Reinvention

Lose 15 pounds, and you soon find yourself itching for a complete transformation.

Saturday came and brought with it my standing, monthly appointment at Aveda Frederic's Institute in Hyde Park. Don't judge, people - it's actually a great salon and an affordable option for this non-profit chick.

Anyway.

Months ago, I had already decided on highlights and a haircut for April, but I had no idea I was in the mood for something drastic until about a week or two ago.

My mother said it was time for a change. "Remember that great haircut you had several years ago?" she waxed. "It was short and very blonde and it was just. so. cute. That's what you need. That haircut will do wonders for you."

I don't know if I buy into that logic, but I was definitely up for revisiting a look from five years in my past.

I sat in the chair as the student stylist weaved a needle through my strands, painting them with bleaching formulas and wrapping with aluminum foil. I always think this stage looks like a mess of hair trapped in an air conditioning unit.

This winter brought my first brush with "brunette." As a chill settled in to the Tri-State, I asked the stylist to use some really dark, chocolate lowlights. Though I always regard myself as a blonde, I was really tickled with the results. That said, there's something comfortable and familiar with the more platinum strands I'm used to, and I was excited this latest occasion in the chair would return my locks to something sassy.

My hair had grown quite a bit these past few months. Well beyond my shoulders, I told the stylist I was hoping for something between my chin and shoulders - maybe three or four inches. As it tuned out, we ended up cutting off six inches. I was excited about the prospect of something so dramatic, but also a little bit hesitant.

The funny thing about salons - we women spend lots of time in them to look more beautiful/sexy/polished whatever. But the fact of the matter is, I've never seen a woman look attractive while getting her hair done. Something about having wet hair bound up by a mess of clips, covered in aluminum foil or wrapped in a towel. I guess hair really is an integral part of looking feminine.

I can only imagine how cancer survivors feel as they battle their disease and cope with hair loss.

Me? If I lost my hair to cancer, I know I'd have a kick ass collection of outrageous wigs. Tina Turner. Cher. Dolly Parton. I could be a different celebrity every day of the week.

But for now, I'm just happy being me.

Sassy me.

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.