“A bad hair cut is two people’s shame”
-Danish proverb
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Call it DIY, call it punk rock, but I haven’t received a haircut from a barber or stylist in over a year.
The obvious benefit of this is of course, saving money. Being someone who especially enjoys the feeling of “new haircut confidence”, I began to place more and more value on feeling and looking my best, and it came to a point where I was wanting to get a trim every two-to-three weeks.
Thankfully I learned from a college roommate that cutting my own hair was indeed an option. Back then this just meant a cheap and unfashionable (on me) buzz or clipper cut, but especially when I was trying to get into the CrossFit gym at the campus ROTC detachment, it was a better option that having a mop on my head.
While this once daunting task saves me an inestimable amount annually, the real value was one that came rather unexpectedly to me.
Just as you would appreciate a physical object manifested out of your own handiwork- a chair, piece of art, or even a meal- exponentially more, the same applies to me when I cut my own hair.
More than just a renewal of confidence, to me it has become a source of pride and and self-expression.
Granted, I do style my hair short and messy, and can’t guarantee I’d be saying the same things if I wore a longer style. But, as my skills have improved and I have learned some of the finer points of barbering- blending, feathering, and cutting bangs vertically, not straight across- it has become an unusual creative outlet.
The product is also consistently and considerably better than the majority of haircuts I have received from professionals. If you screw it up- which inevitably happens now and again- you have no one to blame but yourself.
But just as confidence can fade as the hair lengthens, so do the mistakes you make. Then soon enough, you get to try again.