Hello,

I would like to talk to you about a fantastic activity that I have been practicing for over a year: going to the hairdresser with my headgear.

I love showing off my appliance in public, but what I enjoy even more is being able to talk about my treatment with other people. After thinking about it for a while, I had the idea of going to the hairdresser while wearing my headgear. I kept this idea in mind for a long time before finally taking the plunge. One Sunday, in a charming square during a market day, I decided to do it. There were a lot of people in the street, and the walk to the hair salon was very embarrassing. I walked quickly to avoid the crowd and took refuge with a nervous stomach in the hair salon.

The hairdresser greeted me and looked at my headgear for two seconds before asking me to sit down so she could wash my hair. Then, she asked if I could remove my appliance during the haircut to make her job easier, which I did. She added, "At least you can close your mouth." After that comment, nothing particularly interesting happened.

This first experience was both exciting, as I overcame the fear of walking in a crowded place with my headgear and going to my appointment with it, but also a bit disappointing because I would have liked to push the experience further.

After this first experience, I decided to repeat it several times. The following times, things went differently.

To make it easier for the hairdressers to do their job while continuing to wear my appliance, the following times, I decided to keep the arch of the headgear while removing only the strap. This allowed the hairdressers to do their work without difficulty while letting me keep part of my appliance.

The hairdressers became more curious and interested in my orthodontic treatment. They asked me many questions about my headgear, how it worked, and why I had to wear it. Some were even fascinated by the appliance and wanted to know more about the stages of my treatment. Some even talked about their own orthodontic treatment, sharing their personal experiences and the challenges they had faced.

Some hairdressers showed compassion for my difficult treatment, expressing their support and understanding of what I was going through. Others were enthusiastic for me, finding my commitment to my treatment inspiring and encouraging.
Some even found that this was funny!

However, there were also times when people were simply surprised to see me with the headgear but didn't talk about it. They just did their job without commenting, which made the experience a bit more neutral (and awkward) .

These exchanges, or sometimes the lack of exchanges, made my visits to the hairdresser much more varied, enriching and exciting! I lived of course amazing stories and I am now less scared to wear my headgear in public and feel generally less self conscious.

This is a real therapy!