AFTER a month in lockdown the nation is getting to grips with its roots. By which I mean we are starting to see the true hair colour of those fond of dyeing and bleaching.
My own progress on that front is slightly ahead of the curve in that I haven’t visited my hairdresser since December. I’m rocking a vibe in the ballpark of brassy, ageing badger. Think Cruella de Vil-meets-What Ever Happened To Baby Jane. With a splash of a 1995-era Alanis Morissette.
The crux: it’s a bit of a shambles. Although, in the grand scheme of things, this matters not a jot.
To be honest, I’m a tad perplexed by the slew of DIY friseurs popping up on social media. Watching someone take a pair of scissors to their own fringe is akin to them sticking their head inside a lion’s mouth – it seldom ends well.
My hair is a basic dark brown, boringly straight, with what my hairdresser Eileen would call “warm” undertones – the redhead gene is strong on both sides of the family.
READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Memories of a different type of lockdown, 10 years on
As a toddler I was blonde, became mousy brown as I got older, then progressively darker, coinciding nicely with my first grey hair appearing at the age of 24 (I had a hard paper round).
Almost 20 years later, there’s a lot more grey glinting incongruously among the brown. Eventually, when it’s all grey, I’ll stop dyeing. But I’m a neat freak and the two-tone look feels messy.
That said, the one thing I fear is a box dye. In the wrong hands, it’s the equivalent of using a paint roller and tin of emulsion to touch up a Renaissance masterpiece. Just as owning a hammer doesn’t make me a joiner, brandishing hairdressing implements does not equate to being Vidal Sassoon.
I still have nightmares about box dyes from my teens when I bought one in Boots to transform my mousy tresses to a sleek blonde mimicking Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210. It went badly awry. When I tried to dye it brown again, it turned green. I resembled Grotbags of Rod Hull and Emu fame.
There’s an Instagram hashtag #SaveYourRoots that is asking people to hold off dyeing their locks during lockdown. It’s a message about solidarity rather than vanity.
READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Nature reminds us that this lockdown limbo won't last forever
Many hairdressers are self-employed and won’t be earning as the Government urges us all to stay at home and save lives. They have bills to pay and food to put on the table. When they’re finally able to return to work, we should support them.
So, whether it’s six weeks or six months – or even longer – I’ll be saving my roots. Brace yourself, Eileen. This is going to be epic.
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