Hair Cut

     Oh, my.

     You cut your hair.

     It’s really short.

     It looks like the crew cut I had when I was eight years old.

     Excuse me, sir.

     It will grow back.

A few random comments about my new incredibly short hair cut.

I’ve had short hair – sometimes called a pixie cut – since I started triathlons ten years ago. Now my hair is even shorter – sometimes called almost bald – to prepare for my new life in Ghana.

In December a long-time friend and I were discussing hair when she mentioned some women in her retirement community cut their own hair with hair clippers.  They hate paying to get their hair cut.  They just run the clippers through their hair every month or so.  It looks great.  It would be ideal for you. You have the right shaped face.

After our conversation I asked the stylist at Super Cuts to cut my hair with clippers while giving me tips for doing it myself. It would be too short. The longest guard I have is just an inch. She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart at my eye level and then moved her hand to touch my scalp to demonstrate how short an inch of hair would look on my head. She talked me out of clipped hair and gave me my usual trim.

A couple of days later Costco had Wahl hair clippers on sale – just $20. I called my friend who suggested I clip my own hair. I needed confirmation.

Does it really look OK?   Yes. They look great.

You’d recommend it?   Yes. You’d look great. And it would be so easy to take care of.

My hairstylist said it would be too short.   Use the longest guard. And it will grow back if you don’t like it.

I bought the clippers.

I snapped the longest guard onto the end of the clippers and took a deep breath. Feeling the gentle vibration of the motor in my right hand, I raised the clippers and placed the plastic guard against my forehead above my eyebrow. I slowly moved the clippers from the front of my head to the crown. Clumps of brown hair cascaded to the counter.

I glanced in the mirror. Instead of the anticipated hardly noticeable difference between the clipped and non-clipped areas, I stared at my reflection. Looking back at me was a skunk with an off-centered stripe.

But there was no stopping now.  I had taken a bold step down a path and had no option but to continue in the same direction.

I finished running the clippers over my head and then ran my hands through my almost bald head. Wow. The hairdresser was right. My hair was short. Shorter than I had anticipated. Too short.

I giggled at my new look and called my friend who had suggested the clippers.

It’s short. Really short. I bet it’s fine. Send a picture to my cell.

Sit down before looking at the photo. It is SHORT! Oh my. Betty’s is longer. But in two weeks you can comb it over. And it is easy!

I look like I just finished cancer treatment.  A very healthy patient though.

The next morning my inch-long hair was sticking out in all directions.  How could I have a bad hair day with hardly any hair?

When I shampooed my hair I felt a clump of thick hair on the back of my head.  I retrieved the clippers to finish the job.

I’ve gotten used to my shorter hair and don’t feel like a cancer survivor – perhaps because my hair is now almost twice as long as when I first cut it.

And I’ve even received a few “I like your hair” compliments.

This week will be the test of how much I like my short hair.  I’m limited to taking two suitcases and 80 pounds of belongings to Ghana.  Will the Wahl clippers make the space/weight cutoff?