As women, are we overly obsessed with our hair? It seems to have been highlighted to me in the last few days that maybe, just maybe, we are – just a little. My brother called me up on the weekend to “settle an argument” as to whether or not I would be traumatised if the hairdresser cut my hair shorter than I wanted and I have just watched a lady on my way to work spend about most of our journey absent-mindedly re-arranging her bangs and every now and then playing with another strand to “fit” it into place. I also spent close to an hour discussing hair products and colours with some of my female colleagues last week. Somehow whenever I am around other women the topic of hair always creeps up.

So, why is that you can just about go anywhere and women can talk endlessly about hair and all its associated accessories and products? I look around me at the moment and I can pick out how many women on my ferry have their natural colour; very, very few is the answer. Some way or another they have, in some form or another changed the appearance of their manes, whether it be a colour out of a bottle, streaks or a full head of red/blonde/brown/<insert colour here>. There are many women it seems that have gone to the painstaking effort of straightening or curling their locks or there are some that have the style that seems like they don’t care but you know they have spent an hour in the mirror making it look just that way.

Then I consider my own head of untameable locks, thinking that I myself went to bed with it last night wet because I know that when I wake up in the morning the curls are so much better than I could ever make them look by just letting my hair air dry. I have a number of appliances too for straightening, curling, pinning – you name it. I’m just as crazy!

I’ve also just recently moved and have been lamenting the fact that I need to find a new hairdresser. This is a serious endeavour…one wrong choice and my next visit could end up in a mullet with purple highlights!

Almost every girl will be able to give you advice on the hairdresser that they swear by and will almost shed tears if their hairdresser up and leaves them. Hehehe I actually had this exact conversation with a friend on the weekend! I had asked if she had recently had her hair done as the brilliance of the red colour looked fabulous and I had to tell her so. And so began a whole conversation about local hairdressers and of course the enormous cost! She re-told a story of how devastated she was when she received a call from her salon advising her that her hairdresser just up and left and would she be ok if another one took her place for her next visit. My friend described the anxiety she felt before heading in there and the relief when she walked out with a decent haircut. However, she did say that this one is not the same as the last and she is slightly disappointed at the relationship as her other hairdresser knew her so much better.

Are you listening to this?? I, almost embarrassingly, know a lot of females who have cried when they have to change their hairdressers! The hair industry alone is worth billions of dollars in every market in the world and no wonder, if women are willing to cry over not being able to get their hair done! It is absolutely of no surprise to me that seeking a good hairdresser is like seeking out a good therapist and costs you almost just as much!!

We now have executive stylists and colour technicians and there are whole stores dedicated to anything to do with hair. From extensions to ceramic straighteners and everything in between! There are a plethora of websites, blogs and articles devoted to all things hair and only hair. There are women out there who rely on this sea of information to guide them into the best products on the market and then spend small fortunes on their manes and are not embarrassed to say so! They will happily sit for 4-5 hours in a salon and put up with the bantering and yackering of all the other women in there. They choose the days and times when the salon is the busiest and thrive on the volume and craziness of it all.

So, back to my point…why the obsession? I’m not sure I really know the answer. There are lots of theories and I guess for each woman it’s different. Some like to know that they can change their look at any time. Others like the thought of pampering themselves. For others still it’s the quickest way to feel refreshed, re-born even. I mean, come on, who doesn’t know a woman who has just left a “bad” relationship that doesn’t either cut her hair or colour it “for a change” and to start anew? Even the celebrities are victims of it! And don’t even get me started on the removal of unwanted hair….see? Obsessed. Completely obsessed with anything to do with hair…

So I’ve had my rant. Got it all off my chest…thank god that’s not covered in hair - one less place I need to worry about!

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