RECENTLY, A TOPIC on the radio caught my attention and reeled me in.

The presenters were discussing how to go about breaking up with your hairdresser. I listened out of curiosity rather than an expectation that I was about to hear the answers to my prayers.

I am very much a creature of habit and have been visiting the same salon and stylist for a number of years now, so thankfully this quandary does not apply to me. The segment, however, did get me thinking about those who do find themselves in the choppy situation where they feel the need to make that cut.

I love a good conscious uncoupling story as much as the next person, but when it comes to your crowning glory, you are entering uncharted territory which is a dangerous space indeed.

Ultimately, though, it’s your hair and you get to decide who looks after it. Or doesn’t.

Your hair and how you choose to style it speaks very much to your individuality and is an extension of your personality. As a mother of two teenage boys who wore their hair very long during their primary school days, I am acutely aware of how much autonomy our hair gives us.

In my humble opinion, a trip to your local salon entails so much more than leaving with a freshly loaded barnet. Whether the visit is just long enough for a speedy wash and blow-dry or you have spent several hours in the swivel chair, the end result is the same; an instant mood and confidence booster.

Having your locks washed is a very intimate undertaking, carried out by another to whom we have fundamentally given our consent for them to place their hands in our hair. These days, if that were a scene in a movie, an intimacy coordinator would be involved.

Furthermore, not only are you sharing your personal space with a highly skilled professional, they also, quite possibly, are privy to the intimate workings of your life. Salon employees lend their ear to many a problem and lifestyle crisis. Although they may not have seen it all, they have certainly heard it all at the behest of their client.

Surely such paradigms of society should be held in the same regard as the sacred confessional?

Relationships have been evolving since the dawning of time and business interactions are no different. However, it makes for a tricky situation if the unthinkable happens and your relationship with your hairstylist breaks down.

Bad hair day

Mistakes can and do happen. Maybe you got a Dudley Moore instead of a Demi Moore coiffure. (But it’s my HAIR! And I’ll have to live with it until it grows out. Or back!)

Switching out stylists could also be a financial decision. Nowadays, due to the astronomical cost of living, very few of us can afford monthly visits to the salon. If the cost of our shopping trolley has increased, you can be guaranteed so too can the price of a new do. Patrons are forced to shop around.

One of the first greetings from my stylist when I arrive for an appointment is, “well? Any craic?” And I’m off. Chatting away to her as she bends and stoops to rid me of pesky split ends. But my craic is very much of the banal variety. If you want gossip or scandal, allow me to redirect you to the current reality TV show.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not adverse to a bit of juicy gossip. Just not as I’m having my hair done and in the company of several other women, thank you. The roar of half a dozen hairdryers can only drown out so much.

And what of the folks who are simply seeking a change of scenery with their hairstyle?

Some individuals don’t have an issue alternating between salons and will do so regularly, declaring they have no loyalty to any one stylist. But for others who might perhaps live in a community where everyone knows everyone else, going elsewhere isn’t that simple.

How do you break the news?

It seems there is much to unpack and severing the relationship between stylist and client is not a cut and dry event.

It might be helpful to bear in mind that you have essentially entered a business transaction, not engaged in a friendship, and therefore, an explanation for the parting of ways shouldn’t be expected.

But in the interest of politeness and respect, most of us feel better if we can provide a reason for doing so.

As previously mentioned having never been in this situation, and with no idea how to navigate such a hair-raising conundrum, I turned to Google for guidance. And what do you know? Honesty seems to be the best policy.

Is it though? I am not entirely sure.

Let’s face it, no matter how tactfully you phrase your reason for splitting, what you are really saying is, “I don’t like the way you do my hair.”

I asked a nail technician a similar question shortly after they moved premises and their common-sense response is a good fit for this conversation. In business, they said, it is all swings and roundabouts. Clients will stop coming for a myriad of reasons and there isn’t a thing you can do about it, particularly if the business owner hasn’t been provided with an opportunity to redress a complaint.

On the other hand, for every person who breaks up with their hairdresser, dentist, nail technician, another business owner will benefit.

It all, eventually, balances out.

And speaking of balance, allow me to address the other side of this awkward situation by playing devil’s advocate. Perhaps your service person welcomes a change in clientele every once in a little while. Increasingly the presumption that “the customer is always right” mindset is being challenged.

I am willing to wager not many of us have considered that perspective. Moreover, I double dare anyone to dispute that with someone who yields a scissors for a living.

Gwen Loughman is the gatekeeper of four boys, one husband and a watcher over two dogs.