Cutting it Close...

The Facts

Nolan needed a haircut. Kristi cut it.

His Side

I don’t put too much care into my hair. Before I was 24 I had only put any product in my hair twice (once was in high school, trying to fit in and the other was for this weird stage play thing). When I was dating Kristi and working toward marrying Kristi, I wanted to change it up. I had always gotten my hair buzz cut. It’s easy, low maintenance, and it was free (my mom did it). As people tend to do when they are in love, they want to look their best. So, I decided I wanted to get my hair cut and styled. To do this, I went to a fancy salon and let them do with my hair as they pleased. I liked the result. I even bought some wax (like a less hardening version of gel) so I could style my hair on occasion. 

Before

For a while, I went with that hair style. Kristi liked it and I liked it. But, I went from styling my hair almost every day to just styling it when I was going out or going to church. Then, I started styling it less and less. It was just a lot of work. It got to where I was only styling it probably once or twice a month. I decided it was time to go back to the low maintenance buzz cut. This is something my wife offered to do for me. I thanked her but told her I’d let the professionals handle it. But, as she mentioned it a few more times, I figured I would give her a shot. 

She thinks I was more nervous than I actually was. I knew she couldn’t mess it up too badly. And, if she did and I ended up kind of ugly, it’s her fault so she couldn’t complain about it. The clippers she used weren’t great, though. The first set we tried did more yanking on my hair than cutting it. That wasn’t fun. The second set worked fine, but still yanked a little. Maybe it wasn’t the machine’s fault, though, because as Kristi continued to cut, it yanked less and less… so it could have been user error that got worked out with experience. All that matters is it didn’t pull all my hair out.

As we did it, Kristi was giddy. I don’t know why she loved it so much, but I’m just glad she had fun. It took her a little longer than it would have a professional, but it also cost 13 dollars less. I’m down with that. And, by the end, Kristi kept telling me how good I looked. Whether that was her bragging about the great job she did on my hair or her just complimenting me, I don’t care. It’s always nice to hear that your wife thinks you look good! 

So, no matter what others say or think about my hair cut, I don’t care because I only really care about looking good for one person; and she likes the new hairdo.  

Her Side

So, I’m pretty much a hairstylist now. No, I didn’t decide to secretly go to hair school and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. But I DID cut my husband’s hair! Since we try to save money in any way that we can, I have suggested a few times to Nolan that he let me take a stab (not indicative of what might happen) at cutting his hair. He’s had the more fashionable haircuts before, but he has recently been going for the more minimalistic look of getting it buzzed.

I’ve tried to tell him that I can do it countless times; but, each time, he is hesitant. I can understand the hesitation to a certain degree, but what’s the worst that could happen? Technically the worst that could happen is that we end up having to shave his head completely and, while it might not be ideal, it’ll definitely grow back, right?

Well, he shocked me by agreeing to let me cut his precious locks. I cannot express to you how excited I was at this opportunity. He was agreeing and cautious, but definitely NOT excited. As I got the clippers out and attached the appropriately numbered guard, I could see the skepticism creep onto his face. I can only imagine what he was thinking. Perhaps it was something like, “have I lost my marbles?” or “Please tell me this is a dream.” No marbles have been lost and it definitely wasn’t a dream.

I had two sets of clippers to choose from. I opened the first box and chose those. So begins attempt #1… I let Nolan take a few deep breaths to prepare himself and then I was off... sort of. I don’t want to say that his hair had grown to an unruly length, but we definitely could have tackled this haircut a week or two sooner if you know what I mean. The clippers felt the same way. I began and they made a horrid noise. One that made Nolan shudder and request that I stop. We decided it would be best for me to try out the second set of clippers. It turned out to be a great decision as they were up to the task of chopping through his fiery locks.

I began on the right side of his head and continued around to the left side. I had to take a few photos along the way to document this monumental occasion! He was less than thrilled at the documentation. After the Macklemore-esque haircut and photo, I finished out the cut. I cannot tell you how much fun I had hearing those clippers cut the hair and seeing the fruits of my labor… does that make me weird? No need to answer, I know where I fall on the ‘weirdometer’.

The last step to finishing his haircut was to clean up around the ears and trim up around the base of his neck. He was extremely concerned about my ability to do both, but I’m pretty sure I shocked him with my awesome skills. I even asked him if he wanted the hair at the base of his neck squared or rounded (just like I always hear the professionals ask him when we go to a legit place to get his hair cut). Even though he quickly retorted with an answer, I went with my gut and did a cross between the two. That would give him the best of both worlds, right?

So, the moral of this story is to completely trust those you love. Nolan did, and now he has an amazing haircut to show for it. Plus, I think he likes that I keep stopping him to tell him “Man, you look good”… whether to tout my awesome newfound skill or to simply let him know I think he’s a good looking man, I don’t think he minds one bit!

Final Product