The other day I turned to my college-student daughter and said, “I’m thinking of doing something really wild and different.” After a couple guesses — hang-gliding? painting the kitchen purple? — she gave up and I confessed my secret: I was thinking about ditching my usual hair guy and wandering in to one of those quick and cheap no-appointment places for a much-needed cut. I was at that place where if somebody handed me a pair of scissors I’d chop it all off myself. You know? One day your hair is good and the next morning you wake up and you cannot stand it one more minute. Or is that just me? Anyway, I knew I had reached that I-hate-my-hair point and I knew it would probably be a week or so before I could get in to my usual guy and anyway I’d always felt sort of guilty about the amount of money I pay for a few snips and razoring and hair-styling when I usually go home and completely mess up his creation anyway. So why not try something different? My daughter, on the other hand, had another solution: Go to the local beauty school. That’s what she does when she needs a trim. It’s cheap and you can get in immediately, she said, and the instructors are nearby in case of crisis. Hmm … maybe that college tuition is paying off because that sounded like a great idea. So that’s what I did — albeit somewhat cautiously. The result? A positive experience overall that I would recommend to anyone who Needs A Hair Cut Right Now. I simply walked in and the receptionist checked her list of available students. I got a sweet 28-year-old girl who was confident and skilled and gave me a trim with a bit of a different style — and a fun half-hour of girl talk and local gossip. Since I also got a shampoo and some hair-drying, the price got bumped up … to $13. Definitely worth it. I also got the satisfaction of helping out some young people, which is always good. I don’t think I’ll give up my hair guy altogether, though, especially not for color. And my usual place definitely wins more points on the calm-and-peaceful front. But for one of those in-between trims or when the budget demands a choice between a hair cut and a new pair of shoes (and we know the shoes always will win), the beauty school was perfect.
Coffee with Cathy
Pour a cup & take a break
Coffee with Cathy 
Where is the picture of your new Do?? I agree helping beauty school students for the in-between cuts perfect, but coloring no way!
Where is a picture so we can vote?
Your Ginger Friend Sarah Gaede
I know just what you mean about how one day all of a sudden you HAVE to have a trim. I call it “the point of no return.”
I did much the same when I worked down the street from a “hair cutting college.”
I was, perhaps,more a source of curiosity, as many of the students had never cut a man’s hair. But since I didn’t have that much hair, it all kinda evened out.
I used to go to the local beauty school all the time then I got really cheap and just stopped cutting my hair all together. Now it is once a year or so for a trim.
Oh, I would not torture you all by posting a pic. It’s really about the same as usual — except with the dead straggly ends cut off. And Michele, I think you win the prize for frugal hair care!