Girly Hair Day

One of my favourite outings in London is the monthly expedition that my friend Steph and I take to the outskirts of the city to get our hair done.

The lovely Steph, who I used to work with six years ago at a newspaper in Mackay, North QLD, has been living in London with her partner Nate for about 3 years now. I was very excited to get back in touch with her when I arrived in the UK and our regular outings are a great chance to catch up on each other’s news and reminisce about home.

One of Steph’s first jobs here was as a sub-editor at a paper in Uxbridge, where she made the wonderful discover of the ‘Excellent Hairdresser’.

You girls (and also some of you boys) will know how hard it is to find that elusive stylist who just seems to ‘get’ your look and your vibe and can work within that unique realm.

Nothing instills terror like a hair dresser wielding scissors, a bored expression and an overly trendy hair cut who brushes off my in-depth explanation of the rebellious tendencies of my right-side bangs with a smug and knowing ‘I know exactly what to do with that’.

I just know I’m going to walk out of there looking like a Farrah Fawcett throw back with a feathered fringe and multi-coloured, mullety layers around the side of my head, making me look 10 kilos heavier. And probably £200 poorer for the privilege.

When you find a good stylist - you treasure them. Hence, Steph’s stylist Sam is my new best friend!!















And from those origins 'Girly Hair Day’ was born. The outing starts at about 10am with the hour-and-a-half journey from Steph’s house out to Uxbridge along the Piccadilly line.

Then we stop by of her former haunts for lunch and (depending on how hung over we both are) a sneaky pint of cider.

Following this is usually a wander around the high street of Uxbridge for a spot of shopping (past memorable purchases have included charms for my Pandora bracelet, costume accessories for Steph's 50's birthday party, and colourful foil helium balloons in the shapes of animals!).

Then it is time to stop in and pay a visit to the funny little man in the key cutting and shoe repairs shop. Steph has been trying to get a spare key cut for her house for months now and he keeps telling her he'll order in the right key for her next visit... but it's never there! Maybe next time…

And finally it is time for our early afternoon hair appointments, getting us back home to west London at around 5.30pm.

So that is Girly Hair Day! One of the most exhausting and fun-filled days of the month and definitely one of my favourite.