Cut Loose Ends: 6 Life Lessons Only My Hairstylist Managed To Teach Me

I only see her once every eight weeks and we are seriously overdue for happy hour, but my hairstylist has taught me things about life no one else has been able to.

Certain lessons I've heard over and over again from other wise sources (Hi, Mom!), only stuck when they came from her.

Maybe it’s because of my semi-unhealthy attachment to my hair, or maybe it’s because hairstylists are therapists in disguise — I don’t know.

But, here are six life lessons only my amazing colorist has been able to get through to me:

Don’t fear change.

After being in love with rich chocolate brown strands for years, she put blonde in my hair. And, I absolutely love it.

Yes, the process of change is scary. Sitting under a mound of tin foil and a globe of a hair dryer for 25 minutes while I waited out my fate was absolutely horrifying.

But, with a little trust, I got through it, and the results were nothing short of amazing.

Lesson one: Change is good — very good.

Do cut off what weighs you down.

Sometimes, our desire to hang on to a bad job, bad boyfriend or bad friend is as strong as our desire not to cut that additional inch off our locks.

But, if your split ends and shady friends are bringing you down, it’s time to cut them loose.

In the end, you’ll be much better off for it. You'll have no more damage and far less breakage in both hair and life.

Seriously, though, why did it take someone convincing me to cut five inches of horrible ends off for me to figure this out?

Do listen to those who are more experienced than you.

Because when I thought 4-inch bangs would look good with waist length hair, my stylist gently let me know just how wrong I was.

Trust people who have been through this before; they know what they’re talking about. The lesson translates to life easily.

Remember when your mom/cool aunt/dad told you not to date that loser you dated, anyway? Yeah, how’d that turn out?

Do break the rules.

When I thought I couldn’t have short hair because I have a rounder face, she introduced me to the lob because screw rules, life’s about doing whatever you want.

If I could rock shorter-than-shoulder-length hair, I could certainly leave that nine-to-five office job I hated and finally pursue my not-so-well-paying passions.

And, sure, I might not be proud of how much my trips to the salon cost, but they're way less expensive than therapy.

Do be persistent and patient.

Getting the perfect dimensional ombré takes multiple two-hour-long sessions, and if you don’t want those split ends to make their way up to your roots, you have to keep up with them every six weeks.

It’s just like trying to get your boss to gives you a raise. The most rewarding things in life, including beautiful hair, take time and work.

Don’t stop evolving.

My stylist constantly changes my hair, even if just slightly. She might let me keep my style the same for 16 weeks if I begged or offered to tip extra, but even then, I doubt it. And, I love her for it.

It’s so easy to fall into the habit of going back to the same thing over and over again, whether it’s the same blue eye shadow you’ve been wearing for years or the same Chinese food you order every Saturday.

But, move past the orange chicken, my friend. Life is so much better when you switch it up.