© irene waters 2017
Today I could stand my hair no longer and I took the scissors to it. Then, enthused with my cutting abilities I took the scissors to Muffin and gave her a trim. It set me thinking about when did I first go to a hairdresser. I don’t remember my Mother ever trimming my hair but perhaps your mother did. Did anyone have the saucepan cut? I’m looking forward to your memories and wonder if there will be a difference between generations.
Please join in giving your location at the time of your memory and your generation. An explanation of the generations and the purpose of the prompts along with conditions for joining in can be seen at the Times Past Page. Join in either in the comments or by creating your own post and linking. Looking forward to your memories.
Baby Boomer
Rural Australia
I could be guessing but I think the first time I had my hair cut was (according to the envelope) 12th January 1967. I would have been around 10. (Yes I still have all my baby teeth also). I don’t remember my mother ever cutting my hair although I imagine she must have done the odd trim. My hair was medium length and I must have had it cut prior to this but I don’t remember it. Looking at the shorn lock today I think my Dad had reason to say to me (often) “There was a little girl who had a little curl right down the middle of her forehead. And when she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was horrid.
© irene waters 2017
© irene waters 2017
This was, I think, the first time I remember going to the hairdresser. It was a long skinny shop and smelt of antiseptic. A little like a doctors surgery. We sat in a waiting area under a flight of stairs and waited our turn. I couldn’t take my eyes off the ladies having their hair dried under big metal domes, their hair in curlers. I’m certain images of this were strong with whoever wrote the film ‘Coneheads.’
Strangely I don’t remember going to a hair dresser again until I had left home. Was it an experience that was so mundane it wasn’t worth remembering apart from that one time that was monumentous enough for my parents to envelope at least part of the tress that fell.
Baby Boomer Australia – city
What do you remember of hairdressers in your youth? I’m looking forward to reading you memories…….
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
All I remember is me wanting my hair long, long, long, and my mom wanting it cut short. Eventually I won and grew it to well below my waist, (ah, youth!) but now my advancing age is demanding that it be shorter.
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I never succeeded in having really long hair. I would have been so jealous of you having hair to your waist. I think mine was short most of the time because Mum liked to have it controlled.
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Never had the sauce-pan cut but for years my dad would give us all the ‘flower-pot’ cut. In those early years money was scarce, and apart from the haircuts my dad would also repair shoes. Now I often see abandoned shoes still in good order. The waste is terrible. People buy a coke, take a couple of sips and then just leave it amongst the azaleas in the local park. Next time you are about, look inside the public bins. Last week I saw a nearly complete pizza still in the box, just chucked out.
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You made me think of the flowerpot men with your flower pot hair cut. As for shoe repairs – we used to have a boot maker that did all manner of things to our shoes. My Dad wasn’t as handy as yours was. Now I don’t think I’ve seen a proper bootmaker for years with Mister Minit doing heels at the most. I agree the waste is dreadful. The only people that probably appreciate it are the Feegans. I don’t know that there are enough of those to use the amount we waste.
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Well I can fill in the gaps in your memory. Mum used to give you haircuts and I remember watching some. Her technique involved brushing your fringe forward and down around your head. Then placing a long piece of sticky tape horizontally around the front part at the level of the desired fringe outcome. Then cutting along the top side of the sticky tape and hair using a pair of scissors. Not quite the bowl cut, but similar.
I learnt all my hairdressing skills watching you get your hair cut. in fact, just last week I said to Felix that I could shorten his fringe (the hair is getting in his eyes now) using the sticky tape technique. But he refused. Neither boy will let me cut their hair, they don’t understand how much training I’ve had.
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You have a good memory. I don’t have any recollection of that even with your prompting although I believe that is probably what happened. My hair was never long enough for no cutting to have happened. I took to my hair the other day and wish I’d known about the sticky tape method then. I’ll remember for next time though. I’m not surprised the boys won’t let you hack at their hair despite your training.
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My hair was cut at home by my mother and, although the result was fine, I didn’t like the lack of control. Although I recall accompanying a friend to get her hair cut in someone’s house, and my mother to get a perm at the hairdressers, the first time I had my hair done professionally was for my sister’s wedding when I was eleven (UK, late 1960s). It wasn’t a happy experience as I was a tomboy and didn’t want to be a bridesmaid.
Fortunately, I’m very fond of my current hairdresser who’s been attending to my hair for over a decade – as well as supporting the launch of both my novels. Much happier hair experiences!
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Thanks Anne. Your current hairdresser sounds like a great find. You must have been a genuine tom boy not to like dressing up.
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Pingback: Times Past: Haircuts | Musings of a Retiring Person
Last Saturday was a day for haircuts at a friend’s house and I asked the others if they remembered childhood haircuts. Two of them remembered getting the dreaded “boy cut” when they were about ten. Long hair to “boy cut”, a traumatic event!
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Gosh I’m glad you had this conversation as I missed the post with your memories. Even now I find the short to long a bit of a shock and difficult to make the decision to do it.
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