People always say to write something true you need to write about what you know. What I know is beauty and fashion, simply because I love it; and what I'm learning is that using our personal experiences as material for our writing is effective. So I'll tell you about a experience I had not too long ago that made me realize change is okay, and sometimes its even better than the norm.

Never in my life has my hair been as long as it is now, it reaches just past my shoulders to my chest. I've always had short hair and so whenever I get a haircut I always get nervous they'll cut too much off. However, I think a lot of us have this fear: the idea that you'll go to get your hair cut and you'll walk out looking like anything but what you wanted.

Lately I've been in dire need of a haircut. I'll admit it, my hair has gotten dry and the ends have become lifeless. So on a whim I decided I would try out the haircutting salon on campus, Fringe, even though I'm used to the salon back in my hometown with its familiar faces and recognizable ambiance.

So when I walked into the lime green room I was nervous of how my hair would look when I left. I mean, the salon is in school so don't students cut hair here? No, they don't. All the hair stylists are not students, they are professionals who not only have the skills to cut hair, but also the certificates that proved they can. So I sat down in the chair as a black smock was laid over my clothing. I shut my eyes and she began to cut my hair.

Note: my hair was dry-razored, a thing of preference. This means it wasn't washed pre-cut.

I sat there a little nervous but I knew if anything ever happened it would always grow back. Making small talk with the stylist about how dry my hair was, the colour and my classes, I realized I was completely overreacting and everything was fine. I opened my eyes and, well, it didn't look bad at all. Sure, it was a bit shorter, but that was to be expected if I wanted the dead ends gone. Next were the bangs, and any girl knows that if those get botched, well, the rest doesn't look too hot. My bangs were next and I was a little hesitant, but in the end they ended up looking great.

She then proceeded to curl my hair, spray it and style it, in the end she left me with an amazing coiffure of sleek '60s nature. Not only was the end result more than up to par but while she was cutting my hair it also felt great. You know that feeling - it's like getting a scalp massage. Overall the entire experience was great. And to me, that's what matters. Think about it, you want to walk in and enjoy every little moment, including the end result.

So if you decide you're willing to venture from your usual hairdresser and try someone different, I suggest you hit up Fringe for a new 'do. Jessica M did a fantastic job on my hair, and now whenever I swing or sway it blows beautifully in the wind. What made me even feel better (I'm serious) was when I left I actually got compliments on how my hair looked. I walked past an old friend, and they literally pulled me aside to compliment me on my hairstyle and to ask me whether I had just gotten it done.

The moral of my story is sometimes when it comes to fashion and beauty, stepping outside of our comfort zone to try something new isn't so bad.