As a lowly student, I am, of course, typically perenially short of cash. So what do you do when there's not enough dosh in your purse, but too much hair on your head?

~*Booking*~

Anyway, I got there, and told the receptionist I wanted a colour and a cut. She promptly swiped something behind my ears with a cotton bud as a colour test - I'd have to ring back the following monday with news of the results, and then she'd book an appointment. Now, being the idiot that I am, I had to go back to Uni (miles and miles from London!) the next Thursday (I'd left it so late because I just hadn't thought of this until then! Plus I was trying to save money by putting off any regrowth time). so I asked her if there'd be any colour appointments going before that - she said no. So much for that, then :(

~*Getting There*~

Including myself, there were only 3 hair models (so one lucky woman got hers done by the teacher!); they paid £5 each and I handed over my voucher. I was then asked by a teacher what I wanted. I pulled out a picture of a hairstyle (a true "here's one I found earlier!" moment) and showed it to her; she assigned me to her student and told me to repeat what I wanted to her. The student took my coat and scarf, helped me put on a robe, and listened as I described what I wanted. She filled out a consultation form detailing what my lifestyle was, the shape of my face, hair density etc - showing that they really do take into consideration the needs of the individual models. So all the rumours that you have no choice when modelling for students are false - she and her teacher made sure they understood exactly what I wanted before starting.

Then the cut. I asked for a layered, choppy cut with a soft fringe - and mine was the last to be finished. The student was very careful about how she cut it, measuring and re-measuring strands to make sure they were even... which, although it may have been time-consuming, was very reassuring as I knew she'd make sure the end result was perfect :) Turns out she'd not done a style exactly like mine before, but I have to say I think she did a wonderful job. She made sure to ask the teacher if she needed any help, and the teacher tidied up any incongruities, while telling her exactly what to do. It was really interesting to hear all the technical terms for the angle of the cuts and the techniques used, too... it really enforces the idea that hairdressing isn't just a necessity, it's an acquired art! So yeah, the cut was done, firstly to technical conventions, and was then "personalised" bu the student to soften the layers, making it less uniform. The student was really nice; although there was minimal chat (which mostly occured at the wash basin), at least then I felt she was concentrating on my hair!

Well, I hope this was useful to anyone considering getting their hair cut by students, at a mere fraction of the price. In any case, I reckon it's worth a go... after all, hair grows out. Right, I'm off to check out cheap(er) highlights now. I managed to make an appointment at Hebe Hair Salons in London to model for them... £20 for 1/4 head, £30 for 1/2... I'm not sure which to go for; £30 seems a lot for something that will eventually grow out. We'll see...