6.4.15

Minimalist Monday: Hair by Claire






I've always loved experimenting with my hair. Nothing outrageous you understand but I love the excitement of a new look. As a teenager a visit to the hairdressers was, for me, full of happy anticipation, like being in an episode of Mr. Benn and not knowing which adventure the magic changing room door would lead me to. Home perms, the Purdey and my attempt at the Bananarama look were all great fun at the time though hilarious to look back on now. I never really got the hang of hair accessories though, especially scrunchies.  

I've spent quite a lot of my hard earned money on my hair over the years. Ridiculous amounts of money really especially when I had a pixie cut that needed expensive trims every 4 or 5 weeks. Still, such short hair saved me valuable time when I was working full-time with 2 young children. 

I have until recently valued spending money on my hair and have seen it as a treat and a necessity to stay looking and feeling presentable. Since last August, though, I've felt the need to simplify my hair. To spend less time and money on my hair and less chemicals. To work towards a style that's classic and doesn't need frequent salon visits to maintain. To question the cost of beauty on my purse and the environment.

So I've been experimenting with shampooing less often, using natural hair products and ditching home hair dye. As a result of my no-poo (no shampoo) experiment last autumn I now only use organic shampoo but I still use shampoo several times a week (and the occasional egg). The truth is I missed the swish of a freshly shampooed head of hair too much to forgo shampoo completely. Maybe I'll give the experiment another go in the summer.

My natural hair colour is coming through as you can see from these photos. I have the odd panic when I catch sight of my hair under a really bright light but generally I'm OK with my 'new' older colour and so is my husband.

And to get to the point of this post here are some photos of my first attempt at cutting my own hair. It's not perfect but I'm pleased with the results. I only trimmed the ends as I'm trying to grow out the shorter layers. If you want to know how I cut it please check the links I gave in last Friday's links post.

As this is a random post I'll leave you with a few of my random thoughts. 

When I doodle I doodle hair styles.

I've always coveted a hairdresser's black wardrobe even before my interest in minimalism. 

And these days I follow Mr. Benn on Twitter. 

Have a great week xo





SHARE:

13 comments

  1. Your bob looks great! I used to get mine trimmed every 6 wks and nobody ever could tell. The first time i cut my own hair, i got lots of compliments!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think your hair looks wonderful, I have always admired your hair and to let nature reveal your true color will make you even more beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely natural photos and light Claire. I've always loved hair too, I remember the bananarama look too, and the Duran Duran look, or was a seagull! You have done well, are you growing out the layers to keep the cut more simple I wonder. The colour is nice, just think no more roots!X

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow your hair looks amazing,like you the hairdressers was a big part of my life ,where now I find a strong aversion to them, and I now cut and colour my own ,it is so freeing,and just think of all the money you will save.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Claire,
    I have always loathed the hairdressers, but have recently found a lovely girl who cuts my hair rather nicely. I don't dye my hair, and will try not too as I get older. My hair is very fine and I have to wash it every day. Sometimes twice!
    Oh and I bleddy loved Mr Ben when I was a little girl.

    Leanne xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your hair looks gorgeous, Claire. I have never plucked up the courage to cut my own hair although I used to trim the children's hair when they were young enough not to mind :) I gave up dyeing mine a few years ago and have never looked back. It's much softer and less stressed than when I did dye it and, of course, much, much cheaper x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well done, Claire! Rom introduced me to Mr. Benn. It's one of my favourite shows that he introduced me to - along with The Clangers!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It has been interesting hearing about your experiments with your hair. I think I would miss the shampoo too! Your hair cut looks great and I like the new colour of your hair it looks so natural. Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello I just found your blog randomly and have become a follower, I have been decluttering for some time and this week took nearly all my clothing to recycling as I felt it was stopping me 'being me' - my clothes were wearing me literally! - I can't tell you how clear and free I felt on the empty car drive home! I only have left the things I really like/need. The house has been going through this process for some time and feels light and airy although the three menfolk are alarmed and resist! who would think a garden could benefit from the same treatment! but I am looking at mine with new eyes now... I do like your blog and ideals - Betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for commenting and following. Well done on your declutter - it's so good to get things out of the house after all the hard work of a purge!

      Delete
  10. For a DIY trim it looks brilliant. I used to cut my own fringe when I had long hair, the ends never seemed to split or anything, so I just let it get longer and longer, but I never attempted to cut anything off the ends myself.

    Now it's short, as short can be and I do need regular trims every 5-6 weeks and I do colour it myself, maybe one day I can be persuaded to stop the colouring but when it grows longer I get depressed so I'll continue with the regular trips to the hairdressers for now.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Claire, Love your hair & that winning smile to match!
    You are so brave! I'm not quite ready to give up shampoo yet, although I'm keen to switch to something gentler & more organic. Will experiment, I think. As for hairdressers - to me it's still a lovely occasional treat, especially as the wonderful Japanese lady I like always makes time for a good shoulder/head massage afterwards - truly refreshing & well worth the day trip!
    Love, Nikki

    ReplyDelete
  12. Care about less, care about freedom. Great post as usual! Also I'd add my two cents on accessories. Think about minimalist slim wallet. Nothing ruins the lines of a suit or blazer and makes you look more like a doofus than when your pockets are crammed with stuff - a wallet, a cell phone, keys, a calculator, a calendar, pens, etc. I favor Kisetsu wallets, how about you?
    The classic bifold reinvented. A feature-packed Premium minimalist wallet made with Full Grain Nappa Leather and Crazy Horse Leather.


    Comment here

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading and leaving your comments. Keep in touch xo

BLOGGER THEME CREATED BY pipdig