The start of many bad hair days

On Wednesday I finally decided to get a haircut. A couple months ago, before I had a “real” job I gave myself a haircut because I didn’t want to pay for one. I live in north Dallas, which is kind of known for being an uppity, frivolous part of the city, so i thought I’d probably have to pay more than I’d be willing to. I used to go to Bodacious, the salon in Kaufman, where my parents live, but they weren’t open the day before Thanksgiving, so I decided to go to the mall in Mesquite. I’m not very picky about haircuts, I always figure, it’ll grow back, my hair is curly, the curls can mask a bad haircut. I went to Regis, at Towneast Mall (I’m naming the mall and salon as a warning to others). There were only three people working, and a not too young lady greeted me and told me to take a seat in her chair. I briefly told her what I wanted and she started cutting. By the time I saw what she had done it was too late…I looked completely ridiculous, I was trying to be nice, but by then the manager had come over and said, “well this is bad, we’re just going to have to give you a new haircut.” He started shaking his head, made faces and cut away…by the time he was done I looked like David Bowie from the Labyrinth.

But he said that was as good as it was going to get, he wouldn’t make me pay and I could come back in a month for another free haircut. Ya cause after that experience I’d want to go back again.

I never thought I was very picky about my hair, or I really cared about haircuts until today. Now I’ve changed my mind. Thankfully my friend Ana came to stay with us for Thanksgiving break and she was going to get her haircut at a Korean salon in Dallas. I guess I should mention, Ana is Korean.

I’m not sure why, but it seems like all the Koreans in Dallas go to Korean salons to get their haircut. We went to Carrolton where there is a big Korean shopping center with everything from restaurants to a dentists office, bakeries, a yogurt shop, and H Mart, a full size grocery store with a food court inside. I was kind of amazed that all of this was here, in Dallas, and at the number of Asians that go there to buy their groceries and basically anything else one could ever need.  Almost all of the signs were in Korean, some in Korean and English. I was afraid people wouldn’t understand English, but for the most part, they did. I used to know some basic Korean phrases like, hello, good morning, my name is….days, numbers, but not anymore.

But anyway, Ana and I ran into H Mart to get some little Korean snacks and she went and got her haircut. I was very impressed, everyone was coming out of the salon, Leekaja Hair Bis, with great looking hair. I wasn’t sure if it was just their hair, or the haircuts. I showed the Yuri, the lady cutting Ana’s hair, my horrible new haircut and she said she wouldn’t let me leave the salon looking like that, and while cutting and styling four other people’s hair, she sat me down and started cutting. Thankfully, she did a much better job than Regis in Mesquite. She was able to fix the disaster Regis created, I might not love it, I may still wear my hair up with bobby pins for the next couple weeks, but at least I don’t look like an 80’s rocker anymore.

So, what I learned from this experience:

1. Unfortunately I am one of those girls who cares what my hair looks like.

2. Don’t go to Regis at Towneast 

3. Do go to Leekajahairbis salon at Old Denton Rd and the Tollway

4. If you are ever looking for a cultural experience or anything Asian, you can find it in Carrolton at…Old Denton Rd and the Tollway.