I’ve always been one to mess about with my hair. I’ve had tragic 80s perms (not just in the 80s either, much to my eternal shame), I’ve chopped it short, highlighted it with reds and golds, had fringes of all sorts – long, on the side, short and wispy. My friend’s dad was training as a hairdresser when I was around 14-16yrs old and essentially I was his live mannequin for all practising and testing of skills…to be fair I loved it. Nothing like leaving home with shoulder length straight brown hair only to return with it shaved up the back and streaked purple! My mother became quite used to not recognising me!
Coco Chanel reportedly once said “a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life”…I don’t think I ever made the changes in a conscious desire to change my life although my mum once said to me she knows when I’m worried, restless or upset as I get my hair cut…hmmmm?? The jury’s still out on this but I have learnt not to question a mother’s intuition – especially since I became one – and of course Coco knew her stuff so I reckon she and my mum might be onto something…
What I do know for sure is that my decisions haven’t always been for the best… I’ve had many occasions when I’ve left the hairdressers wishing I had a paper bag to put over my head, rushed home to wash my hair in the hopes that might resolve the horrendous mess on my head (in the history of bad haircuts this has never worked) and feeling like I want to hibernate for a year. However, other times I’ve left the hairdressers thrilled, walking on air and feeling like a whole new and better person. It’s during these times that I’ve felt I could take on the world and that I might even succeed!
These past three years I have been going through a blonde period. I started with highlights and then gradually got blonder and blonder…this year I went full on peroxide blonde AND short! It was a bit of a shock for everyone – including me! I spent the first few weeks forgetting and freaking out when I walked past a mirror!! All joking aside though, it’s been a great experience. I’ve always wanted to be full on white blonde and never had the courage despite all the other crazy things I’ve put my hair through (I still blush at the memory of those perms). Then one day I booked in with my fabulous hairdresser April and said “please do it now before I change my mind”…and she did!
I have experienced a kind of freedom in being, on the surface, so very different to the usual me and it’s been great to show another side, the more quirky side some might say, of my personality… I’ve loved being blond for sure and I admit that I’ve also been able to use that as a bit of a shield to the world in what has been at times a difficult year. ‘Blonde Carrie’ has had a great deal of fun this year, stepping out of comfort zones and taking leaps of faith into the unknown…it’s been an adventure!
Now it is Autumn, nearly Winter and the time has come for a change again. April has worked her magic again and I have gone mahogany. I watched as the transformation took place…from blond – to red – to mahogany…and found myself looking altogether different once more.
I don’t have a desire to change my life but I know that I feel different again already and that’s always fun!
So then, okay…new hair colour, new haircut…let’s do this!
Carrie On Happy 