It is common knowledge that hairdressers are much more than that; they are our underpaid psychologists, our trusted confidants with whom our secrets are laid bare and no judgment is cast. As soon as we sit in the salon chair the cone of silence is initiated and for the hour or so we have away from reality, we entrust our hairdresser with the most personal of secrets (and also our hair) so when we leave we feel catwalk ready and emotionally much lighter.
So for the good of mankind, and because I am nosy, on my last visit after my therapy session was complete, I decided to ask my hairdresser about the stories she’s heard. Here’s what she told me:
The indecent proposal – “Ten years ago, while cutting a married man’s hair he asked me to accompany him to The Cannes Film Festival. I declined out of respect for his wife and five children, who were also my clients,” said *Tara. Although this has been the most extravagant offer, being asked out by clients is quite common, regardless of their current relationship status.
Sex workers, strippers and swingers – There have been many clients who work in the adult industry. Often these jobs were ‘on the side’ and not the day job of the client and often unknown to their nearest and dearest. Their experiences were often quite sordid, explicit and definitely not PG. “I hear all sorts of stories about their experiences working- whips, bondage, famous clients.”
Unconventional arrangements – Women who have husbands and boyfriends. There was one particular woman whose husband and boyfriend knew of each other and would send photos of her to each other. “They had some sort of arrangement. They were also very strictly religious which made this whole relationship even more confusing to me.”
Wanted - A client shared that her ex was on the ‘Most Wanted’ list (now in jail). The client had a conversation with the man in question while at the salon as he chatted to her about what TV shows he was watching on the ‘inside’. "Apparently there is always a way to get things into the prison she told me. I decided not to ask what."
The undie thief - A client shared that her undies were always going missing from her clothes line. "The client decided to take a day off work to get to the bottom of what was happening. It turns out it was a neighbour who would give them a sniff as he took them off."
The other component our fabulous hairdressers often don’t get credit for is the ‘ick’ factor that comes with touching people’s (apparently often really dirty) hair. According to my very experienced (and after hearing this - about one million dollars underpaid) hairdresser, she’s seen some questionable hygienic practices.
Dirrty - There are some clients who don’t wash their hair for a month before coming into the salon. "The smell wafts up from the basin as I wash it, it literally makes me gag," *Tara said. "Often clients will believe that it is only my job to wash their hair, not a task they need to undertake themselves."
An extra surprise - There have been clients who have arrived after a night of partying with chunks of vomit still entangled in their hair. "They are often still drunk from the night before and it is clear haven’t even been home."
Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss another hairy dilemma. (Post continues...)
The big sick - often rather than rescheduling an appointment clients will come in sick. Whether it is gastro, the flu or even lice, people will knowingly still attend, often apologising after the appointment has begun and after the unsuspecting hairdresser has already gotten too close or come into contact with whatever germs are festering. "I was washing a woman’s hair and she said, 'sorry about the blisters on my face and neck, I have shingles'. I was horrified."
I already had the utmost respect and love for my hairdresser for hiding my white hairs and making my thick, un-styled mane into a masterpiece all while listening to my gripes for the month but this information has shot her up to Goddess level, and rightly so.
So on your next visit, make sure you shower your hairdresser with the praise and accolades he/she deserves because you never know what they have heard or what they have seen before you came in to the salon that day.
Top Comments
The salon is always a place for stories- and not just the hairdressers hear it. I once had a woman tell me she had left her husband of like 15 years because he put on a video to get them in the mood and it was a video of him with another guy. My hairdresser once told me she had gone out to a nightclub one night and had been dancing and lost her top then got hit on by another woman (she was straight and with her boyfriend). The whole place is a cone of comfort and silence
Well, shingles aren't contagious and if I'd been the hairdresser, I'd have been much more concerned about my client and the pain she would have been suffering. Shingles are extremely painful and quite debilitating.
You're right that shingles can be very painful but not quite right about it not being contagious. Someone with shingles can spread the varicella-zoster virus to someone without immunity to it. That person can then develop chickenpox - and perhaps later, shingles - as a result. I've had shingles twice (before I was even 30, lucky me!) and my GP advised me to limit contact with my dad, because he can't remember if he had chickenpox as a kid. I was also ordered to stay away from my work as a primary school teacher, in case I came into contact with any unimmunised children. I think that was for three days, at which point the antiretrovirals would have kicked in and removed the risk of passing on the virus.
Actually shingles are contagious particularly if the blisters open or liquid is present. It is often reccommended that even if the blisters are intact avoid contact with the young old and the immunosuppressed.
I have had patients with strict contact precautions for up to two weeks to ensure that all the blisters are dried
Yep, as per the previous posters - shingles is absolutely contagious when it's in blistering phase. This would be of particular concern for anyone who is immunocompromised, unvaccinated or pregnant.