shiny new hair

after a month or two of going back and forth, i finally took the plunge. i got my hair straightened. 

as of a week ago, my hair was volume x2, and no matter how much i subjected it to the straightening iron, it was never 'straight'. for all the product i loaded on, i could never tame it or make it keep much of a shape. getting a straight perm was never an option i seriously considered. i always thought of it as cheating, sort of. besides, pin-straight hair was for girls who actually cared about the way they looked and dressed better than i did. but when a coworker mentioned she had gotten it done, i was surprised by how natural her hair looked. i had no idea she got it straightened. she and another coworker assured me that it had changed their lives, and it would change mine too. that assurance in mind, i booked the appt.

fast forward to the process: washing, brushing goo, drying, washing, straightening, washing, cutting, massage.

3 hours later, i walk out of the salon, not quite feeling like myself. my hair feels foreign and completely unnatural, like it doesn't belong to me. gone are my familiar flyaways and uncontrollable tresses, instead my hair is completely flat, sleek and shiny. it feels totally weird. with straight hair, i feel like just another asian girl...in fact, i shouldn't be here. i should be in la's ktown, outfitted in a skirt and heels, clutching someone else's arm and saying 'obba' in a high, whiny, voice. but i digress. with the new hair, i live it up the entire weekend. i go to a show, a party, out to dinner, a bbq, the beach, i seem to be an entirely new social being. as i get ready in the morning, i marvel at how easy everything is, suddenly; my hair takes no time at all. i feel compelled to dress up for work, a nice outfit to match the nice looks-taken-care-of hair. my coworkers are newly complimentary, effusive even. they ask, 'is that new?' when it's the same dress i've been wearing all summer. it must be the hair. 

and has it changed my life? well, so far i'm only on new hair/day 4. i feel more put together than usual, maybe a tad more confident knowing that if other people are sitting behind me, at least my hair looks presentable. when it gets me more dates, maybe that's when i'll know it was worth it. ha.