It struck me today that our hair really defines different times in our lives. In South Africa boys have to have their hair cut short for school and then when we had conscription they had to have it cut even shorter in the military. Just as they were able to grow it, many of them started losing it.
For women (and increasingly men nowadays – yay for the liberation of the sexes. Why should bad hair colour and haircuts happen only to women?) the road to maturity is paved with bad hairstyles, awful color, poodle perms (oh no the 80’s!). For some of us it means being trapped in the decade when you had the best haircut. If you think of Farrah Fawcett, Jennifer Aniston or Diana (the Princess of Wales) you think of hair. They say that the series ‘Felicity’ lost all its ratings when Keri Russell cut her hair…
I thought I would take a trip down memory lane this evening and show you my life in hair.
I wash it twice a week with Redken (All Soft or Luscious Curls) bought cheaply from Lookfantastic.com, or Anti Age shampoo and mask by Yves Rocher. I put Sebastian Potion 9 on it then leave it to dry naturally or now and then straighten it with ghd straighteners. If I use another product it is Kerastase Elixir Ultime. If it is curly I don’t brush or fiddle with it after it has dried.
Writing this has made me realise that I have had the same haircut since my crew cut in the 1980s. It is hard to be innovative with curly hair without looking like a thatched hut or a sheep. I once went to the hairdresser with a pic of Lady Di (yes I am that old!) and he said to me ‘Madam I may be a fairy, but this comb is not a wand’ so after that I learned to work with my hair instead of against it.
And a few more:
Omw I’ve just read this all again after a year! What entertaining reading! Loved the photos and remember some if them clearly! Thank you for sharing again! Xxx
Really enjoyed reading this article Janet! xx
Janet, I love this post, thank you!
I wish I’d kept more of my old photos to do this & maybe I’ll raid my parents’ photo albums 🙂
I remember having one bad short haircut that made me look like a mushroom. My Mum once put my hair in curlers with setting lotion overnight & figured my part-Asian hair wouldn’t really take the curls. Boy, was she wrong & it was a crazy super curly mess for about a month…
What fascinating reading, Janet! I love the last line!
Ha, ha! That security card photo made me laugh out loud and reminded me of some of my own horror pictures over the years, including an asymmetric cut that seemed like a good idea at the time…I’ve just discovered Philip Kingsley Elasticizer – it’s restored the lustre and manageability to my dry hair.
Oh I love Elasticiser! And so glad my post resonated with others out there 🙂
This is definitely one of the coolest posts I’ve read in a while!
What an awesome idea (although, I can’t attempt the flashbacks far enough because I’m 24) but I really really enjoyed this.
Thanks for the great read 🙂