Score Yourself a Free ‘Do

As I’ve mentioned before, when I get restless or bored, the first thing to change is my hair. I can last about 2 months without changing the color or cut, then I get antsy. While getting ready for work one morning, I realized that my hair looked the same as always, and it wasn’t doing much.

By K

I also noted that I had about $20 I could afford to spend on a cut. Living in New York, that won’t even buy you products. It was time to get creative.

I admit, I’m pretty laid back when it comes to people cutting my hair. It’s super straight and doesn’t do anything unusual, so I’ve accepted that if I hate it, it can always grow back. If you, too, are willing to throw caution to the wind and take your chances with an assistant stylist, or an apprentice of sorts, then beauty school may be just the place to look.

I set my sights on Bumble and bumble, for one because I’ve been reading fashion magazines since age twelve and was familiar with the name, and for two, their Model Project offers free haircuts. Yes, free, so long as you agree to have the cut of choice done. You go online and fill out a personal assessment of your hair (approximate length, whether it’s been colored, texture, thickness, etc.) and your willingness to negotiate what’s done (have a field day or stick to the essentials, basically, its up to you).

After reading your responses, Bb gets back and says to come in for a model call, where they assess you in person on the off chance you lied for their attention. In my case, the cut they were practicing had more stylists than stylees, and they emailed me personally to say there was an opening for their razor bob class. My hair’s always been longish, so I figured this was just as good a change as any. I did some negotiating of my own and asked my boss if I could take a long lunch (two and half hours… ish) to get my hair did. She either hated my current style or legitimately didn’t care, and next thing I knew I was off to the Meatpacking District to get a trendy new cut.

The process was a bit lengthy, but they knew what they were doing and an instructor was there at all times to step in or offer advice. Mine told me I couldn’t have choppy bangs because I wasn’t edgy, which made me pout until I realized that he was right, I’m not at all edgy. And the cut turned out fantastic. I even got a $20.00 credit for product for being a first-time client, and purchased some styling lotion. My total expenditures? $3.25, and a great way to break up my day.

If you’re not in NYC and don’t have access to Bb, look into other options such as Aveda or other high-end salons that offer class cuts. For more ideas if you are in the Big Apple, go to http://nymag.com/guides/cheap/haircuts/.