At the hair salon

I decided to have my hair trimmed today and went to our usual hair salon early this afternoon, work being half day only today in anticipation of tomorrow's holiday (All Saint's Day).

It was about time to get my hair cut as I was starting to find it a bother to constantly put it up everyday now that wearing it in a ponytail didn't look that neat anymore. Plus, the increasing number of white hairs on my head--oh, horror of horrors!--would show all the more when I have my hair in a ponytail.

A typical visit at the hair salon usually begins with me being shown a chair and being asked how I want my hair done. After saying that I simply want it trimmed to just about shoulder-length (it extended to about eight inches below my shoulders today), I am made to walk over to the sink to have my hair shampooed.

Then it's back to the chair in front of the mirror where my hair gets cut. This takes about fifteen minutes followed by another fifteen minutes of drying my hair with a hair dryer.

The latter is what I least like about going to a hair salon here in this country because the people at the salon always insist on using a hot dryer (hello, damaged hair) and pull at my hair in an attempt to get rid of my natural curls.

I'm not really sure what it is about curly hair that people here have against. I suppose it's because straight hair usually looks neat and shiny, judging from the shampoo commercials that are produced here.

But then I wish that people at hair salons would refrain from constantly suggesting that I have my hair straightened. When I used to go to hair salons in the US, I was delighted to find that the ladies there would envy me my curly hair and never suggested that I have it straightened.

Besides, I actually find straight hair too boring and common for my taste.

I love my naturally curly hair so why can't the hair salon people here work with that instead of trying to change it?