Alphabet Cuts: Emma
Emma was not too pleased with the cut she ended up with, and in truth it was too short to suit her. Emma’s hair was dark brown, heavy and lustrous and she always had it in a short style. She wore her straight hair in a central parting and it hung to ear level, where it had been cut, the rest of her hair had then been cut to blend in and it decreased in length as it neared her hairline. Emma really only got a haircut because she had walked in when I was cutting Jacqui’s hair and wasn’t allowed to leave until she had received a cut. Jacqui had been very persistent in persuading Emma to take a seat and then assisting me to cut Emma’s hair.
Jacqui was keen for Emma to have her hair clipped, but as Emma had never had her hair clipped she was understandably nervous. Her nerves weren’t helped when Jackie joked that if Emma didn’t sit still she might end up shaved bald.
Jacqui ‘s powers of persuasion were successful, I thought that this could be because she was Emma’s boss. Whatever made Emma agree, I think she regretted it.
Although not responsible for her new style I felt guilty for Emma’s unhappiness. Jacqui – someone with no previous haircutting experience, started cutting Emma’s hair with the clippers, but without realising how short the attachment would leave Emma’s hair. She soon realised when she had pushed the clippers up to Emma’s occipital bone and she realised just how short she had cut her colleague’s hair. Emma’s pale scalp was clearly visible, being only partially obscured by the merest stubble. As soon as Jacqui had completed her first pass Emma knew that something was wrong, possibly because she felt the breeze on her newly bared head. Her fears were confirmed when she put a hand up to the back of her head and realised just how short her hair had been shaved. Jacqui did little to console Emma but she just smiled and handed me the clippers and asked me what I could do. I told Emma that the only thing I could do was to continue what Jacqui had started and then blend the crown into the shaved back and sides. As I clipped Emma’s hair away to match her “stubbly stripe” I tried to calm her by saying how sexy she would look. I carefully clipped away at Emma’s nape, the number 1 attachment removing the majority of her dark hair. Emma’s shoulders became dusted with fine, dark clippings, none of them being longer than an inch. It was ironic that as the amount of hair on her shoulders increased the quantity of hair on her head decreased. Jacqui’s gaze was intent as I shaved Emma’s head before putting on the longer attachment and blending in with the longer hair on her crown. As I cut Emma’s hair I was aware of Jacqui stroking her own nape. I attempted to make Emma’s style appear less severe by cutting it at an angle sloping from back to front. I clipped over Emma’s ears. So she had a slight undercut, so that her hair settled better. I was pleased with the way I had salvaged Emma’s style, indeed I was pleased with the way it looked. It did suit her, but Emma would have preferred the back of her head to be a bit more hirsute. It was quite a step to go from what she had before Jacqui’s first time to being partially bald, even if she was so sexy!