Okay, all you Tea Princesses out there, fess up, you’ve had a bad hair day or two. However, the saying goes that no matter what goes wrong in your day, tea will make it all better. It calms, soothes, and invigorates. So, it’s no surprise that tea helps even bad hair days go better. At least that’s what this Tea Princess found out one day.

This was actually the last time I have ever been to a hair salon. When I called up to make the appointment, I asked for an experienced person and was assured that her best hair stylist would be at my disposable. (I should add that this was in a very small town where most people knew each other, but hubby and I hadn’t lived there long and so knew only a few of the residents.)

At the appointed time I came in and met the stylist. Just as she was beginning to cut my hair an older woman came in with a vase of flowers and set them on her work stand and said “Congratulations, dear.” I asked her about it and was told that the older woman was her mother-in-law and the congratulations were for her first day back in the hair salon after a two-year absence to take care of her child (now two years old). Hm… I started to get a bad feeling. She proceeded with the hair cut.

In the chair next to me three customers in a row had received fabulous cuts by the salon owner while my stylist was still hacking away (and I use the word “hacking” very purposefully here). Finally, she was done cutting and then washed and styled my hair. The style hid the true nature of the hair cut, so initially everything seemed fine.

The bad hair day came the next day when I washed my hair at home and did my usual job of applying styling mousse and then using the blow dryer. The choppy cut became very evident. And try as I might, I couldn’t arrange it anyway that didn’t look like I’d had a run-in with a deranged groundskeeper wielding a high-powered demonic hedge trimmer. So much for being serviced by an experienced hair stylist! The joke was definitely on me. Still, I returned to the hair salon, red-faced with frustration and outrage and accompanied by hubby who was prepared to intervene should my powers of self-control totally fail me. The owner sat me down and did some more cutting to get rid of the ragged look. Of course, now my hair was much shorter than I had wanted it. Sigh!

So, how did tea save the day?

Well, first, it calmed me. After the re-cut, hubby and I headed to a local tea room (yes, this small town had a full fledged tea room that served not only great tea but also great food like lobster ravioli and homemade lemon chiffon pie). Second, having been thus soothed, I refrained from any action against the first hair stylist that might not have gone well for either she nor I. Plus, unbeknownst to me at the time, drinking tea is said to be good for hair health. It is also said to have other benefits for hair.

One article on this blog claims this benefit for your hair:

…tea can be used as a beauty rinse for your hair. If you have dark hair, use black tea, concentrated (use approximately 2 teabags per cup of water you use) by brewing the tea strongly then allowing it to cool. Use after shampooing, rinsing isn’t necessary. This will darken your hair slightly and add a shimmery shine. If you have lighter hair, brew concentrated chamomile herbal tea as a rinse to bring out the highlights in your hair.

Just a little something for all you Tea Princesses to keep in mind the next time you venture full of hope into a hair salon and exit with something that doesn’t quite live up to your expectations. Cheers!

See also:
Tea and Whiskers
Beau-Tea-Ful: Beautify Yourself with Tea

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