Every spring, toward the end of the semester, I always end up letting myself go.
The homework piles up and I maintain the same outfit rotation.
I stop wearing makeup and my hair is filled with split ends.
As a student taking 18 units, this spring was no exception.
My hair was so badly neglected that my sister pointed it out, in typical older sibling fashion, and said it looked terrible.
The last time I cut my hair was in February of last year, and I absolutely hated how it looked.
It was so bad that it marked the last time I ever set foot in another salon.
Typically I cut and color my hair at home, and at the time I had so much dead hair because of constant bleaching and dyeing that I figured it’d be best to get it cut professionally.
That ended with me having an unflattering bob and being down around $40, and that didn’t even include a wash and style. I survived the worst haircut of my life at the cost of my self-esteem and wallet.
Naturally I wasn’t thrilled to do that again but I had plans to go to the club with some friends later in the night, so I thought, “why not get a haircut and blowout before then?”
It was about that time and I remembered they offered hairstyling services on campus through the cosmetology department.
Of course I ran the risk of being unsatisfied with the haircut but it was a gamble I was willing to take because it was already late into the semester, and each window of the cosmetology program starts in the fall.
When I first entered the V building I was greeted with a sign that said “clients this way,” that led me to a waiting room with a receptionist ready to take down my information.
They have you fill out a small form with your contact information and an optional media release form while you wait for a stylist to come and pick you up.
Sativa Groff, a cosmetology student who is graduating in May, came into the room and walked me over to her chair.
Music videos played in the background and the entire floor was filled with work stations for cosmetology students to practice doing their services.
I was feeling a bit embarrassed because of the state my hair was in, but embarrassment turned into excitement after we talked about what Groff was going to do with it.
Professors were on the floor at all times to assist students who were unsure about certain styling techniques or hair textures.
“They’ll show us, and also they’ll do it,” Groff said. “You’re not gonna just get a bad cut, ever.”
After AB 2166 passed in 2024, all barbering and cosmetology students in California are required to be trained in all hair types and textures.
“Miss Jones, she teaches us a lot about textured hair and how to do it,” Groff said. “We did silk presses, then even curls. She told us how to do (them) on a hot iron, and those are for all types of hair. So it’s like she includes everyone.”
Groff spent a lot of time talking to me and feeling out what my likes and dislikes were before she did anything to my hair.
I went into the salon expecting to leave with another unflattering bob, but she assured me that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to get such a drastic change in order to have healthy hair.
“If you wanted a bob, it would have been, I’ve done a bob,” Groff said. “Your bob would’ve been up here, girl.”
My hair is extremely thin and fine, so it’s hard to maintain long hair with little breakage for me, so when I get a haircut I usually have to sacrifice length for health.
Instead of leaving with an ugly bob, I left the chair with a great blow out and a self-esteem boost just in time for a night out.
The cosmetology department at San Diego City College offers esthetician, nail and hair services, done by students, that are open to the public.
Rates vary for each service and all payments are cashless, but the prices are very affordable. Students do not get paid for doing these services, but tips are welcome.
All student esthetician, nail and hair services are done through walk-ins but they all vary on availability. Hairstyling is only offered on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while skin and nails are Wednesday through Friday.
To view their full schedule and pricing, visit their website.
If you take a liking to a stylist, like I did, you can always request them at the front desk when you’re getting checked in.
“I wouldn’t say the beginning of the year come, but usually in the middle (of the semester),” Groff said. “Because that’s when we do all of our hair cutting, and 90 degree, we figure out the haircuts, and then we’re already moving on to other stuff.”
This story was edited by Rosemary Archer and David J. Bohnet.
