Is This Really the First Thing Women Do After a Divorce?

According to a study published this week, a hair makeover is the most common thing women do after a marriage break-up. Before calling our mum, meeting a friend, or going for a drink, top of our priority list is to get a haircut.

The study says we tend to follow in the footsteps of Cheryl, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Aniston, who all had makeovers after a divorce. As far as I know celebrities are always having makeovers (it’s  part and parcel of their job, it’s what we expect of them), but it’s not that surprising that women want a different look when moving on to pastures new in the relationship department.    

Sporting a new hairstyle is exciting and fresh. It’s confidence building and mood boosting and is exactly the tonic you might need (I’d imagine) after the stress and emotional upheaval of a divorce, or any kind of relationship break-up.

The study, of 200 divorced or legally separated women, also found that women having an affair spend up to three times more on visits to beauty salons and hairdressers than their faithful counterparts. That’s a more controversial finding, for sure, though again not that surprising when you think about it.

Now, this next finding I DO find very surprising. Apparently, women are much more likely to open up to their hairdresser than their best friends, mother, father or siblings about their relationship problems. Really? Well, yes, according to the survey, 62% to be precise. Furthermore, 68% said they would tell their hairdresser if they were having an affair, before telling their best friends. Strewth!  

Men, on the other hand, are much more likely to share their most inner secrets to a best friend than a barber or hairdresser. 

The theory goes that a hair salon offers a non-judgemental unbiased environment that makes women feel comfortable. Plus women put a lot of trust in someone cutting their hair and sharing secrets is an extension of that trust.

I’m probably not best placed to judge the survey findings as I’m in a loving marriage, but what I do I know is that I share personal and private thoughts with my best friend that I never would with my hairdresser – and I’ve known mine for longer and I like her dearly.

The study was carried out by married dating website IllicitEncounters.com. I’d better just quickly explain that the study findings were contained in a press release that landed in my inbox – I honestly wasn’t having a rummage around their website, though the site has almost one million UK users! In the interests of source linking (the last thing I want to do is encourage anyone to cheat on their partners!), you can find the website here.

Pic credits:

Main Pic, Samantha Steele 

Jennifer Aniston, Kmar