In which I let my mom cut my hair
Posted by Isabel on April 10th, 2008. Filed under: Back in the Day, Me, My Sweet Babboo, They're just my family, They're just my friends.When she was a senior in high school, my mom started taking classes at the local community college to become a stylist beautician. As soon as my mom graduated from hair design school beauty school , she left her small town and moved to an even smaller town and set up shop at the local salon beauty parlor. My mom enjoyed doing hair and really loved her new career.
What she didn’t like is that she ended doing “sets” for all the older ladies in town.
My mom quickly moved to a big city and got a job at a nicer parlor. And then she met my dad, got married, got pregnant, quit her job and stayed at home with her kids. While my mom is still a licensed beautician, she hasn’t worked in a salon in over 35 years. But she has continued to do hair.
No family vacation was ever taken without my mom bringing along the little blue velvet bag she made that housed all of her hair supplies. She needed these supplies so she could cut the hair of all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and so she could set my grandma’s hair. (My mom is coming out to visit next week, and I can promise you she’ll bring her scissors with her.)
My mom gave me my first hair cut right after my third birthday. She clipped my hair up with the same clips she uses today. I sat on the kitchen table and tried not to cry as she cut off my long hair. I would wear that same “Dorothy Hamil Wedge” cut until middle school. (And by the looks of this picture, so did my older brother!)
The summer before 5th grade, my mom gave me my first (and only) perm. She only permed my bangs and I loved it. She also gave my older brother a perm, after months of him begging for curls in his hair. I was about twelve year old when my mom first showed me how to henna my hair. My mom’s the one that cut 6 inches off my (way too) long hair, just in time for the Preference Dance my junior year. My best friend Marci stood by her side and offered her support. (Love the bow in your hair, Marci!)
During the summer months my mom would line up my dad, brothers and all my guy friends and cut their hair under our carport. In the winter, this ritual would take place in our kitchen. I don’t think any of the neighborhood boys ever had to pay to get their hair cut, as long as they were friends with me.
I was about 21 when I went to a salon and had my first professional hair cut. By that age I demanded more of a styled cut, which was something my mom wasn’t confident doing. I forked over my $20 for the hair cut and never looked back. From time to time, in a pinch, my mom’s trimmed my hair, or helped me with a color. She still cuts my dad and uncle’s hair, and my grandma loves it when my mom does her set. Over the years my mom’s saved us all a lot of money with her at-home cuts. She’s also given me a lot of fun memories.
It makes me a little sad that my mom wasn’t here last weekend to give Babboo his very first “big boy haircut”. I would have rather seen her arms in this picture then the barber’s hairy arms.
Babboo will have plenty more hair cuts in his lifetime, and more chances for my mom to continue on with the tradition of at-home family hair cuts.
But until then, well, The King and I are still trying to get used to this new little guy with the Owen Wilson inspired do. But we’re the only ones, since Babboo’s loving his new hair cut.
So tell me, do you remember who cut your hair when you were a little kid?
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April 10th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
We didn’t get our hair cut when we were little. My mom always braided it, washed and fixed it up very prettily.
When We moved back to Africa, it was so hot so we got it all chopped off- by the local barber.
I love when you show us your memories. You must have tons of pictures.
Isabel: For my 30th birthday, my dad (who was a professional photographer and photo teacher for years) scanned a million old pictures and made them into a DVD for me. In the DVD, all the old pictures would come up on the screen and then he narrated what each of the pictures were. He also gave me a CD of all the scanned pictures he used.
It was one of the best presents I ever received.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I had very little hair until I was about 3 years old – so I don’t really remember getting my hair cut much.
BUT – what I do remember loving is laying on the kitchen counter and having my hair washed in the sink. I felt so fancy! And, it’s funny, because today when I get my hair cut, my favorite part is getting shampooed.
And, Babboo’s hair is just adorable – he looks like a little gentleman!
April 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
OH, he is SO cute. I love the new do.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Oh My Word – Babboo is SO cute with that hair cute!!! I can’t believe the King allowed it to be cut?!?!
my son’s first haircut was in our kitchen by my very good friend so he wouldn’t be scared. I wanted her to be the one who did my daughter’s bangs (her hair has not been cut yet except for bangs) but she was too busy so we went to Great Clips. It just wasn’t the same.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Awwwww. Babboo. How precious.
My first haircut was me, the fluffy cat and my mother’s quilting scissors. Lucky I still have my eyeballs!
April 10th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Dude! He looks awesome hovering over the ground like that with his new haircut. I love it!
My mom cuts hair, too, but she never went to school for it. She just has a touch for it. I love it because if I wake up one morning and feel like I need a haircut, I just call my mom and it’s done.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
My mom also was a liscenced beautician (still is, technically). She cut all or our hair. Sometime in middle school she started letting me get more styled haircuts, but she did just as good of a job. In fact, my mom went out and bought sprial perm rods to perm my hair (even though she said that putting the rods in vertically would produce almost the same results).
Baboo has an awesome haircut. So cute!
My kid didn’t get so lucky. I don’t know if the link will work, so if you click on my name it’ll go to this post: http://pumproom.blogspot.com/2008/02/haiku-friday-baby-mullet.html
April 10th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
my mom’s friend used to cut my hair in her basement. Once, in 5th grade, I got a perm. WHOA. it wasnt pretty. It looked like I either stuck my finger in an electrical socket or I looked like Alice (from Dilbert). Not sure which was worse.
My mom’s friend cut my hair for a lot of years.
PS – that was such an innovative gift your dad gave you w/all the pics. My girls love looking at old pictures so that would be something I’d love to have to share w/them. I bet Babboo (who is super cute w/his new style) will love to look at as he gets older.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Babboo is looking good with the new cut!
I remember going to the place in the mall to get my hair cut, and then coming home and having my mom even out my bangs because the mall salon always cut them crooked.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
my mom cut my hair most of my life, with a few salon cuts when I got older (aka too cool). I think I’ll cut my kids’ hair too. I already cut my husband’s hair!
I adore that last photo of babboo. It’s a framer!
April 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
My mom gave me my first haircut, but I wasn’t as lucky as you. My mom got a book from the library and taught herself how to cut hair. Needless to say it was horrible. Even worse than that was the perm in jr. high she gave me. She rolled one half my head, and aunt rolled the other (to save time). When they were done half my head was curly, and half was wavy, not cute.
By the way I have had Henna done on my hands and feet, but how do you Henna your hair?
April 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
My mom never went to beauty school, but she started cutting my dad’s hair when they got married and just had a knack for it. She cut my hair and my brother’s hair from the time we were little until we moved out of the house. I didn’t have a “professional” haircut until I was 21 and married! She also gave me perms (it was the 80s and it was the only way I could get my stick-straight hair “big”) until spiral perms became popular.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
My mom (NOT a beautician) permed just my bangs too. She wasn’t willing to help me achieve the optimal, tall Mall Bangs look when I was in grade school, so she just permed them. It worked great!
April 10th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Babboo’s hair looks cute! I think I’m going to cry when/if (and that’s a BIG “if”) my son gets a haircut. He has the CURLIEST hair EVER. By the time the summer is over he’ll probably have long ringlets. I know he’s going to hate me for this when he’s older.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I love Babboos new haircut! I love how you guys still left it long, because the long hair rocks!
Shaun’s mom cuts all of her 5 boys hair, and Zach’s hair as well. Whenever they need a haircut, they just go into the washroom and she does it. I, on the other hand, have a beautician that I’ve been going to for 6 years and I love her! She’s the only one I trust with my hair, lol.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
My mom cut my hair…and permed it…up until i was in highschool! My first major hair cut was in kindergarden…I had hair past my bum…apparently i didn’t like it being brushed…so my mom put a bowl on my head and cut it all off!! The next day at school when we had to line up outside the teacher didn’t know who I was!!! I was sooo sad!!
April 10th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
My mom until I was 10. Then I decided that I wanted something “stylish” and went to a shop to have someone cut my mid-back length hair to above-my-ears length hair. One of the biggest hair mistakes of my life!!!
April 10th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
OMG! My aunt took me for a haircut ONCE to help my mom out. My mom told her to make sure they didn’t cut bangs (I had very long, straight hair). Well my aunt was busy talking and when the hair dresser turned me around in the chair she had cut bangs on one side. My aunt about died. There was no turning back at that point. I came home with bangs and my mom had a fit!
April 10th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Wow–that first photo of you looks so much like Babboo! And he is so handsome with his new haircut. I love that it is still long-ish, because not all little boys can pull that off like he does.
I think I should have been a beautician, I mean, hair stylist.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:23 am
I’ve only had one haircut in my entire life that wasn’t from my mom. Mom cut my hair when I was really little. Somewhere around age six or seven, I went to my dad’s stylist one time. After that mom started cutting it again. Then she went to school to be a stylist…she had a little salon in our house when I was growing up. Now she owns a public salon. I’ve never paid for a haircut, color, highlights…very cool.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Um, I just noticed how much that kid looks like you. Much.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Babboo’s hair is SO SO cute!!
April 11th, 2008 at 5:36 am
My favorite part about this post is that you & Baboo have the same sad, sad expression on your faces, “Dude, this sucks!” Except that Baboo dodged that Dorothy-Hammil-Wedge-bullet. And I love that he caught some air in the photo…
April 11th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
DUDE. You and Babboo are TWINS. He looks so cute with his big boy haircut!
April 11th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
You look so much like Babboo in the first picture!
My mother never once cut my hair. I’ve always headed to the local salon (or beauty school at the very least.) The one time my mom and I tried to cut one of my friends hair in high school in ended in disaster (hair way shorter then intended!)
April 11th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
We have sooo many things in common, I just laugh every time I read a new post. I was the only ‘girl’ in our family and then my Mom had my three brothers. With such a ‘boy’ family it’s no surprise my Mom cut all our hair. I had long hair though so her ‘cutting’ consisted of a trim every now and then. UNTIL I asked her to give me feathered layers like Farrah Fawcett.
For the record; My Mom was not a trained stylist.
I went from blonde hair down the middle of my back to shorter than a boys cut and uneven all over.
Mortified.
I’ve wrote about it actually on my blog before. How my Dad passed me on the street that afternoon when I was walking home and he didn’t know who that little boy was… and drove right by me.
She never touched my hair again after that.
Ever.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I had hair down past my waist when I was 4. It was blonde and thick and wavy and a pain to keep brushed. After I would come home from the pool, my mom would soak it in No More Tears (what a crock) but it was still a fight. It would still be damp underneath the next morning because it was so heavy.
My mom had finally had enough, so when my dad was out of town, she took me to have it cut in a shag (hello 1972). My dad was so angry, because he would brush and and braid it while watching TV. He loved my long hair.
Now Maddy’s hair is long and thick and wavy and a pain to keep brushed, but we cut it for Locks of Love. She will make her fourth(!) donation next month. Then she said she’s done growing it long, because it is too much for her to take care of. And by her we mean me.
PS – Baboo is just so darn cute. I want to reach through my monitor and smush his cheeks!!
April 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I love that your mom was cutting SIX INCHES off your hair- and it was still down to your butt!
Also, that bow was SUPER HOTT! Remember my polka dot dress it went with and I think my shoes had little bows that matched- stylin!!
You know I think babboo is adorable with any amount of hair- I love his new look!
April 12th, 2008 at 5:33 am
My mom used to cut and perm our mullets. It was not pretty!
April 12th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Babboo looks like you when u were little. The pic of u getting a haircut is soooooooooooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuuuteeeeeeeeee.
April 13th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Love his new ‘do! And, holy cow does that kid resemble his mama or what!?
April 14th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Okay, I click on the picture of HOTTIE Owen Wilson and the only thing I think is…Lightning McQueen. What has my life come to?
April 14th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I don’t remember my first haircut. But, I remember going with my mom to the guy that cut her hair for most of mine when I was younger.
I love Babboo’s new haircut! He looks so handsome!