregnant and i didn't want to do anything to hurt the developing baby. Last March, a month after i gave birth, i decided it was time to bring back the glow. I was about to make an appointment with a Vietnamese stylist but Fil's aunts, Auntie Norma and Bella, suggested i try their hairstylist friend in San Francisco. I wasn't that excited at first 'coz Auntie Norma and Bella are both in their 60s (ssssh!) and i was worried that their friend can't do my kind of style. I also don't want to drive 30+ miles just for a haircut (talk about gas prices!) but they insisted and told me they'll pay so why not?

I gave it a try. The hairstylist is Lorna, also a Filipina, who have lived in the US for a long time. She is so busy that you have to make an appointment at least a month ahead. I told her i wanted a Jennifer Aniston kind of hair but not too short and layers not too pointed...just a couple of layers to give my long straight hair some sass. Guess what? She did exactly what i wanted... as if she has been doing my hair for years and not for the first time! She took 3 inches and told me to come back in a few months so she can take 3 inches more and get rid of the dry ends. Yesterday, i went back for the trim and my hair now looks healthier. hmmm, i love my hair! :-)

But baby racrac loves it too! He enjoys pulling my hair and always have a strand or two of it trapped between his fingers. Ahhh....motherhood...it is best worn with a pony tail!

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