Oh, the craziness that has been Eloise's hair!
She was born with practically NONE.
Then it started growing in around her first birthday... very, very slowly.
By the time she was 2, and Dinah had arrived, it was filling in down the middle...
Gradually over the next 6 months she ended up with a faux hawk!
And finally, we've ended up with this crazy mass of uneven
curls that you can't brush without making it ten times more crazy!
Never in my wildest imagination would I have expected to have a child
with such crazy hair! BUT... I have to admit, I am so thankful to have a
little girl (and now 3!) with hair to comb, brush, play with and put clippies in!
So, let me tell you a little story.
Over the past several months I have been constantly thinking about needing to cut my hair. I decided that I'd like to take Eloise along for a trim to even hers out... and hopefully make it less crazy. For the majority of my life, except for maybe TWICE, I have gone to my Aunt to get my hair cut. Since she retired a year or two ago (I can't keep track!), I have put it off. I *did* go to Holiday Hair one time, for lack of knowing where else to go, and got a teeny tiny bit trimmed off. For the price they charged (I went with a wet head, they didn't even do anything but barely trim!), I vowed never to go back there! So I set out to find a hairdresser in the area. I asked around to my mother-in-law, neighbor and a great aunt. No one really had any suggestions as they all kind of go "here and there" depending on what they want done. Of course, I'm sure my aunt would have done it, had I begged her! Haha! But I know she is busy, and honestly we don't get to my hometown much these days, so it would be crazy trying to set a time/day.
This picture was taken the other day.
You see how long my hair is?
Yeah, that did it for me. I love long hair, but upon seeing that picture, I knew I needed to make an appointment. So my husband told me about a shop he'd heard good reviews about from people at his work. So I called. I had to leave a message.... and she called me back a couple of hours later (she was out of town). I have to admit, her phone manner put me off a little, as did her price! But I thought Heck With It! I would just go and if it didn't go well, we wouldn't have to go back! So we set a date and time. Meanwhile Cory and I had been trying to "talk up" the soon-to-be hair cutting experience to a nervous Eloise. She honestly didn't know what to expect. She'd never had her hair cut. Never seen me get mine cut, or anyone else for that matter. I showed her a YouTube video just to kind of give her a clue. She would waver between being OK and being nervous. Couldn't blame her, really.
So the day came (that was her nervous mug shot above in the pink striped shirt!), and I was texting my aunt asking if I should leave a tip and all of that rot. Like I said, I never really went anywhere else... and I heard you aren't supposed to tip a person who runs their own shop?? I didn't want to do the wrong thing! My neighbor came and watched the two younger ones and Eloise and I left with time to spare. Thank goodness. As I drove by the person's place, there were only TWO parking spots. Both of which were filled! So I drove around and around, not sure where to go, hoping one of the two vehicles would leave by the next time I looped around. Finally, I HAD to park because I didn't want to be late. I called Cory and he told me to go up a couple of streets where you could park on the road... so that's what we did. And we walked to the shop. Thankfully it was a gorgeous day, and hey, I won't complain about getting to hold El's hand! :)
She was nervous. I was nervous. But we walked in and had a seat. There was a gentleman there getting his hair trimmed and another lady under the dryer. When it was El's turn, I picked her up and sat her on the seat... and she just gave me a look.
Yep. That look.
And... then there was that.
But after a couple of minutes, she realized it was OK
. She liked watching in the mirror and said that she was happy with the results!
Look! A smile!
The hair stylist was nice enough and I was pleased so far... except for her putting "product" in El's hair. We are very much conscious of the beauty products we use and try to follow the
EWG Skindeep site to find less toxic products. But I know that one time won't hurt!
Anyway... while I was getting my hair cut, the hairdresser and I were chatting... the topic of school came up, where I explained we are homeschooling... which brought up El's severe food allergies and talk about that type of stuff. Then, moving on... the woman started telling me about her low blood sugar. She doesn't have diabetes, but her doctor recommends eating protein filled snacks. And since she works off a room of her home, she says she is more of a snacker than a meal eater. I can understand. When you're in between clients, it's probably easier to just grab something real quick than prepare a meal. However... then she proceeds to tell me how she eats peanuts all the time. Keep in mind, we had JUST had a conversation 2 minutes beforehand about how Eloise has a LIFE THREATENING FOOD ALLERGY TO PEANUTS. I could feel my heart rate go up. I kept glancing at Eloise just to watch her for a reaction. I know it may sound ridiculous... but if that woman would've gone in and grabbed a handful of peanuts before she saw us, then handled Eloise's hair... then Eloise ran her hands through her hair after getting it cut (there was no washing involved, just spritzing of a water bottle)... we could be in for a serious reaction. I know I can't live in constant fear of the unknown... but there I was, having just told her...and she started going on about how she eats peanuts and candy coated peanuts all the time. I couldn't get out of there fast enough!! I was actually pleased with the results of our hair (sorry, no "after" picture for me!)... but I just don't know if I can go back. The panic and fear I would feel knowing that she is a regular eater of peanuts, it's just too much. Granted, there are TONS of people we encounter who eat peanut products on a regular basis, I'm sure.... but when I can control a situation, I will. So I don't know that we'll be going back there.... But on the positive side, Eloise didn't come in contact with peanuts. AND... we had a good experience. I even saved some curls!
Me and My girls!
