Finding a hairdresser you can trust is a difficult task. You see quotes posted on Instagram with messages like “your hair is the crown you never take off”, and “you make hair contact before you make eye contact”. Essentially, people notice your hair, so when it comes to hairdressers, you want to make sure you have someone who knows what they’re doing.
My experience with hairdressers got off to a shaky start – when I was seven, I had long hair – so long I could almost sit on it. My mum was fine with this, but then I went to visit Grandma for a few days. And grandma was not so fine with it – she took me to the local salon and I had the whole lot lopped off into a bob. And, save for growing my hair a bit for my wedding, I’ve never had long hair since.
I’ve had several incidents since the enforced bob – there was the time where they didn’t do a patch test and I had an allergic reaction to the dye, and another time when I was a student where I was given an asymmetrical bob with full fringe which I hated so much I went out, got drunk and fell down the stairs…
Once, in a local salon I won’t name, I actually heard the hairdresser say as she took off my foils “does this look a bit ginger to you?” and her colleague say “no…I think we’ll call it golden blonde.” So, it’s safe to say, when having my hair done, I’m usually a little apprehensive.
However, a couple of years ago I discovered Hair at Fifteen, a little salon in Tenterden. From my first appointment, owner Charlotte put me at ease, and after returning several times with no asymmetrical disasters, I booked her to do my hair for my wedding last October. She and her team did a great job of styling not only my mop of hair, but four bridesmaids and my mum’s too. And, they even turned up with Bucks Fizz on the day, which I definitely needed to calm my nerves.
After the wedding, and growing my hair out for what felt like a lifetime, I had it all chopped back into a bob again. It’s been more than 20 years since my grandma’s enforced short hair rule, but yet, I keep going back.
It’s nice to be able to go to the hairdressers without going into a blind panic now – it’s an experience I actually look forward to rather than dread. And, while they may not have Bucks Fizz (definitely going to suggest it though), they do have Biscoff biscuits, which now I’m not on a wedding diet, suit me just fine…
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