I just returned from having my haircut. It is a disappointment.
My hair is coarse. It lacks the natural oils needed to flow smoothly in Western styles. To style it I need hair product. This means that when I get my hair cut in UK, it does not seem possible to style.
Another issue is psoriasis. Alas, the NHS has never given me the topical steroids I needed to combat that.
In response to both these I had been shaving my head for almost two decades. It made my hair easier to manage. But it lacked style.
In response to two traumatic events (a break-up and a job change), I grew my hair into a comb-back and a full beard. These look great. With product reasonably regular grooming I enjoy the confidence of looking good. The price of maintaining both is easy abroad.
The price of a UK haircut is too much. Seventeen pounds for what amounted to 25 minutes of meandering. As usual, the barber was too keen to finish early. He did not wash my hair. It looked frankly terrible. And as I looked at the stark reflection of my unruly mane, I realised that if I had not travelled, I would not have stylish hair.
A UK male haircut is not sufficient to style my hair as I want. The ex-Pat lifestyle sees barbers paid enough to care about what haircut they give. My Syrian barber would take 45 minutes, managing my hair over 3-4 comb-overs. He would wash my hair to finish it. The UK barber? Too quick, too weak. And without taking a chance on moving abroad, the coarseness of my hair would never be tamed.
How many other opportunities have I missed by staying in? How many other chances in life remain when I begin to say yes?
My hair is coarse. It lacks the natural oils needed to flow smoothly in Western styles. To style it I need hair product. This means that when I get my hair cut in UK, it does not seem possible to style.
Another issue is psoriasis. Alas, the NHS has never given me the topical steroids I needed to combat that.
In response to both these I had been shaving my head for almost two decades. It made my hair easier to manage. But it lacked style.
In response to two traumatic events (a break-up and a job change), I grew my hair into a comb-back and a full beard. These look great. With product reasonably regular grooming I enjoy the confidence of looking good. The price of maintaining both is easy abroad.
The price of a UK haircut is too much. Seventeen pounds for what amounted to 25 minutes of meandering. As usual, the barber was too keen to finish early. He did not wash my hair. It looked frankly terrible. And as I looked at the stark reflection of my unruly mane, I realised that if I had not travelled, I would not have stylish hair.
A UK male haircut is not sufficient to style my hair as I want. The ex-Pat lifestyle sees barbers paid enough to care about what haircut they give. My Syrian barber would take 45 minutes, managing my hair over 3-4 comb-overs. He would wash my hair to finish it. The UK barber? Too quick, too weak. And without taking a chance on moving abroad, the coarseness of my hair would never be tamed.
How many other opportunities have I missed by staying in? How many other chances in life remain when I begin to say yes?
