That special bond with your hairdresser is one of life’s great comforts
WHO do you tell your secrets to?
For some women it’s their best friend, sister, daughter or neighbour. But there is another relationship which plays an important part in our lives and it’s the one we have with our hairdresser.
There is something about sitting in that chair, enjoying the physical sensation of having your hair washed, cut and styled which engenders a feeling of cosiness and compatibility.
You look in the mirror and see this person and, somehow or other, you find yourself opening up and talking to them about your life.
A hairdresser’s chair is a bit like a confessional where people talk about their relationships, anxieties, hopes and fears.
Good stylists have a talent for understanding people, listening thoughtfully and coming up with some practical advice.
They’re also skilled at remembering details so that, next time, they’ll enquire gently how any problems are working out.
Many of my friends have had the same hairdresser for years. They found this person they could trust, who cut their hair just the way they wanted it, and who now knows all about their health, holidays and heartaches.
One of my friends wasn’t sure whether a new relationship was right for her. Confiding her anxieties to her hairdresser helped her come to the conclusion that life was about taking chances. She did – and the couple have now been together for years.
I read a story last week about a man who, having gone to the same barber in the West Midlands for years, saw no reason to change his habits when he moved to Caithness.
For the sake of a good haircut and a long chat about everything under the sun, Ray James was happy to drive 500 miles south to catch up with his barber, Dave Oliver.
The relationship between stylist and client is unique. Find a good one and you’ve discovered a pearl beyond price.
And it’s not all a one-sided affair.
There are two stylists in my family and their lives have been enriched by the relationships they’ve formed with people who sit in their chair and share humour, sadness, success, bad jokes, honesty and love – every facet of human experience.
They’ve gone to the funerals of clients who died far too soon and enjoyed the good news of weddings and babies.
If you have found a person who can cut your hair just the way you want and who can make the time you share together relaxing, creative and fun, hold on to them.
A good relationship with your hair stylist really matters. Where else do you get therapy, coffee, conversation and a new look which puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face?