ロックダウン中あれこれ不便なことはありますが、一番不便なのは美容院や理容院に行けないことです。何週間か前に夫に髭のトリマーで刈ってほしいと言われましたが、怖くてできませんでした。なにしろわたしは不器用で、シンガポールにいるときに一度日本のバリカンセットを簡単そうと思って買ったもののなかなか使う勇気が出ず、美容師さんをしていたお友達にやり方を教えてもらったときにちょっとだけしてみたらぐいっと一部短かくなってしまった経験があるのです。そのときはお友達が上手く修正してくれましたが、今回はそれもできませんし。それでずっとハサミで下の方だけを切っていましたが、もういよいよどうにかせねば、という形になってしまったので、夫がバリカンを買いました。これです。

During the lockdown, there are a few inconvenient things but the worst thing for us is probably not to be able to have our hair cut.  My husband asked me to trim his hair with his beard trimmer a few weeks ago but I wasn’t brave enough.  When we were in Singapore I bought one of those very good set of hair clippers from Japan because it looked very easy to trim a man’s hair when I saw a video.  A friend who had once been a hairdresser showed me how to use it and I tried just a little but I cut just one bit too short.  Fortunately my friend was there and was able to rescue it, but that put me off completely so I told him I didn’t think it was a good idea.  However, his hair had started to look really long on him and it wasn’t a good shape because we kept cutting the bottom but didn’t layer it and yesterday my husband finally got fed up enough to buy a hair trimmer online.  This is the one that was delivered today.

一番長い設定は３.６センチになっていて、ここまで長く揃えられるバリカンはあまりないのだそうです。一度一番長い長さに切ってからもう１段階短くしました。問題なく刈れて、すっきりしました！

The longest setting is 3.6cm, which apparently is about the longest you can find in the market and there aren’t many that come with such a long setting.  We used the longest setting first then used one a bit shorter and he is looking much better now!

問題は、わたしの髪です。最後に美容院に行ったのは、３月初めロンドンに行ったときで、自宅に戻ってすぐ翌日にでも美容院に行こうと思っていたらその日にロックダウンになってしまったので、３ヶ月以上行けていません。根元が目立ってきてからはアイシャドーのようなタイプの一時的に色をのせるタイプのもので外側の根元だけ隠していましたが（きれいには隠れませんが目立たなくはなります）、最近は間から下の髪の根元が見えるようになり、やっぱりちゃんと染めるしかないな、と覚悟して、先日市販のヘアダイで染めました。肌が弱いのでかぶれるのが怖かったのですが、大丈夫でした。これもまた、すっきり！

The hair problem is mine now.  The last time I went to a hairdresser was in London early March.  As soon as we got back home in late March (we were away because of the house renovation) I was going to see if I could have my hair done on the following day, but the lockdown was announced that very night and it’s been more than 3 months since then.  I have been using one of those eye shadow looking temporary hair dyes now and again just to cover the roots, which made it look at least a bit less obvious though not really covering, but the uncoloured parts got too long and you could see them in between the darker hair, which wasn’t a good look.  I was worried about getting some allergic reaction to a hair dye but the other day I felt I couldn’t go without dyeing any longer and so I did – it worked fine, no allergic reaction and it’s much better now.

髪の形はまだ結構きれいな形にはなっているのですが、やはりいつもより３ヶ月分も長いので長すぎて似合いません。顎くらいの長さのボブが肩より大分長くなってしまっています。早く、美容院に行きたい〜。

The shape is still looking fine, but it has got too long and doesn’t suit me.  The length should be down to around my chin but is now more than shoulder length.  I’m so looking forward to having it cut.