Not such a hair-brained idea

You know when you have an upcoming thing that you’ve booked in to do, and then suddenly that thing is all you can see around you? Well that. That’s been going on. I’ve had something buzzing on my mind recently, or perhaps more accurately, on my head. Let me explain…

I’ve been thinking a lot about hair this week. Yes. Hair. That swishy, glossy, flip about seductively (ha! I wish!) accessory, that many women aspire to acquire at least once in her life. But why have I been thinking about this? Well partially by the fact I’ve been to the hairdressers recently, and partly because I’ve somehow stumbled across quite a lot of hairy stories. It’s funny isn’t it? It’s like you see one spider dashing for the safety of under your sofa, then you see spiders everywhere, with their skittery hairy (see, there I go again) legs akimbo, suddenly TAKING OVER YOUR LIFE! Well, this is just like that... with hair. But I digress.

Yep.That's a look!

So yes, my hair, I've had it on my mind becuse there's nothing quite like a good hairdo. It gives you a confidence, and if even only a mild fringe trim, it can transform you. I'll be honest, I may not be the swishiest in town, but I love a good hairdo. Now I must raise a conflict of interests here, I love my hairdresser, which frankly considering some of the butchers I've experienced in the past, is a bleedin miracle. But not my current hairdresser. She’s aces! She brings a smile to my face whenever I see her, probably less so that I bring one to hers when she sees the bedraggled, 'shoulda been to see her 3 months earlier’ mop that is usually adorning my bonce. You see, I’m not a regular visitor, not as much as I should be, and it usually takes a prodding from my mother, and a double check of my bank balance before I am persuaded into that chair. Which is ridiculous, because who doesn’t like the fuss, the pamper, and frankly don’t even get me started on the free wine and massage chair. Ooh, I could be there for HOURS. And, unfortunately for the state of my roots, infrequently I am. I love the hairdressers, I love our conspiratorial type discussions about what I want doing & what’s been going on in our lives, let alone positively adoring that swishy ‘just stepped outta the salon’ boost you get when you leave. And let alone that transformation!

And hair is transformative. Don’t let anyone else tell you any different, a new hairdo has the power to make you feel different, not only about yourself, but also about your life. I mentioned I am seeing hair everywhere and only this week did I hear about the Canadian ‘superhero’ doling out free haircuts on the streets of Toronto. Donning a mask, cape and tight spandex outfit (trust me, it’s a LOOK), Matthew Gesner regularly takes to the streets of Kensington Market, giving out free haircuts to the homeless in order to make a bit of difference in an otherwise pretty crappy life. What an amazing idea! But wait! He’s not alone in this phenomenon, last month the Metro reported the story of Nasir Sobhani, aka The Streets Barber (catch up with his exploits on Instagram), who similarly to his Torontonian comrade in follicles, spends his weekly day off on the streets of Melbourne, haircutting the homeless & making a difference.  Having come from a place of addiction himself, he recognizes in his client that sense of not being able to look at oneself in the mirror, and a new haircut can change all of that, saying “You already have a new-found confidence when you get a haircut, and now imagine what it’s like for someone who’s really been in a bad place in their life.” Well, quite. And what wonderful men these are to be providing transformations to those in life who perhaps feel the need for it most.

Wow,  you only have to see his face to see the transformation
(c) thestreetsbarber

So while my life is not in a really bad place, and while my new do may not be quite on the same level, there is no doubt that now my ends have been trimmed, and my, sadly grey, roots duly covered up (but only 40% grey according to my hairdresser – yay! *sighs*), I am feeling like a new woman. Now to find one me of them massage chairs, with precisely ZERO room for spiders underneath.