Quarantine Hair
Hair maintenance falls pretty low on the list of “Things To Worry About During A Pandemic,” sitting somewhere under “mortality” and “the meaning of life". But in the face of the coronavirus and the restless quarantine it requires — hours, days, weeks of isolation stretching ahead toward an ever changing horizon — doesn’t it feel better to focus on your hair? Anybody else rockin' a messy bun for days?!
Perhaps that's why Pinterest reports that searches for “home haircut” are up by 417%, and “how to strip hair color naturally” by 156%. Many people have taken to Instagram to show off dramatic color transformations — green, blue, blonde — and still others are embracing their grays by "waiting for their stylist".
Some salons are mixing root touch-up kits, and offering virtual consultations for socially distanced clients. Pink recently shaved her own head; John Mayer and Jim Carrey are growing out their facial hair. On social media #quarantinehair provides no shortage of proof: people are channeling pent-up energy into DIY bang trims, buzz cuts, and bleach jobs — today we are asking the question "Is there a deeper meaning here than just changing your style or getting rid of some annoying neck hair?"
An external change can be a simple and easy way to signify a transition that is internally more complex and harder to articulate otherwise. A new haircut becomes almost like an announcement to both yourself and the outer world that something is changing in your life. It’s human nature to crave a physical change that matches the magnitude of an emotional one. The concept is familiar (break-up hair, anyone?), but something about “quarantine hair” feels different. It’s edgier, hungrier. It’s desperate to mean something; it feels significant enough to display on social media. But how significant can hair really be in times like these? What deeper questions are you asking yourself? Has this quarantine revealed something to you that you want to make different moving forward?
Of course, not all quarantine hair is symbolic. Extra time at home also leaves extra time to experiment. If you are drawn to DIY-ing at this time, it might just be because you finally have the opportunity you didn’t have before. You have the flexibility to decide if you like bangs and the time to grow them out a little if you decide you don't. This is a unique time in our society for individuals to get creative with their cut and color hair styles, if they want to. Give your stylist a call or text and talk through what you are envisioning. The possibilities are endless and we at Roxy's Hair Studio live for creative new ways to help you feel like your best self! The ideas you come up with today may be extremely fun in a few weeks, in your stylists' chair. Maybe you don't want to wait, we can help you with some tips and tricks if needed. But regardless of our faith in your ability to be creative, we also understand through experience that varying textures of hair are difficult for the untrained eye. Be cautious when picking up the scissors for yourself as well as release your expectations about what the end result will be. Our years of experience in the salon give us the wisdom to know that there are unflattering ways to cut various types of hair as well as lesser quality products on the market that will leave you disappointed in the finished product when administering a diy kit or a self haircut.
Aside from taking care of your specific beauty routines, this is a unique opportunity to focus your attention on different parts of your identity. Who are you aside from your external beauty? Who are you internally when you can't focus on your external identity? Now can be the time to embrace the unfamiliar and uncomfortable places that we are usually afraid to go. We would love to discuss how you have gotten to know yourself a little better during this quarantine and how we can use our skills to shape your hairstyle in a way that shares your inner beauty with the world! If you’re feeling called to cut and color, or otherwise change your hair, consider that the call might actually be from somewhere deeper for something deeper, a sign of unprocessed emotions that can’t be swept away like dead ends on the bathroom floor. Even on a good day, it’s never just about the hair. Take time for self care during this quarantine, and know that we will be ready and waiting to get creative with you on the other side!
(You probably would look really good with bangs, though.)