Jenni Gilbert We look at the endeavours of doctors and scientists as being life-changing, as they surely are.
But what aesthetics professionals – from skin therapists to hairdressers, makeup artists, cosmetic tattooists and eyebrow experts, among others – can do for their clients on a day to day basis also has the ability to transform lives.
Don’t ever underestimate the power of what you can do for a client’s mood, their self-confidence and overall sense of self worth by the changes and improvements you can make to their appearance. Thereby, give every treatment you perform the very best of yourself to achieve the very best outcome for your client. You will surely be rewarded.
Take this heart-warming story a young student hairdresser, 20-year-old Kayley Olsson, from the US Mid West state of Iowa shared on her Facebook page recently.
A teenager came to the salon in the town of Waterloo and asked Kayley to shave her head. It wasn’t to achieve some edgy rock chick look but because she had been so severely depressed that she felt “worthless” and didn’t even have the wherewithal to brush her locks.
The unnamed 16-year-old’s hair had thus become so matted and filthy that she couldn’t even contemplate “the pain of combing it out” out in time for her school’s yearbook photo.
However, Kayley refused to do the deed and instead spent eight hours that day and five hours the next painstakingly detangling the mess, washing and styling it.
She then shared her story on social media as a reminder that mental illness affects people of all ages. Her post has garnered more than 160,000 likes, 67,000 shares and more than 8,500 comments on the post.
Olsson began her story by saying it was one of the most challenging experiences that she ever had and said she chose to keep the teen anonymous.
“She got to the point where she felt so down and so worthless she couldn’t even brush her hair; she told me she only got up to use the bathroom,” Kayley says.
“She starts back at school in a few weeks but she had her school pictures that week.
“When she walked in she told us `just cut it all off. I can’t deal with the pain of combing it out’. She called herself worthless for it.
“It honestly broke my heart and we tried everything we could to keep this child’s hair for her! At the end of the day I want this to be a lesson to people.
“Mental health is a thing, it affects people all around the world and of all ages. “Parents, take it seriously – don’t just push your kids off and tell them to get over something they legitimately can’t.
“A child should never feel so worthless to not even want to brush their hair. After being here eight hours yesterday and five hours today we finally made this beautiful girl smile and feel like she IS worth something!
“Her words to me were: `I will actually smile for my schools pictures today, you made me feel like me again’.”
