I'd rather go to the dentist than have a haircut
- Published
Diane Thomson feels sick before she goes to the hairdresser
Diane Thomson dreads going to the hairdresser so much that she would rather have root canal treatment at the dentist instead.
The 55-year-old says she feels anxious and sick before she goes to the salon.
"It all started when I got a perm many years ago that was awful and made me look like an old woman," she says.
"I was mortified and didn't want to leave the salon.
"I now have a fear that the haircut will go wrong and worry what I will look like."
Now two Edinburgh hairdressers are attempting to take the fear out of going to the salon by offering mirrorless cuts, talk-free visits and genderless pricing.
Jo Ogilvie, co-owner of Bona Hair in the capital's Colinton Mains, told BBC Scotland she had seen many nervous people over the years.
The salon will cover the mirror if customers ask
The 35-year-old said: "It is so apparent when customers don't enjoy it, you can tell from their body language and from the tone of their voice.
"I'm desperate to change that for them.
"I don't want clients dreading coming to the salon as it makes me feel sad."
The salon will cover the mirror on request, and offers clients a sign which they can turn to say whether they want to have a chatty appointment or not.
Jo said: "Sometimes people come in with books, magazines or Kindles as a signal to us that they don't want to speak.
"Others you can tell are uncomfortable trying to make small talk and we would rather know this so we can do a quiet cut for them.
"I want to do whatever I can to make them more comfortable."
Diane Thomson says she feels she has to wash her hair just before she goes to her hairdresser appointment
She said another common concern among customers was the worry that their hair was too greasy when they come to the salon. Some people wash it just before they arrive, despite knowing it is just going to be washed again.
Jo said people could also feel embarrassed if they had not had their hair cut or roots dyed for some time.
"They apologise for it but I want them to know that I love when people come in when their hair is not great because then I can transform and restore it for them," she said.
"I have had clients saying they have put make-up on specially for coming to the salon. When we are doing hair colour it's actually better to come how you normally look because then we can match your hair colour to your skin tone.
"I wear hardly any make-up and don't worry about how I look and I want people coming here to feel they can do the same. I want them to feel happy and relaxed."
Jo has co-owned the salon with Lyndsey Ballantyne, 34, for a year.
They have also started a new pricing structure for short, medium and long hair.
Lyndsey said: "We now charge by length of hair and not by whether customers are male or female."
They said they wanted to make it a genderless salon because of previous experiences while working elsewhere.
Jo said: "Because men's hair tends to be shorter it's usually cheaper to get cut.
"This shouldn't be the case and it has always bothered me, so now Lyndsey and I have our own business we can now make amends and stop gender pricing.
"It's not a fair system and it has always bothered me that a woman's haircut is more expensive even if they have short hair."
Diane said her haircuts had always cost more than those of her husband and their two sons put together.
She said: "My husband can't believe how much I spend at the hairdressers. I think the system of gender pricing is unfair."
Katie Miller having a consultation with Jo in the salon
Katie Miller, 28, went to the salon for a consultation after hearing about its new approach online.
She said: "I hate going to the hairdressers and would rather go to the dentist instead.
"I specifically drove quite far today to come here after reading that this salon thinks outside the box about people's needs.
"I think hairdressers can be a bit intimidating and it's a gossipy and girl-intense atmosphere.
"Every time I go to the hairdresser I feel I'm being judged for having left my hair too long before being cut or dyed."
She also felt pressure to buy expensive products at the end, which she did not like.
Diane Thomson said she had previously felt like she had to wash her hair before going to get it cut.
She said: "In the past I've always paid the tip and agreed my hair looks good even when it's been a nightmare - hopefully that's all in the past now."