The excitement is mounting; more than the festive period, more than the start of the Six Nations, and way more than going back to work. No, it’s not the latest Hawkins & Brimble product launch (as exciting as those are) but the fact that the pubs are open from next week!
With a long and cold winter out of the way, from the 12th of April, we will all be able to meet in pub gardens and get a little bit of our pre-pandemic social lives back. Okay, so it’s not going to be an instant return to the good old days of propping up the bar with your mates and bickering over a linesman’s decision in the Six Nations, or suggesting that Solskjær should be playing Shola Shoretire upfront instead of midfield, but meeting up outside is a start and it won’t be too long before we are actually allowed back inside.
The thing that you have to ask yourself is, you have been waiting for this moment for months but are you actually ready for it?
It’s now several months since the lockdown shutters came crashing down for a third time, and we had to learn to live in a virtual world. Now it’s all changing again, and our hair has become a little more unkempt. So, how can you get ‘bar fit’ so to speak?
Well, first things first, you have to appreciate that you are unlikely to be getting your hair cut by a professional in time so it’s plan B and taming those wild locks a bit. Many online commentators are saying that you shouldn’t be doing anything radical with your hair anyway. Lockdown has happened to us all and the best way of dealing with it is to not deal with it at all.
From social pieces in newspaper colour-supplements to specialist haircare sites, the overwhelming message is one of feel the freedom and shape what you have rather than return to rigid conventions laid out by a society that seeks conformists. Hell, it’s your hair and now is the time to embrace it. Of course, there’s no harm in giving it a brush through and styling it a little and we have some pretty good products to help with that. How about trying a little matt clay or light molding wax to stop it straying too much. As long as you have kept it in good shape with a decent shampoo and conditioner, there is no reason why you can’t just shape it into something outstanding. Or if you have always secretly yearned to pull off a more natural look, now is the time to embrace it.
Judging by the number of full beards around, something similar is going on in the facial hair department too. Okay, so you have more control over your facial hair, but if you are going to embrace the chaos, why not go the whole hog? Wild beards go well with wild hair and if you follow a few simple rules, you’ll at least be able to make it look healthy at the same time. Clean it regularly with a good beard shampoo, and keep it supple with beard oil.
Do these things and it won’t matter that you turn up at the pub with trousers don’t fit properly, or that you are still sporting fashions that thankfully died out last summer, because your hair and beard will look great and that is what everyone will notice.
