In reality, the truth is probably somewhere between those two but the sense of liberation from never having to endure the pain of the "salon experience" more than makes up for any styling deficits (to my mind at least).

And so, in case anyone else out there is fed up with forking over $70 only to leave the salon thinking that 'you're not happy with the cut now but, perhaps in a few weeks when it grows out?' here are some tips.

- Buy a pair of professional scissors; this is one of those scenarios where you need the proper tools for the job. 

- Go slow. The first couple of times I trimmed my fringe and a few split ends. Once I was satisfied that everything was going okay I moved into full cutting mode.

- Vote early, and often...aka don't feel that you need to cut every hair in one session. I generally trim my hair once a week at this point...no split ends and I get to 'tweak' my hairstyle and modify any elements I was unhappy with from the week before's cut.

Relax! It is only hair (I swear)...it will grow back...