Recession Hair

Who isn't sick of recession talk by now?

Like Ian Brown lamented in yesterday's Globe and Mail, "bleak is chic" and I for one am so bloody frustrated of hearing every subject analyzed through the lens of an economic depression (has it been postulated yet, whether the Raptors' poor performance could possibly be due to a crashed stock market?). The comfortless predictions and myriad reports of joblessness are sinking me into my own personal episode of the ecomomic slump. Enough already! It's effing depressing.

As you can see from the photo above, my hair also reached a state of crisis (I am clearly the one on the left). Yes, for the past month or so I have been sporting Recession Hair. I avoided the salon chair, perhaps, admittedly, for too long, refusing to cough up almost $200.00 for my usual cut and colour. But last Wednesday, I literally made bleak chic and went for an $18.75 haircut from a student coiffeuse at the Aveda Institute on King Street. And I am so in love.

This hair affair exceeded my expectations and in a social climate where words like "luxury" and "indulgence" are taboo, it was a perfectly frugal way to relax and pamper myself. My stylist, a petite Asian girl with funky fringe and the same given name as me (Kathleen), was professional, albeit slow, and meticulous. Every customer receives a complimentery head, neck and shoulder massage (you get to choose your favourite scented oil) and, when my cut was complete and educator-approved, Kathleen asked me if I would like a make-up touch-up. "It's part of the service," she said, after I gleefully accepted her offer for further (free) beautification.

It was an extremely pleasant and positive experience and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to save his or her pennies. It sure beats facing split-ends and the faint echoes of what was once an actual style in the mirror every morning. You can also get your hair coloured for $30.00 - $35.00. Now that's some recession talk I can handle.

N.B. - I would post the after shot of my new 'do, but my camera's out of batteries and, with savings on the brain, replacing them seems like a splurge.