When you decide to have a big change with your hairstyle, especially if it has been the same style since you can remember (apart from some semi-permanent colour change, woah there let’s not get too crazy), you usually spend hours pouring over magazines looking at celebrities do’s, imagining your face under their locks as well as their body to match. Whereas other times when you just get an appointment and think sod it just do what you want.
Option two usually works best when you have built up a relationship with the hairdresser so they know what you like and how dedicated you are to haircare or lack thereof. It probably isn’t advised when you don’t really know the hairdresser, barely speak the language and have to mime what the word ‘layers’ mean (that never came up in any game of charades I ever played).
But something just came over me when I had booked in for a trim to fix my ratty ends and I just wanted the very lovely Monsieur DeParis to take more and more off as he brandished the scissors. He decided that just above my shoulders would be the best place to stop and then worked on making it look and feel all swishy and nice *Professional hair industry speak*.
After leaving the salon I expected everyone, including complete strangers, to stop and acclaim just how sassy and different I looked. As if they knew that an hour earlier I had split ends and lanky locks and now my head felt lighter and much shinier. But I guess it’s not about having strangers giving you compliments (I probably wouldn’t have understood them anyway) but rather that feeling inside when you feel good. Sometimes you get it when you’re rocking a fabulous new outfit, reading a great book or finished that task you had been dreading and put off for ages.
Hair is quite emotive. My aunty has a theory that women cut their hair as a sign of wanting to make changes in their lives not just on their heads. This could be true for me as the older I get the more confidence I seem to have, just in feeling well this me take it or leave it, when the younger me would be willing to change my appearance to please others, which I did a lot and usually involved fake tan, fake hair and fake nails. Can you see the theme here?!
So I know it’s not like I have gone for a crew cut but to me getting a fair few inches lopped off and a new style is a big change especially as it was spontaneous. I guess sometimes you don’t need to overthink a new look but maybe speak the same language as the one controlling the scissors could be helpful (but at least this time it wasn’t in a bar - remember this?).
If you are umming and ahhing over a new look just bite the bullet and go for it. It will always grow back!
