I Got A Haircut to Rid Myself of Mental Baggage

By Leslie Quan

My hair is long and thick and straight, highlighted with red and chestnut undertones against a rich black color. It's a cathartic practice to brush my own hair. Every tangle is taken up by the teeth of my turquoise comb, gently loosening a chaotic mess of split ends and crinkles into what feels like a silk waterfall down my back—my scalp's natural oils distributing shininess to the ends of my hair.

Despite my occasional envy of wavy hair and my recent desire to bleach my hair, I live in solace knowing that my hair remains natural and is well-nourished by $7 Garnier shampoo and conditioner (nothing short of fancy I must say). However, change is always necessary in every aspect of life, especially when it comes to hair. 

My mom and I decided to drive down the street to get our hair cut by the cosmetology students at The Beauty Institute in Ambler, PA. Even though we've driven past it multiple times and I go on runs past the school nearly everyday, it never occurred to us to get our hair cut there—until now.

Sitting in front of the mirror, I explained to my hair stylist, Emilee, that I wanted a two inch trim with subtle layers. I also agreed with Emilee's suggestion of face-framing tendrils.

When I was in high school, I let my mom cut my hair to donate to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths initiative (which is no longer accepting donations). It was probably one of the worst haircuts I ever received. It was horribly uneven and lacked any personality. Ever since then, I've opted for a real hair stylist.

After a quick rinse of shampoo and conditioner, Emilee began cutting my hair. Hair clips traveled around my head like bees pollinating a flower. Much of the stress I'd been carrying up until that point dissipated as Emilee addressed my hair layer-by-layer, her bubbly demeanor and light-hearted conversation with her colleague put me at ease.

With about an hour invested in my hair cut, Emilee finished off my look with a thorough blow dry, making sure each hair was careful brushed and heated. (If I would have known better, I would have accepted Emilee's offer for a spritz of the heat protectant spray, but this of course is no big deal.)

Some last minute point cuts to the ends of my hair wrapped up the final look. Usually when I get a hair cut I like to chop off quite a bit of hair (the idea is if I'm committing to a hair cut, I might as well get a hair cut), but I found that I like when my hair is fairly long. It's odd to think that when my hair is at a certain length it seems to validate my identity. In other words, I feel more confident. So, a trim seemed most appropriate.

I gave Emilee a 10/10 feedback on her great service to my hair and established that this was the best hair cut I've ever received. My hair felt amazing. Tendrils hung like curtains on the edge of my cheek bones, framing my face. I felt like a new person, completely rejuvenated, renewed and restored.   

My hair felt lighter and so did I. Every time Emilee trimmed off more of my hair, I felt like she was also cutting off the anxiety and stress that I'd been unnecessarily holding onto. After feeling depressed for the past few weeks, it was nice to feel elated for once.

Getting a hair cut is such a simple and great form of self-care and self-love. It's comparable to hitting the restart button and symbolically shedding any and all emotional or mental baggage that you've been letting taint your happiness.

Sometimes seeing a physical change of yourself, no matter how small, can really make a difference to your mental health. According to Dr. Lauren Appio, a psychologist and career coach in Manhattan, changing your appearance "reminds you of the power and agency you have in your life." 

It seems sort of silly that a really amazing haircut (and experience) left me feeling slightly more excited about life, but I suppose there's merit to seeking out and embracing change, even if it's something as routine as a haircut.

Thank you for reading. Shoutout to Emilee for an incredible haircut.