The last time my boyfriend paid someone to cut his hair was fall 2005. Before we started dating he had various friends trim his hair, and after we started dating in Feb 2007, I reluctantly took over the job of giving him haircuts. His hair is curly, and he likes to keep it shaggy, but over time it’s gotten stringy and damaged. I’ve been bothering him since fall 2009 to get a professional to cut his hair. He was hesitant to a) pay for a haircut, b) let a stranger cut his hair, and c) lose some of the length.

Earlier this month, around the time of his 25th birthday, he decided that it was finally time to get his hair cut. I stopped by the Aveda Institute (where I get my hair cut, and all cuts are $15), asked who would be best for cutting curly shaggy boy hair, and a couple days later my boyfriend set up a haircut for today. I was so nervous that it wouldn’t be a good experience, but he is ABSOLUTELY THRILLED! We met for lunch right after the haircut, and he spent the whole time telling me how wonderful it was!

Highlights from the conversation:
- “He shampooed my hair! Twice! It felt amazing!” (apparently the barbers he’s been to have never shampooed his hair)
- “I need to go back every 8 weeks to get it trimmed so that the splits ends don’t travel up the shaft and further damage my hair.” (I've been telling him this for years!)
- “It was just so relaxing!”
- “I’ve never even thought about putting any kind of product in my hair, but this moisturizing stuff he used is great!”
- “It was almost like going to a SPA!” (they massage your scalp, neck, and hands, and you sit in a massage chair while they wash your hair, plus it all smells awesome)
- “If I do use product, it should be oil or cream based, not gel or alcohol based. And apparently extra virgin olive oil works well too!” (he’s given me some weird looks when I’ve used olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil as hair or skin moisturizers)
- And my absolute favorite: “I feel like a new person! Still me, but version 2.0!”

It is amazing how much of a transformative experience this haircut was! Not only does his hair look the healthiest I’ve ever seen it, his entire perspective on how to take care of his hair has changed. Today was certainly a milestone in his style and self-care evolution.

Has your significant other gone through a similar transformation, with hair or something else?