Sunday November 23rd, 2008 Hair

We recently had a retirement party for three long term staff members, whom I wish well in the next chapter of their lives. As I looked around the room I said - "There's a lot of nice hair here tonight." The person sitting next to me said, "You should write a column on hair." It felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld, you remember the show about nothing. Like the potato, hair is so versatile, there's so much you can do with it. It can be curled or straightened, coloured or highlighted, you can add hair extensions or a fall. Here's to hair.

Patty Jane's House Of Curl by Lorna Landvik.
This was the first book I read by Lorna (now that I've met her I feel like I can call her that). This story revolves around Patty Jane and her sister Harriet. On the eve of the birth of her first child, Patty Jane's husband walks off into the Minnesota sunset, leaving her alone to raise the baby. After attending beauty school she opens the House of Curl. Here you can get a perm, drink coffee, and catch up on the latest gossip. The cast of quirky characters keeps the story interesting and fun to read. Do I think you should read this book? You betcha.


Great Hair: Elegant Styles For Every Occasion by Davis Biton.
This book features 100 beautiful styles to choose from. You'll be wearing designs such as the woven basket, the cascading waterfall or checkerboard braids. Colourful photographs and step by step instructions show you how to create the designs. . If the styles are too difficult to do at home, you can always take it with you to your hair salon. The next time you have a special event to attend have a look at this book.



Hair magazine.
Mary J.L. Black now carries Hair magazine and you can borrow back issues. If you're looking for a change, check out this magazine before you go to the salon. It gives you ideas for cuts, colours and the latest trends.






Health & Wellness Resource Center.
Searching this database in our Virtual Collection, under the term hair, finds all sorts of things. The books & fact sheets section has an article on The Myth Of Stress And Hair Color. Did you know men turn gray sooner than women? Can you reverse turning gray? No, but in some cases after chemotherapy the hair comes back in its former colour. Can stress turn hair gray? Not usually, but sometimes an emotionally stressful event can trigger the loss of dark hair making any gray or white hair much more noticeable. The article states that raising children doesn't turn your hair gray, but there may be parents out there that would dispute that.

Hair Donations
Do you know someone who has lost their hair due to chemotherapy? Have you ever considered donating your hair? If you have, the Canadian Cancer Society has information on how to do this, and don't worry if your hair isn't long enough, you can help or give support in other ways. Visit their website here.

Hairstylist Appreciation Day
According to Chase's Calendar Of Events, each year on April 30 we celebrate the people who make us look good and feel great, and in some cases that's a very big challenge. So the next time you run to a stylist with a hair emergency, remember to say thank you. We've come a long way from the days of the smelly Toni home perm and tight pink
rubber curlers that pulled your hair. With the holiday season coming up if you're wondering how much you should tip your stylist, the consistent answer seems to be the cost of a visit to the salon.

So whether you want hair like Posh or Rihanna or maybe Amy Winehouse (I think she really believes - The higher the hair, the closer to God), it's up to you. I'm going to end this column with my favourite quote from Sam Malone on Cheers. He said - "There are no bad boys, just boys with bad haircuts."

Karen Craib Library Technician