I Look Like Myself Again

   The salons and barbershops have been allowed to open again. I had an appointment to have my hair done right after the stay at home orders went into place. My appointment had to be cancelled. It was rescheduled and then it had to be cancelled again as the stay at home order had been extended. I rescheduled it again and hoped that I could go.

  Like so many thing my trip to the salon was not the same as before. I was questioned about how I was feeling. I was asked if I had been around anyone who had COVID-19. I was honest with them. I am a health care worker. I take precautions,but cannot know if I come into contact with someone who might be sick. I had my temperature taken with one of those forehead thermometers. Then I could go into the salon with a mask on. I had to sign a waiver. Then Lisa, my hair stylist, and I went back into her room. 

  From then on it was just like before except with masks on and conversation about current events. We also got caught up on what happened in each other's lives over the past few months. Lisa and I are about the same age so we can converse easily together. It was nice. She was pleased with how my hair looked. The colour had faded and it had grown out a few inches, but it was healthy. I told her I had done the best I could and was using products that I had to keep the ends from getting too dry. 

   She applied the colour and foils to my hair. After the colour is applied it must process. That takes about 20 minutes. I read while I waited.

   During the time when the salons were closed I was giving serious thought to letting my hair go back to its natural colour which is white. Colouring my hair is expensive because I have many allergies to things including hair dye, so I can't use just any colouring and I have to go to a salon to have it done. I had kept colouring it while I was job hunting because I needed to look good and also look a little younger than I am. I decided that I would have it coloured once more time and then make my my decision. 

  When the processing was over, Lisa came back in. She removed the foil from my hair and washed out the dye. She put a moisturizer on my hair and let it sit for a few minutes. The she rinsed it and toweled it off. I sat in my chair and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was dark again with red and light highlights. It was something of a shock to see it after looking at white for so many months.

  Lisa trimmed the ends of my hair. One thing I had decided to do was keep it a little longer. I found that I could put my hair up in a bun and it looked good. It also kept the hair off my neck in hot weather. Anne, my former boss had worn her hair like that and I always liked it.

  Once my hair was trimmed and styled I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like myself again. I liked how I looked. Colouring it was the right idea. I could stretch out the time between colourings. I also felt better. It was good to be able to talk with a friend in person again. It was good to hear the bustle of other people getting their hair done. It was a needed dose of normality at the end of a scary and uncertain week.