Aling Gina's Parlor, My Hair, and Awkwardness

Aling Gina, my Nanay, doesn't have a parlor of her own but I know she has always wanted one. 

Since I was a kid, I'm a regular customer. She was the first one who cut my hair, before I turned one, and as she said, Granny kept my hair in between the leaves of the Bible. Hah! Then why am I someone you can use a fire extinguisher on whenever I go to the church? (If I go.) Lol.

I bet you've always seen me in a short hair. But honestly, my hair was long, as in waist long back in elementary. Every day, Granny styles my hair. It's either I get a pair of pigtails or a long braid. I was using the Rejoice shampoo when I was younger and if you remember, there's this TV commercial of the said shampoo where the lady's hair is braided then the comb will suddenly appear and untangle the braid with no hands. As a kid, yes, I tried doing the same with my braided hair. Wanna know what happened? Well. All I can tell you is, when I tried it, I told Granny and Nanay, Totoo nga 'yung commercial! (The ad was true!)

In high school, I always get a haircut every quarter. My hair didn't grow longer than the bra line. Heck, it didn't even reach that part, just the length that's enough to cover my nape until the ends fly away. I don't know why I started having short hair. I cannot remember. All I know is that, prolly grade 3, Nanay gives me above the nape cut. I think it was because that's the hair style that was "in" that time. Besides, it's very low maintenance.

Once, I asked Nanay during a haircut session, Nanay, kapag ba may ibang gumupit ng buhok ko, papangit siya? (If someone else cuts my hair, will its growth be so bad?) And she laughed and joked with a "curse", Oo, papangit 'to! Kaya huwag mo ipagupit sa iba! (Yes, it will so I should be the only one to cut it!) And so I laughed as well. I asked because I heard from someone before that they only have one haircutter as their hair is "sanay na" or used to the hands of their haircutter. 

Nobody has touched my hair, cut it, not until I was working (as far as I can remember!). Not because I believed in the "curse" but because I wanted to try something new, and of course, I have the money to pay. I wanted to have the side of my hair shaved. So one night after work, along EDSA, in Aurora Boulevard, I entered a salon that offers ₱35.00 for a haircut—yes, that's the amount, I didn't forget a zero. Since then, I won't forget how awkward I feel whenever I would enter a salon. I think I can count how many times someone else gave me a haircut but I could never count how many times Nanay did.

Every time I enter a salon, my naturally awkward-introvert self becomes more intense. I know no one judges me but this awkwardness, I feel it every time. I don't know how to talk to the attendant, I don't know where to go, I don't know how to put my head on the shampoo sink, I feel tingly whenever the water is a about to hit my scalp or even before it does, and I feel so awkward standing up from the shampoo chair to transfer to where I would be having the hairccut. I don't go straight to the shampoo station. I sit right away on the haircut chair. Then I would need to transfer and come back. What a trip, eh? Because everything is different in Aling Gina's Parlor.

In salons, I need to go to the attendant then some salons would ask me who do I prefer as the stylist? The Junior? Ther Expert? Or the Master? I never knew there were those options. In Aling Gina's Parlor, I just need to time it properly to make sure she isn't doing anything or say it the night before, Nanay, gupitan mo ako bukas! (Nanay, cut my hair tomorrow!)

In salons, I'm always asked, Ano pong gupit niyo? (What haircut do you like?) And I don't even know how to answer this. Once, I answered, Bahala ka na po. Basta gawin mo akong maganda. (Up to you as long as you make me pretty.) In Aling Gina's Parlor, nobody asks how I want my hair. I'll just be surprised that I'd get a Maricel Soriano of the '90s haircut, the Siete haircut, or most recently, the one I would like to call KPop haircut even if I think Nanay doesn't know it makes me look like those KPop boys. Back then, there were times I wouldn't like the cut but I won't care so much. It's just hair, it will grow, even if there would be others who would tell me, Mukhang bao 'yung buhok mo! 'Yung nilagyan lang ng mangkok para sa pattern? (Your hair looks like a coconut shell! Seems like a bowl was placed on your head to have the pattern!)

In salons, there are soft chairs that go up and down, there's shampoo, there's blow dry! In Aling Gina's Parlor, all we need is a plastic stool and we do dry cutting. In rare instances, she'll have this spray gun with water and I would like to think with a mixture of conditioner because of its fragrant smell. In a seminar, we were told that if you get a haircut, it's better to ask for dry cutting so you'll definitely see how your hair would look like tomorrow when all the magic of shampoo and blow dry disappear. 

In salons, there's air conditioning. In Aling Gina's Parlor, I get fresh air from the outside—because she cuts my hair on the sidewalk, outside our house so we get good light. And because we do it outside, there's a bonus that your neighbors would watch you, and one will ask, Hindi ka pa mag aasawa, Alte? (Aren't you getting married yet, Alte?) And my mind has a line of feminist banters but never mind.

In salons, you have another person to brush off the fallen hair on your shoulders. In Aling Gina's Parlor, you need to do it yourself.

But these differences allowed me to learn things which I would like to believe, make me an easy customer. Not sure if they help, though.

I know when to bow my head without being asked. I know when to close my eyes when my bangs need to be shortened (or say goodbye). And most importantly, I know when to stay still so my ears would be safe. On top of these learning perks, the best thing about Aling Gina's Parlor is... it's free and I don't even need to pay for a tip!

I had my haircut earlier today in a nearby salon because it was getting longer and I really don't know how to take care of it as I don't even comb my hair unless after I've taken a bath. While I was having it and feeling all the awkwardness in the whole process, I was thinking of writing about it hence this! I think this is the first time I asked for a haircut without them bangs! As I've always had.