TRES long, TRES good

This is the longest time that I've not gotten a haircut.

In my life.

Ever!

This 1st week of July will be the 6th month since my last haircut. Normally, I'd be freaking out and reciting that classic film line: "It's hard to think with all this hair!" But surprisingly, I'm not too bothered by my quarantine waves. Or, as a colleague calls it, my "Cersei hair."

One thing that makes my slightly longer hair more bearable? A shampoo that I discovered a few months ago.

TRESemme!

We have bottles and bottles of TRESemme at home, thanks to Tito Pacqui who supplies for Unilever and gives us boxes of Unilever products. One time, when I ran out of my usual Human Nature shampoo and their stalls were still closed, I thought of trying out their Detox and Nourish variant.

It felt good on my hair! It made it feel soft, smooth and manageable! (Yikes! I sound like a shampoo ad! Harhar.)

After that initial trial, TRESemme Detox and Nourish became my regular shampoo, and it looks like it's going to be the brand that I'll be using now, moving forward.

And thanks to TRESemme, I don't mind growing my hair longer than usual. Looks like this new mane will be part of the "New Normal."

Well, at least until my barber finds a way to get back to work. When that happens, ask me again.

The Clooney bin

After my haircut, the girl who assisted my barber shampoos my hair, dries it, fluffs it, looks at me then says:

GIRL: "Ayan sir, George Clooney na George Clooney na ulit kayo."

Making the cut

When Melvin asked me what I wanted to do in Shenzhen, the first thing I told him was:

"Melvin, I need to have a hair cut."

It's very hard to find people who speak English in this part of China, so we enlisted the help of Jeff in our quest for a good haircut. Jeff is very fluent in Mandarin, and he would be the key in explaining what kind of cut i'd like.

After going around a couple of neighborhood areas in search for a hole-in-the-wall barbershop, we ended up in this salon just a few blocks away from his flat. It was reminiscent of a sleepy-town salon. The girls were either watching TV or reading magazines. There was just one customer but more than 10 chairs. Everybody looked bored out of their wits. You get the picture.

Then when the 3 of us walked in, the place started to teem with life.

Being used to the usual Headway haircut, I must admit that the Shenzhen salon process was a bit off-kilter for my taste. Here's how it goes:

1. They shampoo your hair. BUT, unlike in Manila where they let you lie down with your head on a sink, here, they shampoo you while you're sitting down. They use a mineral water bottle with a small hole on the cap to control the water they splish-splash on to your hair. Starting at the top of your head, they work their way down using very small and calculated strokes. The attendants are very careful not to let any excess water or shampoo fall on your ears, eyes, or clothes. A massage was also part of the shampoo process, which felt a bit odd instead of relaxing. After 15 minutes or so, you're off to the rinsing area.
2. The massage. After the shampoo and rinse, they proceed to give you a body and arm massage. It made me want to ask: "Are we in a hair salon or a massage parlor? What's with all this massaging going on?" If I were a big massage fan, it would be cool, But I hate being touched, so this was torture.
3. The haircut. Unlike Melvin, who got this funky looking guy to chop off his locks, I got this burly looking girl -- and that made me nervous. But once she started snipping away, I felt very comfortable since she looked like she knew what she was doing. So I sat back, relaxed and watched my unkempt hair start to fall to the ground.

After 20 minutes, the haircut was done. It was perfect! It looked like Mang Domeng or Mang Pano (God rest his soul) did it himself! It was amazing. But the girl in her wanted to do more, so she did a bit of blowdrying, and a bit of styling magic, and I looked like a hip teener once again.

I told Melvin that I was so happy with my haircut, I'm planning to write UNESCO and make that salon a World Heritage Site. Or maybe I can write someone and transform it into a shrine.

In case I won't be able to go to Manila for my haircut, i'm happy to know that someone just as good is just 40 minutes away.

Making the cut

I need a haircut. My hair is simply becoming too unruly.

My trip to the barber usually happens once every month. The best time for my hair is 2 weeks after getting a haircut. That's when it reaches its perfect length. Short enough not to even comb, but long enough to have character.

It's been almost 2 months since my last barber shop visit. My hair is now this puffy mass of fur . Whether it's unkempt or styled, it still looks a bit odd. That's why I can't wait to get my hair cut. It came to a point that i'd like to experiment and have a barber here in HK snip it off as he wishes. But then again, I might be going back to Manila come this weekend. So I guess i'll wait until Mario can get his masterful hands on my messy mane.