Tress Distress! Do You Have Hair Dysmorphia?

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Does nearly every day feel like a bad hair day? Do you spend hours meticulously blow-drying your hair only to step out afterwards in the same old baseball cap? Would you prefer to hide your head in a dinner-lady's hair-net than wear your hair down at a dinner party? If the answer is 'yes' to all or even some of the above, then you may well be suffering from hair dysmorphia.

If you previously imagined that Kate Middleton's life was as close as actual reality could ever get to a shampoo commercial, you might be gratified to know that her apparently long-suffering other-half (a man who's obviously made peace with his own premature tonsorial deforestation many years ago), recently made the unprovoked revelation at a charity breakfast for young homeless people that his missus' hair was a 'nightmare'. Although arguably not in quite the same league as trying to find shelter on the streets of a freezing metropolis each night, it was nevertheless an interesting insight into the psyche of a woman who, to most of us, looks as if she's kept vacuum-packed between spa treatments.

If a recent study conducted by L'Oreal Professional is to be believed, then the Duchess of Cambridge is far from alone. Results showed that, even now in our 'product literate' style-savvy 21st century world, 47% of women are unhappy with their hair, while 49% say they still haven't found the right hair-care regime.

As body dysmorphic disorder (first defined as such in the 1997 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders) gained credence as a genuine and debilitating psychological issue, ongoing research demonstrated that the condition was surprisingly common - manifesting itself to some extent in around 2% of the population. Of those, around half diagnosed with BDD spend over three hours a day attempting to correct or conceal flaws that are either dramatically exaggerated or entirely fictitious. For any of us who spend way too long in front of the bathroom mirror tugging at our scalps in frustration, this is a comparative worth remembering.

However, many hair-care experts believe most of our 'hair-mare's' can be put down to the age-old human condition of 'always wanting what you haven't got'. Too many of us blessed with thick, curly locks spend too long trying to attain a look of flat-ironed elegance, while those with naturally fine, straight hair waste tortured hours in hot curling tongs, trying to forge that perfect set of ringlets.

Maybe a symptom of our century saturated in choice and convenience, not to mention images of lustrously-maned models (nearly always wearing a hairpiece or half-wig) is leaving us less than content with what nature gave us, no matter how spectacular. Our advice is to learn how to properly manage your hair by taking proper care of what you actually have. That's why we're always ready to help with advice (and even practical demonstrations) on how best to care for your particular head of hair, whether it's best practice for blow-drying, using tongs or simply choosing the combination of essential products that's right for your hair type.

Finally, never perceive making the best of what you've got as a compromise. We're convinced it's still the best way to look genuinely fabulous - and we're ready to prove it!

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