Serendipitous Short Hair at Studio Fix by Alex Carbonell

Serendipity occurs when something wonderful happens unexpectedly. Because you don't plan for it to happen, the beautiful or happy event that occurs serendipitously becomes all the more poignant, as if touched by grace. It can happen from the profound and deepest aspects of life (such as love) to the most mundane and kikay of things, like finding an amazing dress at the mall when you've just planned to go there to window shop, and even better, finding it on sale. Or it can happen while getting a haircut.  A few months ago (I know it's been months but better late than never!), serendipity happened to me in the hands of my favorite stylist, Alex Carbonell.

It was towards the very end of 2012, and I could smell 2013 and one big word coming---CHANGE. And if change was coming, then my hair better go with that change too. Consciously or unconsciously, I always seem to have a "look" when it comes to my hair almost every year. 2011 was all about bangs, 2012 was all about my digi perm, and for 2013, what will it be? My hair was too long, and too damaged from the perming that I've subjected my hair to, as evident from these pictures I took on the day I went to see Alex: 

And I believe this picture says it all. Eep!

 

As I've said in my post on taking care of digital perms, it's really all about keeping your hair moisturized and maintaining the curls. So I guess, I was guilty of not maintaining my perm well. I guess like other good things in life, it was good while it was lasted. But obviously, it was time to move on and let go! The curls and the long length sometimes looked good, some days they were all over the place, and it was becoming too tiring for me to work on my hair each and every time. So, I went in to see Alex at Studio Fix thinking that I wanted a Keratin treatment for me to go back to my God-given straight hair.

But Alex being Alex, I emerged out of Studio Fix with something altogether different from what I expected. In a good way, as always. Alex told me that I don't need a Keratin treatment since my hair is naturally straight and if I get the treatment, my hair will just turn out flat and lifeless.  So he suggested for me to cut my hair and give me a medium length bob, with this cut of Kiera Knightley on this magazine as the peg:

The last time I drastically cut my hair short was back in 2007, and I maintained that bob for two years. While I didn't think I was ready for a super short bob again, I still really wanted something different enough. As I've said, 2013 was just around the corner and what better way to welcome the new year than with a new look right? So Kiera Knightley's medium length bob it is.  Alex pointed out that the top part of my curls were still ok, so I could still keep my curls but I just needed to have the length of my hair updated.  That way, I could still get the volume from my curls, which I still loved (just not the bottom, very dry and damaged part).

And so, the three-hour transformation began, and not just with my hair length but also my color and highlights.  I was someone who used to be afraid of short hair---I had long hair for 13 years before I became brave enough again to cut it short! But after chopping it all off in 2007, I knew that I never had to fear short hair again.

Just like my previous visits, I was once again in the very capable hands not just of Alex himself, but also, of Ellie, his assistant who helped out with my color and highlights.

 

Aside from all the other things I appreciate about getting my cuts and other hair services in Studio Fix which I've already raved about in my other posts, another thing I appreciate is getting tips from Alex and Ellie about maintaining and styling my new cut. Alex taught me how to properly dry my hair to give it more body ( I have to give it some motion to "swoosh" it) and other tips to maintain the color. It's not just about having your haircut and that's it---we have to live with our hair after we salon. And I appreciate that they care about what happens to our hair and how we take care of it at home.

I loved how my hair turned out, from the ash highlights and the right mix of waviness and "messiness".  I instantly felt lighter, without the weight of the previous length bringing me down. It was totally wash and wear, just what I needed---something easy and not hard to maintain at all (a complete turnaround of sorts from my digital perm maintenance routine!)

I remarked to Alex that since the time I first had my hair cut by him in Studio Fix years back, there were certainly a lot more customers now.  And true enough, there are now so many of us loyal Studio Fix clients that they have now opened up another branch just in Greenbelt 3! And let me thank also all of my readers who have trusted my advice and gone to Studio Fix and to Alex for their cuts and color. Alex tells me that there have been quite several of you who have gone to him after reading about it from The Sunset Goddess---to all of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for the acknowledgment :)

Anyway, after three years of having long hair since the time I had a short hair style, it was so good to have short hair again. Less maintenance, less time to dry my hair, one less thing to worry about in the morning or throughout the day! And it was the perfect length to either wear down, or up in a ponytail or chignon when it gets too hot or if there's no time to fix it at all.

I always say that the test of a good haircut is how it looks in the weeks and months after you step out of the salon, whether in cold or humid weather, at home or on the road. Here, a short tale of my short hair throughout my travels in the past months.

December in Baguio:

January in Singapore:

January in KL:

 

January in Bangkok:

February in Samar:

March in Manila:

And now it's April and after almost four months, it's time for an update. And while the roots need some touching up, the color is still as nice. So, now a reason to go back and pamper myself again with Alex and his team :)

 

Serendipity can happen to us all the time, from the moment we walk out the door every morning to the time we leave the office, from the new people we meet or from old friends, from the most serious matter or even when we just sit down on that chair in our favorite salon. At the end of the day, it's how much we open ourselves to the possibilities.  When you've closed the book on change, there is no room for possibilities. But when you're open, the possibilities for the next chapters are endless. That's when serendipity happens.

I wanted change and I thought I would get it by going back to my straight, long hair. Like so many of you women out there, having long hair is a form of security blanket (admit it!). Chopping off our locks takes some form of courage (sartorial or otherwise)---I don't know about you but to me short hair means a spirit of adventurousness, a sense of mischief and a way, going against the norm. As I said, for 13 years I was so afraid of cutting my hair short. Then I had the courage to chop it all off in 2007, grew it back, had the courage to try out a digi perm for the first time ever, and in 2012, cut it short again. Every hair cut or new hair style means change, especially when you chop so many inches from just a trim and go from straight to curly. And change somehow brings out our insecurities, even if the change comes from something so egotistical or vain as our hair. But if you have the courage to do something with your hair---to change it, to go against your usual, to have the bravado to declare to your stylist, "I want something new!"----then what more with the rest of your life? Back in December 2012, I had the courage to go for that change, and never looked back.

What are you afraid of, and what are you holding back? What change do you want to happen for 2013?  It's now nearly the middle of  the new year, and I hope that you've finally found the courage to make that change, and let the magic of serendipity work for you. Cheers! :)



Studio Fix by Alex Carbonell
Level 4, Greenbelt 5
Makati City
Telephone: 632-5013062 and 632-5013064