Who are you spending this Valentines Day with?

Ah, the dreaded Day of Love. For generations, 14 February was an occasion full of stress and concern. Young children wrote out Valentineses for their classmates and agonized over whether or not they’d get any in return. Teenagers worried that they’d be the only one without a date to the Valentines dance. Spouses stressed trying to score the biggest bouquet and a table at the chicest restaurant in town. Being single around this time of year felt a bit like you were missing out on something more than just a significant other (love, purpose, self-worth…). Only a quick scroll through my Netflix queue under the Rom-Com category shows me that those attitudes still play on the social psyche.

However we’re slowly seeing a change in how we approach Valentines Day. Many people refuse to take it seriously, recognizing it as a bit of cheeky fun – an opportunity to be silly with those close to us and indulge in a bit of cheesiness. Even some romantic couples choose to ignore the day, opting instead to view every day as The Day of Love outside of 14 Feb. Cards, flowers, and chocolates are no longer a must-do; instead couples find a way to celebrate that is right for their relationship, and individuals who don’t have a partner to spend the day with are no longer left traumatized by loneliness.

In general, we are realizing that the most important relationship in our lives is the one we have with ourselves. Just take a look at some of the latest trends and you’ll see it’s cool to love yourself these days (#selfie #minimalism #ootd #mindfulness #tbt #yolo). Times are indeed a-changing! It is now acceptable to spend the 14th of February with a romantic partner, a family member, good mates, your cat, a box set of The Game of Thrones… whatever your activity, as long as you’re surrounded by love, bring it on!

So what’s with the history lesson? Yes, we are still a hair salon. No, we aren’t love gurus (professionally, anyway). But we are in the business of self-improvement, self-reflection, self-care, and self-love. When we have a customer in our chair we are treated to the parts of themselves that they love and want to flaunt, and the parts they’re insecure about. We trade in beauty and good self esteem; if you don’t feel good about your appearance, it can be tough to be sat in front of a big mirror, wet hair matted down to your scalp, bright lights illuminating your features and a stranger touching your face. We care about our customers, and get to know many of them very well. If they’re not interested in taking care of themselves, we are quite frankly out of a job.

And what can be more in the spirit of Valentines Day than loving yourself? How do we show those we love that we care about them? Through spending time, effort, and maybe a bit of money (optional). So come and see us this month. Or, better yet, help the one(s) you love to love themselves a little bit more by buying them a gift card or booking them in for that appointment they’ve been putting off for weeks. If nothing else, it’s been about 8 weeks since Christmas, and they may be ready for a trim anyway. And if you’re booking in on the Day of Love itself, you can claim a 25% discount with our new Style Director, Matt. Happy Valentines Day from us!

What do you think? If you could give something to your favourite person what would you give them?

xx