Hair Trends: Then and Now

Ageneration or so ago, many women enjoyed a weekly visit to the hairdresser, to have their hair set. Ah, the era of the 50's...where has that gone?

A little time out of the drudgery of housework to spend some time catching up with the local gossip and getting your hair done. Now most of hairdresser clients visit every 6 weeks or so if they need their cut or colour maintained and others go much longer. I have been pondering this situation and while "blow dry" bars are starting to pop-up I don't think most people use them every week like the women of the 50's visited their hairdresser.
Here are my top 5 reasons I think this tradition has disappeared:
1) Time
Our lives are so busy now. Most of my clients stuggle to just keep their 6 weekly appointment let alone come along each week! So few of us live the Betty Draper life of keeping house and looking fabulous. It's hard enough getting regular exercise in each week let along spending an hour or so in the salon so have your hair washed and set.
I also wonder about hairdresser opening times. My salon is open late on Wednesdays and Thursdays and all day Sunday (and I can tell you the salon is buzzing at these times), but I'm sure many of my clients would love a hairdresser to come blow dry their hair at oh about 6am, before heading out for the day.
2) Money
So like all things, having your hair done has gotten more expensive. Most of us look at a trip to the hairdresser as an extravagance, something special and relaxing. Not something we can afford to do each any every week. It's a shame really. Having your hair done is become something special not something you do every week. Imaging how fabulous we could all look and how great we would all feel with some weekly hairdressing TLC?
3) Self sufficiency
We want to do our hair ourselves and there is a huge industry to support it. At home hair straighteners, wand curlers, hair product and lots of blogs dedicated to getting the hair you want, yourself. Check out Sydney's Hair Romance, a great blog from the lovely Christina. Of course if we are going somewhere special, say to dinner or a wedding we want to look our best and might skip off to the salon for a wash and blow dry, but beyond general maintenance most of us do our hair ourselves.
4) Style
Our style nowadays is more relaxed and easy. We don't need our hair washed and set to look fabulous every day. Most people are looking for a style that is easy, wash and wear, quick to do and out the door! We don't have time to spend an hour on our hair every time it needs to be done.  A quick wash, blow dry and we're out the door!
Our summer and surfer lifestyle in many ways dominates our approach to hair. The sea, the sun and laid back unpretentious hair. The uptight up do's of the 50' and 60's are gone.

5) Fashion

Today's fashion has so much variety but overall it is much less structured than the 50's and 60's and hair has to match.

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