Hair

My hair on a good day!

When I was about 10 a friend's mother commented that I should be a hairdresser because I was always playing with everyone's hair and was quite good at it.  Hairdressing is not my profession, but I do still love to play with my hair and the hair of my friends.  My hair is naturally somewhere between a wave and a curl, but on any given day it will be curled, straight, braided, pinned, you name it I play with it.

And I don't just limit myself to styling, I've done plenty of colour experimentation over the years.  When I was about 15 some friends of mine and I dyed my hair red.  To say my father was not happy is the understatement of the century.  Luckily it was the kind that washes out, so I preceeded to stand in the shower and wash and wash and wash till it was gone.

My next hair dying adventure happened when I was at uni.  My Mum bought me some natural henna dye from Lush and we dyed my hair a brownish red.  It was amazing dye with a strong spicy scent that reactivated for months every time I washed my hair.  However I could never quite get used to myself as a red head, so I let it fade away.

I've been various shades of brown - once almost black after a mistake by the hairdresser - and experimented with foils which I quite like but S doesn't.

The point is till now I have just been playing because I felt like it.  I say till now because this morning I spotted gleaming in the light several grey hairs.  I'm not surprised.  My Dad's side of the family go grey early on and I have their hair.  In fact I would have thought I would be a lot greyer by now.  I have great hope that when I do go grey I will get the gorgeous silver hair of my grandmother. but I have to ask myself, am I ready to go grey?  And if I dye my hair now is it the same as before or am I trying to deny something?

It is a funny thing, coming to terms with aging.  For so long we spend our time wishing we were older and then it seems that everyone wishes they were younger.  I have for a long time tried not to be defined by an age.  I don't feel a need to be older or younger, I'm happy to just be.  But am I happy to be grey?

I'm still not sure what the answer is.  My few gleaming grey hairs don't upset me, but they do have me thinking.

To dye or not to dye, that is the question.  How do you answer it?

Hairdressing

My sister was blessed with long golden hair that looks like she just stepped out of a Sunsilk commercial.  No matter how many times my parents told me my wild curly brown locks were just as gorgeous I couldn't help but notice the way hairdressers would linger, quite literally playing with her divine hair.  I'm not going to say that I wasn't a bit jealous (and in fact still am really) but it did mean that I got to spend hours and hours of my childhood playing with her hair.

My sister was generally my guinea pig but other friends who sat still long enough were soon curled, braided and pinned.  "You should be a hairdresser" was a common comment from parents as their daughters were returned with a new do.  However much like my love of cooking will never correlate into a desire to be a chef, my enjoyment about making hair pretty is never going to turn me into a hairdresser.

Years passed.  My own hair has been woven into a thousand different styles.  On special occasions I invariably ended up doing my sister's hair because no hairdresser ever allowed quite enough pins and hairspray to make her heavy thick hair stay in a fancy do.  Over time my friends discovered this and I've done people's hair for all sorts of reasons.  Just this last weekend I did a girlfriend's hair for a ball, but I've done hair for graduations, significant birthdays, photo shoots and most special of all, I've done hair for two brides - including my sister, that is her at the top of this post.

I can't tell you how honoured and terrified I've felt each time I've done wedding hair.  You just know that whatever you do will be immortalised in approximately a million photos and that the bride has a picture in her mind's eye of just how she wants to look on the day.  But it is also so amazing getting to be there as the bridal party gets ready and when it all works knowing that I was responsible for helping make the day what the bride wanted.

That said, if it ever comes to me walking down the aisle, I will be heading to the hairdresser!

Temptation - I can't resist

I'm very bad at saving money.  I fall foul of temptation regularly, the extra treat in the shopping basket, that dress online I spotted at lunch, the new shoes I desperately "need".  I'm not a complete spendthrift, I do manage to live within my means - I just don't manage to save a whole lot extra. 

I used to be an excellent saver, it is how I've achieved a load of things in my life, but at some point I just got out of the habit.  The thing is, I love to travel and that takes money, so I'm hardening up against temptation, re-learning those good habits and doing my best to be thrifty and save.

To help me, I've resurrected something I used to do when I was at uni and had to watch every dollar, I'm keeping a spending journal.  Boy oh boy do you think about what you are spending when you have to write it down.  That sneaky afternoon snack doesn't seem so sneaky when I know it is going in my spreadsheet.  It is slightly mortifying to see how the dollars add up so easily.  I'm sure it will be good for me, I've already found the strength to resist a few temptations.

However, being sensible and saving doesn't mean that I'm going to live an austere life.  I'm working hard to find some happy medium of decent savings AND a full and comfortable life.  So today I'm adding a new line to the spreadsheet as I go get pampered at the hairdresser.

I LOVE having my hair done.  Honestly, it is one of my favourite things, to just sit back and be pampered.  I always come out of the salon with a little extra spring in my step.  As I have long hair, I can usually manage to leave a fair bit of time between the visits which means that it isn't too hard on my wallet and is something I look forward to, a real treat.

My salon is rather lovely.  It is equipped with massage chairs, there is always a wide variety of magazines, I get my cup of tea and the staff are just gorgeous.

This is money well spent and a line in my savings journal that won't make me cringe!

A cut, colour and a new me!

Ahhh the wiff of ammonia, the gentle rustle alfoil, the departure of great wads of cash - yup I've been at the hairdresser.

I love getting my hair done, it is a lovely pampering. The best bit, as I've written before the head massage.  My hairdresser also has massaging chairs so it is all round pretty fab-o!  I do spoil myself reasonably regularly with treats like getting a pedicure or a massage, or going to the hairdresser.  It is discretionary spending that I could save, but really I think I'm worth spending a bit of money on, and it makes me feel fantastic.

Head Massage

So today I was going to take a picture of all the little yellow daisies that have popped up in lawns across Canberra, and write about how their happy little faces always make me smile. But it has gone really dark, started to rain and they have closed up! A blog for another day.

So instead I'm going to write about head massages. Massages in general are wonderful. I was recently used as a distraction by a friend who wanted to indicate he wasn't interested in an persistent, amorous, married cougar. He must have sat there massaging my shoulders for well over an hour. It convinced her, but also started the odd rumour as people tried to work out if we were friends or "friends". When asked about it, I've always replied, if someone starts giving me a massage, I'm not going to stop them!

But head massages have a special place in the pampering world. They are just so relaxing. I had my hair done today and the girl who looked after me gave me a super fantastic head massage. My salon (Franco's of Canberra) also has the massaging chairs at the basins, so the combination of the two nearly sent me off to sleep.

Ahhh, so relaxed, heading back to work is difficult!

A little luxury pampering

Oh the luxury. You know when you have had a long hard week and you need something to look forward to? Well in an hour, a couple of girls from the office and I are going to get our hair washed and blow dried.

It isn't like we have a special dinner or anything to go to - although I am catching up with a friend which is special and it is always nice to look good for ones friends - it is more about the relaxation element.

I find having my hair professionally washed, especially with the head massage that comes with it, is one of the most luxurious things in life. And then to have it all beautifully blow dried, I will head out the door feeling all set for a great weekend. A little spoiling of oneself every now and then is a worthy thing.