Where did my happy hair go?

    Yesterday I went to the hairdresser and convinced myself that I needed to have the hairspray that she used to make sure my hair would not move. This is something I do every time I go. As a result I now have enough product to open my own salon. My hair has gotten thinner with age and I have come to the conclusion that if I put enough “product” in it, or on it , that it will be full and sassy. I have been on this quest since menopause when my hair became extremely uncooperative and started looking like an old Brillo pad. Who knew how important estrogen was to having “happy hair”. It seems that estrogen is important for a great deal of how women’s bodies function. But that’s another story.

    At this point in my life my biggest concern is not to look like I have spaces in my scalp. I could become really hip and tattoo the spaces with pictures of my grandchildren, but I’m not there yet. Since I’m fairly optimistic, I think for now, I’m going to continue my quest to find the holy grail of hair products that will produce volume, shine and the ability  for it to stay still in the midst of a tornado.

   I often think about my grandmother Francesca when I find myself upset by not getting the result I was promised from a product. She used a bar of brown soap to wash her hair and then she would apply some olive oil as a conditioner. She used brown soap for everything that needed to be cleaned, dishes, floors, clothes, and her body. She had beautiful skin and great hair. Of course, she didn’t color, condition, or volumize it. They hadn’t been invented yet. But, I don’t think she would have used them even if they were available, since she was very invested in living a granola like life.

   Unfortunately, I became seduced by the promises made by a myriad of hair products. I’m afraid to look under the sink since that has become a cemetery for stuff that didn’t work. My shower has several bottles of shampoo and conditioner in it as well. It all does the same thing “nothing”! I assuage myself by thinking I’m just not using it properly. But how many ways are there to apply shampoo in order for it to do its magic.

   My mother was always appalled at what she thought was a total waste of my money. She like my grandmother was an advocate of brown soap. Her consistent remark was “You could have put the money you spent on this stuff in the bank instead of your head”. I hate the fact that she was right. So what am I going to do from now on.  Well, I think it’s time for some brown soap.