from me to mum

Balayage is the most perfect of mama hair colour solutions.

It's casual enough to look un-fussy, while still being a little bit on-trend. But the best bit is that it can be entirely accidental.

Until this week, the last time I sat in a colourist's chair was in September last year.

Before kids, I would submit to a colourist's magic every 6-8 weeks, without the blink of an eye. Post kids, it's just too hard. Too expensive. Too time-consuming. Too self-indulgent.

I realised I was far-too-frequently saying "Thank God for this balayage trend. It's the saviour of mothers."

Really, what I was talking about was nearly 12 months worth of re-growth.

So, after nearly a year of hairdresser absence, I decided to get it properly done. The price physically pained me, of course. But it's so shiny! So soft! Unfortunately,  I was almost completely unable to capture it, as you will see for yourself, but for what it's worth, I am loving my new hair.

In other news, I had a CT scan of my face a couple of weeks ago as part of this whole pneumonia / bronchitis / asthma / sinusitis thing that has rendered me useless this month, and learned that I have a broken nose. Yep. A nose that was broken at some point in the past that did such a pitiful job of repairing itself that it grew a whole extra bone spur into my sinus drains, collapsing them, explaining the recurrent infections.

I'm staring down the barrel of 40 years old (well I'm 36) and the last time I recall anything coming into contact with my nose I was 14, at a high school softball tournament, and walked straight into the practice swing of a team-mate. How about that? I've always thought my nose to be a bit off. Now I know I'm not seeing things.

Anyhow, if you're a mum, with limited hairdresser time, budget or tolerance, I highly recommend going the ombre / balayage route. Low maintenance is key.