Her Hair Changes Her Mood

Have you ever felt jealous over someone else's locks?  Have you ever wished your hair was as long as someone else's?  Curly instead of straight?  Long instead of short? Have you ever suffered from hair envy?  If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, you are not alone.  Have you ever thought, "how is my hair making me feel?"

A single strand of hair can potentially carry a weight of up to 100 grams of weight; holding this in theory.  With proper technique, a full head of human hair could eventually hold between 5,600 kg and 8,400 kg (12,345-18518 lbs.), without breaking individual hairs or pulling out any follicles.  This is equivalent to the weight of 2 elephants.  The strength of hair can be vast - and its force on your confidence can be even stronger.  

Recently, a hair care brand polled 1,000 women ages 30 to 60 years old and asked them about their hair.  When asked, "how happy are you with your hair", can you guess their results?  Thirty-two percent of the women surveyed said they adore their hair while the majority, sixty-eight percent said they were only happy with their hair sometimes or wish they had someone else's hair all together. 

...a whopping eighty percent of the women polled count on their hair to improve the way they feel about themselves.  Our hair can have a tremendous impact on how pretty, confident, happy, young and/or sexy we feel or feel we look.    It should come as no surprise that our hair can play a major role in how one feels about themselves.  With skin care brands and product names such as IT cosmetics and Confidence in a Cream and Philosophy and its Hope In A Jar, beauty brands understand the power they can have in boosting self-esteem.  

Have you ever thought, "Why does my hair have such an influence on me?"  If so, you're not alone.  From the remotest times and by all nations, great importance has been attached to the hair.  Julius Caesar, a Roman General who was said to be granted one of the greatest virtues, "to permanently wear his laurel in order to cover his deficiency of hair".  A head of densely grown hair was once considered as a symbol of vigor and strength, quoting Samson to Delilah, "If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

As times go on, the importance of hair to society has not veered much. The ubiquitous Barbie doll was examined in a 2006 study as a possible cause for young girls' body dissatisfaction. A total of 162 girls, from age 5 to age 8, were exposed to images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (U.S. size 16), or no dolls (baseline control) and then completed assessments of body image. 

Girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditions. However, this immediate negative impact of Barbie doll was no longer evident in the oldest girls. These findings imply that, even if dolls cease to function as aspirational role models for older girls, early exposure to dolls epitomizing an unrealistically thin body ideal may damage girls' body image, which would contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycling. Although this study was specifically investigating a thin body image, could Barbie's hair also contribute to what some perceive as having a good hair day?

These celebrities seem to think their hair was pretty important to their success: 

"A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life." Coco Chanel

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

"My hair was famous before I was." Christopher Walken

"If your hair is done properly and you have on good shoes, you can get away with anything." Iris Apfel

#HairGoals has become a popular saying in social media. So, what are the top hair goals?  Well, that depends upon the source.  Typically top hair goals are:

• Increased strength
• Taming frizz
• Protected/preserved color
• Reduced dryness
• Increased volume/thicker-looking hair
• Defined curls or waves
• Reduced split ends
• Added shine
• Improved softness
• Improved scalp health

So what are your top hair goals and how much does your hair affect your mood?  Do you tend to fall in line with status quo or are you marching to the beat of your own drum?  I tend to think I'm the latter but if I'm honest with myself, I sometimes fall victim to thoughts similar to quoted celebrities.  Is it because marketing has done a good job pushing its agenda or is it because I really do feel better when I feel I look better?  In either case, I know I'm a sucker for a good hair product that makes do on its claims.