Getting my hair did in Ha Noi....

I have been very nervous about today. Today I had my first hair appointment in Ha Noi. I am always nervous when I get my hair done, even in the states. Perhaps it's because I have been spoiled having a mother who owns an amazing salon, but also because I have curly hair and it's almost never done right. 

Luckily, I came home to an amazing dinner to take the pre-appointment edge off.

Mi xao dac biet & papaya pineapple salad

"mi xao" is a Vietnamese stir fry of noodles and veggies, we call it "dac biet"=special, because it also had squid and pork. We love Ms. H!

Before I went to my appointment I stopped by Elite Fitness. I won a 6 month membership at the HIWC Bazaar, I am SO amped! It's definitely one of the nicest gyms I have ever been to *and* it's the perfect motivation to start moving more.

Afterwards I headed over to Binh's salon. He was recommended to me by a new friend who teaches at the International School. She told me that most of the Danish folks get their hair done there. Since she is a fellow blonde and I liked her color, I trusted the recommendation. Mr. Quyen was my stylist and he was lovely from the beginning. His assistant started by brushing out my hair, she was so gentle and sweet.

My hair has been looking so bad that I haven't wanted to show my face...well, not really--but you can see my roots from that far away, yuck!

The appointment included a 10-15 minute scalp massage(I lost track of the time, I was so happy) by his assistant followed by a haircut. He explained that we are not going to go any blonder, but should start doing lowlights. He also told me that he likes cutting layers in curly hair. I feel like he did everything that I wanted him to do without me telling him. It took two hours...

and....

ta-da!

I am SO happy! Mr. Quyen is in the background:)

I told him to straighten it dry because it was quicker and his wife called him inquiring where he was during the appointment. He has a young daughter at home. 

I highly recommend Mr. Quyen.  I would say this is one of my top three haircuts/colors after my mama of course. This was another example of how to hope for the best and allow yourself to be surprised. Sometimes the best parts of life happen when you expect it the least.