Chop, Chop! Facing My Hairdressing Fears

There's two things in life I'm scared of - spiders and hairdressing salons. Last Sunday, having a wash before setting off for London, I grabbed a towel and a massive eight-legged bastard ran across my face. All I can say is thank feck it was 3.30 am and I was barely awake or the entire population of Walsall would have been awoken by my screams. 

Underneath the raven locks lies a natural blonde. I didn't dye my hair for a couple of months over the summer as I was curious about whether I'd gone grey but no, I'm still the same old blonde. These photos were taken in 1986 (at a student house party) and 1992 (on a Club 18 - 30 holiday to Faliraki).  I'm wearing vintage in both photos!

Having enduring Sunday morning's horror and living to tell the tale, I decided it was time I faced my other fear, the salon. I don't know what it is about going to the hairdresser but once I'm inside, draped in a polyester gown and confronted by a giant mirror, I come over all submissive & feeble minded, invariably talked into something I really didn't want. I've had serial killer fringes, pink highlights, poodle perms & just about everything in-between. 

I loved my first spiral perm, I only used to wash it once a fortnight and it formed dreadlocks as I never combed it. Both photos taken in the 1980s - as if you couldn't tell - in one of my shared student houses.

On my last visit, back in 2005, I went into a well-known hairdressing chain for a trim and came out with the most atrocious layers that made me look like a poor imitation of that woman from Friends (and to make it worse I wasn't even a fan). I couldn't put my hair up properly for over a year. After that indignity I bought a pair of 50 rupee hairdressing scissors from a chemist in Mumbai and got Jon to give me a trim when the ends started to look a bit ratty.  After twelve years without professional attention I knew that my hair was looking scruffy and unkempt but was terrified about going into a salon and being told off about the state of my DIY cut and dodgy home dye job.

High maintenance? These are the only hair products I use - Karma solid shampoo, Jungle solid conditioner & American Dream deep conditioner, all from Lush. I only wash my hair once or twice a week so they last a year.

Yesterday I grabbed my coat, breezed into Walsall and, being thrifty, headed straight for the town's hairdressing academy - only for them to be fully booked. As I passed the newish hipster salon around the corner I saw a cool looking young woman pulling up the shutters so asked if they had any walk-ins available (I knew that if I didn't get a haircut there & then my resolve would crumble). Luckily for me she had a vacancy and, as it was my first appointment, there was a 25% discount, making it work out only a tenner more than having a student cut it at the academy.

Dixe hair powder, I think cost just under £10 three years ago, perfect for hiding my blonde root regrowth when I'm too lazy to dye it.

I needn't have been scared of a telling off, she said that my hair was in great condition, complimented me on its shine and told me that I only needed a couple of inches lopped off the ends. As for my home dye job - half a box of Superdrug's Semi-Permanent in Natural Black (£5 for 2) applied to the roots every few weeks -  she thought it was my natural colour! I didn't get talked into layers, a fringe or any expensive products, the soundtrack was excellent (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana & Red Hot Chili Peppers), the massive mirror wasn't as off putting as it used to be (maybe I'm used to my face after eight years of Jon photographing me for my blog) and she dried my hair so it looked undone & natural and not typically "hairdresser-y", poker straight and stinking of product.

I was so impressed that I gave the hairdresser a generous tip and promised not to leave it another twelve years until my next visit.

Especially for Vronni, I'm wearing the Frank Usher maxi I wore to work on Sunday. A fiver well spent!

We're trading in Chester tomorrow, if we don't see you there I'll see you on the other side.

Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.