That Asian hair thing

Does having an Asian hairdresser cut your Asian hair really make a difference?

Several years ago I found out that some Korean adoptees went to Korean hairdressers because we have hair that’s different from white people.  I thought, “Bullshit.”  Seriously, I thought it was some lameass way for KADs to make themselves feel special.  However, I began noticing that some did have coarser, wiry hair.  So I thought, “OK, maybe there is such a thing as Asian hair, but my hair’s not like that.”

Then, last week I had lunch with the Asian co-workers.  For some reason, hair cuts came up.  Both of the co-workers went to a salon in Chinatown because of the “Asian hair thing.”  Yet, neither of them has what I would think was wiry, coarse, hard to manage hair.  But, since I was with two “real” Asians as opposed to the adopted “fake” Asians, I asked if it really did make a difference getting your hair cut by an Asian hairdresser.

Both of them said it did matter.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to get more details on this.  But, the end result was that I spent the rest of the day paranoid that I had an inadequate haircut, and had been getting inadequate haircuts for 36 years.  I was back in junior high mode, fretting about my hair and whether I was a mega-dork.

I also started to wonder if I should try a haircut at this salon.  The problem, though, is that it’s more expensive than Supercuts   And, I’d feel guilty.  I’ve been going to the same woman for nearly 10 years.  I’d feel like I was betraying her by trying someone new.  Silly, I know, especially since I get my hair cut twice a year.  But us women develop a loyalty to our hairdressers, and I just wouldn’t feel right.