A survey last week found the average marriage lasts 11 and a half years, but a woman’s relationship with her hairdresser lasts 12 years and five months.
And 53% of women rate their hair stylist as one of the top 10 most important people in their life.
It doesn’t surprise me. Finding that one special person who can transform the way you look is like discovering a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
If, like me, you were born with thin, flyaway hair, you spend a huge amount of time and money looking for that miracle worker who can “manage” your tresses.
It took me 40 years and many experiments with male and female hairdressers through the era of bouffant and beehive styles, frizzy perms and a short, spiky look before I met the woman who changed my life.
She sat me in a chair, took my head in her hands and gave me a haircut which had shape and definition and made me instantly feel and look better.
I knew I could never lose her. I’d follow this hair genius to the ends of the earth.
She’d come from Canada to work in Glasgow and I was anxious that she might fly off again, so desperate measures were called for.
I introduced her to my son and she married him.
What can possibly be better than having your hairstylist in the family?
I’ve learned so much about the relationship that exists between women and their hairdresser.
It’s in the chair that a woman will confide her deepest secrets about men, her worries about her job or her children, her anxieties about the little lump she has discovered on her breast.
A woman will admit to an affair and ask advice from her hairstylist. She’ll talk about money worries, her shopping addiction, the menopause and the stylist wielding the brush listens, shares and a bond is formed like no other.
A good hairdresser needs the skills and diplomacy of a priest or relationship counsellor. She needs honesty and tact.
And friendships are formed which last a lifetime.
It comes down to being interested in people. Asking the right questions. Being prepared to say what you believe and not being afraid to offer advice.
Nobody knows you in quite the same way as your hair stylist.
It may take a lifetime to find the perfect one but when you do, cherish them.
Chances are, you’ll be together for the long haul.
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