Enjoy today's story about my appointment at the neighborhood salon as I get ready for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise with my dad and my two sisters. Leaving for a mini family reunion soon…See you in a few weeks!
TODAY’S WORD: RAPLAPLA
: flat, lifeless; tired-looking
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
This fall, my dog and I are in a competition to see who can lose the most hair. “I think you’re winning,” my hairdresser says, shaking more of my hair out of his hands.
“You should see my house,” I laugh, “it’s carpeted with fur! Maybe Ricci’s winning?”
After some initial plaisanteries, I begin to close my eyes. I’ve finally made it to the salon, where I’ll spend two hours trying to avoid eye contact with the woman in the mirror. I don’t like la cicatrice on her forehead, and her cheeks have tiny red veins I know are there, even if I’ve covered them with fond de teint. And though I carefully washed it a day before (my hairdresser doesn’t like a greasy scalp) my hair is limp and stringy. There’s an amusing French word for this not-so-amusing condition of flat and lifeless locks: raplapla.
Too bad raplapla is wasted on lifeless locks because it would make a fine interjection—as it always takes a bit of oomph to drag me out of my nest and into this swivel chair, especially during l’heure de la sieste. Why is it that hair appointments and Amazon deliveries always seem to fall during these most delectable hours?
“Les mèches et une coupe, s’il vous plaît”… The last time I phoned the salon for these was three months ago for a wedding. Three months before that, a trip with my best friend was my motivation to aller chez le coiffeur. And before that, it was my 56th birthday. A grand total of four trips a year—and if it weren’t for these social occasions, it would be even fewer, and I’d go around with my hair tied back and covered in a hat for as long as I could get away with it.
I hear door chimes and look up from my swivel chair. A couple walks in. Bonjour, messieurs dames, they say, greeting a room full of clients in various stages of transformation. With no more available chairs in this tiny salon, the man settles in at l’espace shampoing. How lovely to come to the salon together! I think, studying the sweethearts, each in shoes with Velcro closures. I make a mental note to bring my surefooted husband next time—but there’s no way Jean-Marc would wait two hours in a room full of fancy lotions and potions. Give him a field of musky grapes and some sécateurs, and he’d cut his own hair if he could—and dye it purple with le jus de raisin.
My eyes water from the toxic fumes of peroxide as Cyril begins the technique known as le balayage, painting thick white cream onto another lock of my hair and wrapping each section in plastic. I look away from the thinning mop he’s working on and ask about his recent trip to Corsica.
C’était merveilleux! Le fromage Corse, les saucissons, les cascades, les piscines naturelles—and you can take your dog with you everywhere!
I think about my upcoming trip with Dad and my sisters. We’ll meet in Barcelona for a Mediterranean cruise…including a stop in Corsica. Imagine being able to take my dog—that would be heaven! Just as Le Paradis is paved in gold, our ship would be paved in platinum—tufts and tufts of it, both Ricci’s and mine!
I smile at the thought and glance around the salon. More customers have arrived with thinning hair and graying roots. The creases and scars on our faces reflect experiences, adventure, and a quiet confidence that, in spite of our collective raplapla—our limp and lifeless locks—life is full! I look back at the woman in the mirror. This time, she has a pleasant smile. The critical gaze is gone. We’re all the same, really. In our day-to-day lives, we’re all just trying to keep our hair on.
***
Note to French readers: the above idiom, to keep your hair on, can mean a few things, including ne pas s'en faire, or to not worry too much about a situation. You could say to a friend: Ne t'en fais pas (calm down or take it easy). Picture taken several years ago at another neighborhood salon. I liked the piggybank, or tirelire.
COMMENTS
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FRENCH VOCABULARY
Click here to listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the French
la plaisanterie (f) = joke, banter
la cicatrice = scar
le fond de teint = foundation (makeup)
raplapla = limp or lifeless
l’heure (f) de la sieste = nap time
la mèche = the highlight (in hair)
s’il vous plaît = please
la coupe = cut
aller chez le coiffeur = to go to the hairdresser
bonjour, messieurs dames = hello, ladies and gentlemen
l’espace shampoing (m) = shampoo station
le sécateur (m) = pruning shears
le jus de raisin = grape juice
le balayage = a hair coloring technique where dye is painted onto hair in a sweeping motion
C’était merveilleux = It was wonderful
le fromage corse = Corsican cheese
le saucisson = dried sausage
les piscines naturelles = natural swimming pools
le paradis = paradise
With Ricci, last month, enjoying a few last swims before fall.
REMERCIEMENTS
With sincere thanks to the following readers for their recent donations. Your continued support brings life to this journal and keeps it going. Merci du fond du cœur! — Kristi
Chuck V.
Ophelia P.
Michèle C.
John & Charlotte H.
Caroline & Marshall M.
My mom's solution to raplapla–or lifelessness—may be to weave flowers in your hair, especially beautiful fleurs sèches from a lovely autumn walk. I hope you enjoy today's introspective stroll through our neighborhood salon. Take care, prenez soin de vous, and see you in a few weeks.
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I love your comments! Thank you. Moving to France in two months!
I could not find this expression in French. “the above idiom, to keep your hair on, “ What is it?
Your trip to Barcelona and other stops sounds great!
Much amused to find, après toutes ces années, that there is someone else out there who goes to the hairdresser perhaps just 4 times a year. Actually, living the rural life, it took a visit to my son and daughter-in-law in London and their prompting to even get it up to that number. Ce sont mes ’critiques de cheveux, you could say. But perhaps les autres dans la famille simply didn’t dare say anything.
Kate, you are not alone! And if it makes you feel better, my mom hasn’t been to the hairdresser in over 40 years. She styles it beautifully herself (and loves hats!).
Thanks, Eve! Wishing you non déménagement. How exciting ☀️
Your beach hair looks beautiful, Kristi, so even better after the hairdresser, I’m sure. A shampoo that my family likes for thinning or fragile hair is Mielle with rosemary and mint. You may find it in a beauty supply shop, or it is available on amazon in France too. Have a super time with your family. We will all look forward to hearing about your trip!
So I am not alone with my thinning hair!! We are in the same human boat. Enjoy your cruise and family reunion. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Ellen. And I will look into the Mielle shampoo. Sounds good!
When we stayed in Lourmarin the hair dresser would laugh every time I asked her to cut my hair. It seems like I was asking her instead “to cut my horses”
Sarah, There is not an exact translation for this wonderful idiom *keep your hair on*—but here are three equivalents in French:
1. Ne ten fais pas (Dont worry)
– Ne ten fais pas, tout va bien se passer. (Dont worry, everything will be fine.)
2. Garde ton calme (Stay calm)
– Garde ton calme, ce nest pas la fin du monde. (Stay calm, its not the end of the world.)
3. Reste tranquille (Stay calm/relax)
– Reste tranquille, il ny a pas de raison de sénerver. (Stay calm, theres no reason to get upset.)
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I get cruise catalogs in the mail from time to time. Temping but…. I just helped a friend prep and depart for a trip to Iceland & Faroes. We’re all 75+. Trip of a lifetime, touching Scandinavian roots. I provided the transportation to JFK airport in NYC. And I remember why I gave up city driving and use ferries instead. Wow. To the world travelers here, JFK is under construction and the roads around it are an ever changing maze. Lovely when it’s done, chaos now. And on an entirely different subject check nutrition for thinning hair. I replaced carby snacks with mixed nuts and could see a difference. Calcium + tabs made a big difference in fingernail strength. Bon voyage.
Bon Voyage Kristin! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Enjoy your journey with your dad and sisters. Your balayage is tres magnifique💖
What a delightful story today- it brings a smile to me. I love having my hair washed at the salon. . My stylist rubs the shampoo into my hair and I can feel my body begin to relax. Her fingers give my scalp a good massage and I sense the tension leaving my body. I hope your beautician does the same for you. Great pictures accompanying the writing today. You have a hint of a smile in your photo. I love the flowers in Jules hair. I hope she is doing well. Have a marvelous voyage and good reunion with your family. Safe travels, pleasant weather and make lots of memories. Jo-Anne
Our dear Kristi,
You,ma chere,could never be anything except gorgeous! Your honestly and humor about thinning hair ( and all other delights of age!)really reaches out to all of us.My hair is short( AND thin); I so admire long hair but when I indulged myself at age 13,a not so kind ami described my look as “spaniel ears”!( yikes! Never forgot that!)
Have a wonderful trip and time!!
You so deserve it!!
Arms tight around you.
Blessings always
Love
Natalia. Xo
Chere Kristi,
C’est sûr que nous perdons de cheveux avec l’âge. Mais sois certaine que c’est tout. J’avais parlé avec mon médecin et une dermatologue qui pensaient que la perte était une question de l’âge. Mais les mois plus tard j’étais diagnostiqué avec Myélome Multiple.
.
Heureusement avec traitement je me sens bien pour le moment—-
Barbara
Coucou Kristi, j’ai des cheveux raplapla aussi! La coloration des cheveux les rend plus epais. Je te souhaite un tres bon voyage avec ta famille!
Pauvre Barbara Je mettrai ton nom sur ma liste de prieres ce soir!
I’m with the group who gets her hair trimmed about three times a year, whether I need it or not. I have outlasted so many hairdressers going so seldom, that sometimes they have folded up their tent and retired since the last time I’ve seen them. Unfortunately, if they had too many clients like me, I can see why they wouldn’t be able to make much of a living. I began going grey in my late 20s, and decided that it didn’t really bother me, and it took decades to get totally grey, and for a while, it looked like it was attractively frosted. Now that I’m in my 70s, and my face has caught up with the grey, the effect is not as unusual as it was, but what the heck, it is who I am.
Oh, Barbara, I am so sorry. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way, and so thankful the treatment is going well. Take good care. 💗
I wish you a wonderful trip with your Dad and sisters; it sounds perfect! All of your writings are so enjoyable to read. About your blond “tresses”… think of them as slender and delicate just as you are.
My prayers for Barbara.
This reminds me of a visit to a hairdresser in Haiti. I needed my split ends trimmed. I completely confused things by referring to them as ‘cracked ends’ – this was in the 80s and all I had was a dictionary.
Not sure how I came up with ‘cracked’, but he eventually figured I meant ‘les pointes sèches‘ and we had a good laugh.
The next week I was trying to figure out how to describe my cat’s symptoms to the vet. It turned out he went to Georgia State, so I dodged a bullet there.
That’s the US government for you- I could name the parts of an F-16 fighter jet in French and knew 20 ways to describe journalists, but useful vocabulary like ‘split ends’ or ‘there’s something weird in my cat’s poop’- no.
Enjoy your trip!
Loved the photo of Jules’ beautiful silver locks with flowers! Alas, I also belong to the thinning hair sisterhood. Hope to find the shampoo another reader recommended. Enjoy your cruise.
Moi aussi; j’envoie mes prières pour Barbara. Je la souhaite une vie longue et heureuse.
Mes cheveux ressemblent ceux de Jules mais je n’ai jamais eu l’idée de mettre les fleurs dans mes cheveux. Merci pour cette photo de Jules. Ça m’inspire!
You look absolutely gorgeous! Still as beautiful as the day we met in NY years ago.
What a delightful sounding word, “Raplapla”. There are times when I feel completely raplapla over my whole body. I think I’ll use that word myself, and not just for my hair. When someone will come up to me and ask how I’m doing, I will answer with, “Oh, raplapla.”
I’m preparing to move from my house of many years to a small apartment within the next month. It is an overwhelming task. Often I feel limp and lifeless after a long day of work sorting and discarding. Yes, raplapla.
May I add one more thing. French words can be very charming, pleasant in the ear or on the tongue, such as the word raplapla. Their meaning however may not always be of nice things. Take the word, “poubelle”. Hard to believe it means garbage can. Such a sweet sounding word, “Ah, ma poubelle.” Sounds like something a lover would say to his lady. Maybe it is the sound “belle”, and the sound, “pou” that can come ones off the lips sweetly.
French. Called the language of love!.
Thanks for reading this.
Anne,
Long time reader