Like Family

Picture courtesy of http://blog.timesunion.com

Today I realised that going to a hairdresser is a bit like meeting up with an old extended family member.

I’ve been feeling quite blah and yuck at the moment – have just gotten over a nasty cold and just the day to day side effects of my mould exposure. To top it off, my last hair cut was done by a new local hairdresser who butchered my hair. No other word for it – just hacked it off all over the place and it looked a mess. It was long and then it was horribly short and long – it looked like I had a haircut over a mullet.

I’ve been trying to grow it out, and the longer it gets the worse it looks. So what to do? We’ve been invited to a wedding on the weekend and I accepted that for peace of mind a hair cut was in order.

So yesterday I drove a million miles from where I currently live, back to my old hairdresser. Amongst other things she works with the Ovarian Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Network, cutting hair of women who either have cancer or are recovering from cancer.

It was the best 1.5 hours of my life. They had toys for Little B and made him super welcome. They washed my hair with my own shampoo and conditioner as I don’t want to be exposed to any more poisons as I get better. But it was like being with family. I had known her for 8 years before we moved house, and she also used to cut my mum’s and my brother’s hair.

So we had history and being at similar-ish stages in our lives (her little boy is 2 years older than Little B), we had a great time catching up on the last 3 years. But she made me feel special, beautiful and cared for. I also got a great hair cut.

Interestingly she said that when you are sick, you come to a stage where you want to cling to your identity as the rest of you doesn’t currently match how you are used to viewing yourself. Having the same hairstyle or getting a good cut does that for you. And I have to say she is right – I was super exhausted after the long trip but I feel better when I look in the mirror. I wont be stressing that people are “looking at” the sick person when we go out to kindy or the library.

Hairdressers are like family. And I feel nourished and connected by this visit with an old friend.