MAN, 79, TOOK BEAUTY SCHOOL LESSON TO STYLE WIFE’S HAIR

A 79-year-old Alberta man took an impromptu beauty school lesson on April 22, 2021, so he could do his wife’s hair and makeup himself. Her eyesight was failing, and she had been burning herself with her curling iron.

The man, who asked not to be named, walked into Delmar College in Red Deer with no appointment. He and his wife had been married for 50 years, People reported.

College director Carrie Hannah said he explained the problem right away. “He started to explain that his wife was struggling with her vision right now, and was struggling to curl her own hair and was burning herself. He really wanted to help her,” Hannah told CityNews Edmonton.

He asked whether the college offered courses. “We sure are,” Hannah replied, K-BZK reported.

The Red Deer Advocate quoted Hannah on how he put it to her: “I would like to help her, so I was wondering if I could take some lessons.”

A mannequin, a curling iron and a mascara wand

Hannah set up a lesson on the spot and connected him with student Britney Smith. Smith used a mannequin to teach him curling-iron technique, according to the Red Deer Advocate.

He learned how to curl short hair for volume and how to keep a curling iron from burning skin. Hannah said he was a quick study.

Mascara was next on the list. “He also asked for tips on applying mascara because that task was hard for her also, so we gave him a makeup lesson too!” Hannah told SWNS, as quoted by People.

The whole thing lasted about an hour, The Week reported. It was a focused session on styling and makeup, not a full cosmetology course. Before he left, he got a quick trim.

“He genuinely cared. He knows his wife always cared about her appearance, and he wanted to help her,” Hannah told CityNews.

Staff were moved

Hannah called the husband “very brave” for asking for help and said the team was “touched by his devotion.” She described him to the Red Deer Advocate as “so authentic, so genuine.” People reported that his gesture brought some staff and students to tears.

He also showed staff pictures of his wife. Hannah told SWNS, as quoted by The Week, that he talked about how “beautiful she has always been and how talented she was with skill set of typing over 100 words a minute when she was working.”

Smith shared photos of the lesson on her professional Facebook page. The Red Deer Advocate reported that the post was shared thousands of times.

Hannah said the couple was impressed with his new skills and that his wife’s hair looked great. The couple later returned to Delmar College to thank the staff.