I first met Paula at church on a Sunday morning service. What made Paula stand out was the long hair that fell to her waist, it was as white as a new snow. During services each Sunday morning and evening, Paula always wore her hair down, I never remember seeing her with it put up, done in any style, just flowing in a white splender down her back to her waist. I noticed the ends were not trimmed, so one day after church I aksed Paula, “Hello, I am OC and do hairstyles, have you ever thougth of trimming your hair up to even out the ends?” Paula said she had, but; did not trust just anyone with her long hair. I explained that I had a style shop and would just trim up the ends, trust me Paula. Paula said; “Thank You OC, let me think about it Ok, I have had long hair to my waist all my life, some 50 years now.” I said; “:Ok.”
Almost three months went by, no word from Paula, her ends were really longer and raggedy. After church at noon Paula said; ” OC can I talk to you?” I turned around and said; “Hello Paula, what do you need?” Paula asked; “About the trimming of my hair, is that offer still on?” I replied; “Sure anytime your ready Paula.” Paula said how about now?” I said “OK follow me Paula, there will be nobody in the shop on a Sunday, we can have no one staring at you and wondering is she going short, so it will be nice and quiet.” Paula followed me to the shop in her car, I opened the door and escorted her to a chair, while I gathered up my scissors.
I was ready and had Paula stand up, I combed out her long waist length locks, Paula said; ” OC do not cut off too much now Ok?” I replied with “Going to cut the longer ends off so all are even, maybe 3-4″ thats all, is that OK?” Paula said sounds good OC, just 3-4″ will be fine. I combed out Paulas long hair that was just hanging over her Buttox. It was very thick and nice, about 40″ and maybe about 5″ thick. I took the scissors to her hair about waist length and started cutting it so all ends were staright across her back at waist length. With each schiinnnnk Paula looked at the hair falling to the floor, then she said; “How much are you cutting OC?” I said about 4 maybe 4 1/8th ” but it looks great being shaped up Paula, don’t worry, it will be right at waist length and beautiful, trust me.” Paula said ;”OK” It took me about 32 schinks with the scissors, her fully thick hair covered the floor. I said “Done, come over here look in the mirrored room and see for yourself.” Paula walked to the mirrored room with 4 floor length mirrors to look at her hair. Paula was excited and said; “I can trust you OC, it looks beautiful, very nice work thank you.” I nodded and we left the shop for service that night.
Paula walked in to the church about 545pm and everyone told her how nice her hair looked trimmed up, it was so much fuller, so nice to see it trimmed. Paula nodded and services began. After services we all dispursed. Paula cornered me and said; “TY OC.” She gave me a hug, For the next 3 years, Pauld came into see me for a trim every 3 mo.. I always got excited brushing out her long white mane of hair and trimming up the ends. Then one day after services Paula said; “I have cancer and will be taking Chemo treatments, If my hair starts falling out OC will you cut it all off for me to a Bald Head?”
I said; “Paula I would be glad to but; wait and see what happens, some people their hair starts falling out and others it does not effect?” After two Chemo treatments, Paula came to the shop and said;”OC, it is starting to fall out, so when can we cut it all off?” I replied,”Paula, I am closing up the shop and will have no customers, so are you up to felling like doing it now?” Paula said; “NOW, WELL OK, I was really thinking later in the week, but; like you say nobody will be here gawking and whispering about my hair being cut all off, so, OK lets do it now for Sunday services for all to see and me to get use to it in the next 3 days.” I seated Pauld in the chair, caped her up, pulled the long white hair out from under the cape and said; ” How do you want to do this Paula, I mean we can cut it off in a pony tail ant the nape, then buzz the rest of the mane off, or; we can make a loose Ponytail and buzz it all off at once?” Paula sat looking in the mirror and said; “Lets have some fun OC. I want to see what each style would look like on me, since I never have cut my hair short but; always thought about and if I did what style? So, cut it into layers, then cut the ponytail off, then lets play with it, doing a chin length Bob cut, then an inverted Bob, then a short Pixie cut, next lets shave the sides off and make a Mohawk style, then a short flat top, then a 1/8″ buzz cut and finally a bald head shave with thick creamy lather and a razor, is that too much too ask OC?” I was tunned with Paula’s reply and excited to see what she would look like with each different style we were going to do, I said; “No, Paula this will really be fun, let me get my CD camera so we can save each cut for the future.” I went and got my CD player and camera, set it up then said; “OK I am ready are you Paula?” Paula nodded and smiled grinned and said; “Lets get it done.” I took a small section of Paula’s hair in my left hand, the scissors in my right and then snipped off the section of hair at bra length, the hair slithered down Paulas cape over the chair and fell to the floor, Paula watched in the mirror and cheked the hair piling up on her lap and floor. Next I took a section near Paula’s shoulder and cut it off and watched that sectiuon fall to the floor. I then combed out the hair and brought out a curling iron and did the hair in ringletts that fell at waist length, bra length and shoulder length. Paula said; “Wow OC I never have had curls in my hair never, wow it looks great.”
The next step was to cut a ponytail off at shoulder length, so I grabbed the hair, did it into a ponytail with a runbber band at shoulder length, I brought the scissors to Paulas shoulders and started cutting, as each cut came a section of hair was severed from the ponytail and fell limp around my hand, after some 32 snipps, the ponytail was totally severed and Paulas hair was now in a shoulder length flip from the 60’s. I waved the ponytail in the air like a victory had just been won and gave it to Paula. Paula said “Wow OC now I do look different withall the length gone wow I am really liking this.” I asked Paula “Are we ready to move on to the next cut or?” Paula said; “Move on we have all this on a CD to review later, wow OC I am liking this.”
So I took out my clippers and turned them on, Paula jumped and looked at me in the mirror like whats going on now? I laughted and said: ” This is how I do a bob cut right at chin length, ok” Paula nodded and OK and I proceeded to follow her chin line on the right side from the front to the nape of the neck. As the hair was cut, Paula looked on with big saucer eyes and a smile from ear to ear. I took the clippers and did the other side the same way and done. Paula looked as the hair that was cut fell to the cape and on the floor, with great delight and amazement at what a transformation was taking place with another style. We both looked in the mirror and then Paula too her hand and brushed her hair then shook it from side to side and yelled. “OH MY GOD OC THIS IS SO MUCH FUN, WOW I AM LOVING THIS.”
I took the clippers and put a 2″ guard on them, I then plunged the clippers at Paula’s nape and ran them up to the crown leaving a nice 2″ cut, I kept doing this the 2″ guard and went from left to right, right up behind the ears. Now we had a nice inverted Bob cut, Paula was so excited she reached back and brushed her hand up the short 2″ cut made into the nape area and said: “Oh wow now that is so cool OC so so cool, lets keep going and do the Pixie cut, I have always admired the Pixie cut but; never got the urge to cut my hair that short, so lets see how I would look in a Pixie cut ok OC.” I nodded and said “Moving onward, here we go Paula to the Pixie Cut.”
With my clippers and the 2″ attachement I started on the right side at the sideburn area and went straight up about 3″, then went over the ear and then up the back side of the ear, the nape was alread cut at 2″ so I moved to behind the Left ear and up over the ear and then the left sideburn area, All this time with each stroke hair was raining down on the floor and carpeted it in pure white hair around the chair. Paula was watching with wide saucer eyes as the hair was severed with each clipping and just kep saying; “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD.” I used a wide toothed comb and shaped the style up some more until I had the perfect Pixie cut with about 3-4 ” of hair on top, a nice 2″ cutting over the ears and up the nape, it look really nice on Paula since she had really small ears to accent the cut. I asked Paula how she liked a Pixie Cut now, she nodded saying” This is me really me OC, a nice short cut that shows my ears, yet a very femine look, I love it, I may never go back to a long white mane of hair again..” With that I turned off the CD and said lets take a coffee break. I uncaped Paula and we took a coffee break, we had some food before we continued on. Paula kept feeling the Pixie Cut and kept smiling while we talked about the next phase in cutting off her hair and all her long white hair shorn off was so amazing to her.
We returned to the chair I caped Paula up, turned the CD on and I said, “here we go.” I took the 2″ clipper guard off and had a nice 000 blade for a nice 1/125th buzzing, on came the clippers and Paula watched as the clipper went up the right sideburn side of her head, hair came showering down and a nice wide 3″ white swath of skin showed. Paula’s eyes were like saucers watching as the hair was removed to the part line, with each passing of the clippers up the side, over the ear, up the back of the ear an evern whiter head appeared. Paula was in shock saying “OMG OMG OC I cannot believe I am doing this wow OH My GOD how cool it feels.” I just kept placing the clippers to Paulas head and moved from right to left side skipping the 2″ nape leaving it for the Mohawks complete cut at 2″. Hair piled up on the floor again as I finished the 1/125th inch cutting, now to the top a nice Mohawk at 2″. I attached the 2″ guard to the clippers and raised the clippers to the center of Paulas hair and right down the middle made a wide 3″ cut that was 2″ long. Paula grabbed my left thigh and watched in the mirror as more hair fell onto the cape then on to the floor, all Paula could say was “Wow this is so cool OC, oh wow keep cutting it.” With each passing of the clippers Paula became more aroused and excited watching a transformation to a Mohawk style. I was done and Paula kept looking at herself in the mirror with total awe and excitement saying: “WOW OC this is so much fun, wow so much fun, I never thought I would get arroused with this cutting, but; wow.” Paula kept feeling all the short hair and then the smooth sides and kept smiling all the while. I do not know who was more exited about the transformations this day me or Paula.
I said; “OK Paula, shall we move on to the flat top?” Paula nodded a yes. I started with the nape of the neck now and took off the clipper guard and left the 1/125th blades to finish up the nape area to match the sides. I bent Paulas head forward and right up the middle of the nape I went off came the 2″ of hair, left was a nice 3″ wide pure white scalp, one more cut to the left then one to the right. I was done with the sides and back now to take the Top down to a 1/2″ flat top. I use a flat top comb and placed it on the top hair and went from left to right across the head moving the comb after each section was done. Paula looked at herself again and again and watched as the2″ of hair was now reduced to a nice 1/2 flat top as white hair rained down some more onto her cape. Paula said:” this is such a nice style OC, I use to take my brothers to the barber shop and watch them getting a flat top back in the 60’s, oh how I wanted to jump in the chair and say me next, now I am here and this is such a dream come true, now I have my Flat top that I could never have back then. Now I am really ready to see the new me in a 1/8″ buzz cut OC.”
I took off the 1/2″ guide and put on the 1/8th ” guide. I raised the clippers to the top of Paula’s head and went right down the middle leaving a nice 3″ wide 1/8″ cut. Paula squeeled with delight and said: “Just like my brothers had for haircuts in the late 50’s.” OC, oh wow this is so nice to see what I could have done back then, but; barber shops were for guys and beauty shops were for Ladies.” It took only 5 passes with the cllippers to produce a nice short buzz cut. Paula just kept looking at her changed self again. I said; “Looks nice every style away from your waist length hair has been a thrill to do, truely a barbers dream come true. Eight styles from one model, how nice it has been, now for number nine style, a true Bald Head like Steve Harvey.” Paula looked at me and smiled a big grin, rubbed her buzzed head and shaved sides and said; “LETS DO IT OC, OH MY GOD WHAT A TRILL THIS HAS BEEN, OH WHAT A NIGHT.” I turned to the lather machine and got a nice handfull of puffy white lather, I started at the center of the top of Paula’s head and worked the lather down to the sides and nape. Paula was now covered in a white creamy lather, ready to be shaved to a nice smooth bald head. Taking the Razor in hand, I started at the sides and worked around the head, the short hairs were removed and the razor, the razor was washed with each pass in the sink. I started next at the top of the head and worked back to the crown, with each pass the head was a nice white color with no stubble ends. I was done and got a warm wash cloth to wipe off the clean shaven scalp now. Paula looked on and was in awe as each pass was done and the head was shaven clean. Paula loved the new style, the smooth head she was now rubbing it with both hands, Paula said; “OC it feels like a babys bottom.” I replied, “But it looks so nice, every cutting we did was a thrill to do Paula,” Paula was uncaped, got up, gave me a big hug, then a kiss on the check asked how much do I owe you OC?” I looked at Paula and said:” Nothing Paula, the thrill was all mine, the cd we can sell on line to all who want to see it.” Paula nodded and I walked her to the door, locked the shop and we went to have nice dinner showing off Paula’s new Bald Head.