Painful and very real. This was a common experience for me until I moved out of my parents' place. I'm still reluctant to go for a haircut even now, but I do every now and then to get rid of my split ends. I love the way you wrote this though; when I was much younger, there was such a painful difference between what I wanted to do and what I'd end up doing, and I think you captured that dissonance perfectly. Well done!