Me and my hair
I have a very peculiar relationship with my hair. First of all, of course, my hair is not what I want. Second, I never get out of the hairdressers with what I asked for. In general, anything that happens on my head is, in most cases, a coincidence. I don’t think I have a healthy approach to hairdressing either. I don’t like going to a hairdresser… I find going to a salon a waste of time. Not in a way that the time is entirely wasted, just that it takes so much time. It’s not relaxing for me and I don’t consider it “me time” or a therapy… no, not at all. I usually run out of subject to talk about strait after we agree on what cut or colour I want. Especially this year (2020)… no holidays planned on either side – mine or the hairdresser. Even less to discuss. Instead l keep quite full of apprehension to what am I going to end up with on my head, wondering if I managed to explain properly what I am after. I need to add that I have no appreciation of the complexity of the hairdressing profession and the variety of cuts and colouring techniques. All I know is that I like a photo I found on Pinterest and I want it on my head. I don’t want to hear it won’t work. My hair is straight and flat like an ironing board. As long as I can remember, I wanted to have curly hair. I had several perms, tried every curling device ever invented. I have a drawer full of equipment, lotions and potions to care for my hair. I promise I am trying…As mentioned, I had a few perms in my life. First one was amazing. I looked like a young lamb or a “wet Italian” – these were 80-ties we all were a little “special”. Anyway, I loved it. It held for more than 6 months, and until today it is my favourite hairdo. Or at least my memory of it being as such. The following few perms were less impressive in terms of a curl result, and more and more spectacular in terms of damage inflicted to my hair. Liked it or not, I had to give on perms if I wanted to have any hair left. Then came the era of hot curlers, foam curlers, curling tongs and many other devices. And to give them credit, all of them achieved a better or worse result. Problem was, it would have lasted a day at most and that if I was lucky. This meant repeated treatment each day, which led the burned, broken and generally poor state of my hair. Of course, constant colouring didn’t help. Finally, in further pursuit of a perfect curl, I ventured into the world of YouTube tutorial. It all looks so easy, “just take your tongs/ straighteners and pull down with a little twist” – they have beautiful twist and curl… I have very dry straw! I’m not giving up! I still want curls!The pursuit of a perfect curl
My natural colour is … or rather was, quite a dull dark blond. More dark than blond, but you get my drift. So off I went to change it. All sorts of colour combinations. I was totally black…the die name was “Brazil brown”, but to you and me, it was black. It was actually the colour I had when I got married. Then I was going into warmer, softer browns to finally go blond. By this time, I tried blonde a few times. Each time I felt weird… not me. Even having these awkward moments when looking in the mirror and for a moment thinking “who’s this”. I have to admit blond was not a whim choice or “just for a change”. Ohh no. I started going grey in my early thirties, and as almost every women facing this situation, I thought going blonde is the best option. Lower maintenance, better blending and longer gaps between hairdressers visits. All very wise and right… besides the fact that it’s not me.Working against nature
People say that “ blonds have more fun” I actually think being blond is unlucky. At least for me. Each time I was blonde things went wrong. Things at work… especially at work. First time I was blonde, I was made redundant. The second time I ended up with a boss who hated my guts and did everything to get rid of me. Which she eventually managed, I was bought out of my job. Do you see the tendency? So recently – a few good months now – I have been blonde. Not that I blame my hair colour for everything that happened in 2020 but… Going back to me and the job front, I have a job, but I really don’t enjoy it. The company I joined is not the same place I work in right now, constant disruptions, politics and rat race are just not funny anymore. And I have a strong feeling something will happen…soon. The “blond curse” will raise its ugly sunny head again. All I can say is … watch this space. Am I the only person who does that or does anyone else invents these sorts of superstitions? Am I completely out of my mind?Blonds have more fun… really?
The miracle has nothing to do with the “curse of the blonde hair” or the job front. Nope, it’s much more straightforward. After 6 months of waiting (lockdown and all), I went to the hairdresser. That’s not a miracle in itself, I know. The miracle is that I enjoyed it, all three hours of it! And I came out with a haircut and colour that I love! For the first time in my life, I got what is asked for. The colour is fantastic, needless to say, we are back to … no not black, but not far off. The blonde is gone! The cut is good, and the curl is in! Hallelujah! Conclusion – I needed a pandemic, quarantine and six months of no colour or haircut at all to finally get what I want. Meaning either they got better at cutting hair in the meantime, I got more appreciative of what they do, or they really did an excellent job this time. Either way, new hair new me… or at least I hope so.Finally the miracle