I Can Tell What Kind Of Week You’ve Had By How You Sit In My Chair
- Amber Gresham
- May 13
- 4 min read
I can usually tell what kind of week you’ve had before you ever say a word.
Not by your roots.
Not by your grow-out.
Not even by the condition of your hair.
By how you sit in my chair.
Some women sit down and immediately exhale like they’ve been holding their breath since Monday.
Some walk in apologizing for everything.
“Sorry my hair is a mess.”
“Sorry I had to reschedule.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
As if existing loudly for five seconds would inconvenience the entire world.
Some women talk nonstop the entire appointment because this is the first adult conversation they’ve had all week that wasn’t about work, groceries, schedules, homework, or somebody needing something from them.
Some barely talk at all.
Not in a rude way.
In an exhausted way.
And honestly?
I understand both.
Then there are the women gripping an iced coffee like it’s emotional support equipment while saying things like:
“I almost canceled today.”
But by the end of the appointment, they’re smiling at themselves in the mirror again.
And my personal favorite?
The women who sit down and say:
“Do whatever you think.”
Not because they don’t care.
Because they are tired of making decisions for everybody else.
I think people assume women book hair appointments because they care about vanity.
And sure… we love good hair.
But I don’t think women come to the salon just for hair.
I think they come for the feeling of someone taking care of them for a minute.
For uninterrupted conversation.
For silence.
For confidence.
For routine.
For touch.
For connection.
For a place where nobody is asking them for snacks, passwords, rides, reports, emails, or emotional labor for two hours.
Sometimes the shampoo bowl is the only quiet moment a woman gets all week.
And I know that sounds dramatic until you’ve worked behind the chair long enough to realize how many women are carrying entire worlds on their backs while still showing up for everybody around them.
I’ve seen women come in after funerals.
After divorces.
After hard conversations.
After health scares.
After becoming mothers.
After losing themselves a little.
After deciding they were finally ready to find themselves again.
And somewhere in between root touch-ups, highlights, Brazilian Blowouts, and “just a trim,” women slowly start putting themselves back together.
That’s why I’ll probably never see this industry as “just hair.”
Because it’s never just hair.
Some days it’s confidence.
Some days it’s therapy.
Some days it’s human connection.
Some days it’s simply a woman getting to feel like herself again.
And maybe that’s also why I started adding little things into the salon lately that feel comforting too.
One of my clients was relaxing in one of the leather butterfly chairs while her adult daughter was getting her hair done, reading a book called Sandwich by Catherine Newman. There's something sweet about that too... because even when your children are adults, sometimes you still come sit at their hair appointment just to spend time with them.
Every few minutes I'd heard her quietly giggle to herself... trying very hard not to interrupt what I was doing.
Eventually she laughed loud enough that I had to ask: "Okay...what are you reading?"
She told me all about it, and after she finished it. she brought it back for me to borrow.
One of my favorite parts of being behind the chair is that women don't just share their hairstylists.
They share life.
Recipes.
Books.
Stories.
Products.
Advice.
Hard seasons.
Funny moments.
Pieces of themselves.
So now that life has slowed down a little...or maybe not slowed down but, changed drastically enough to force me to sit still for a second...I have finally started reading it.
And honestly, it fits this season of life perfectly.
It's funny, heartfelt, emotional, and incredibly real in the way it talks about motherhood, aging parents, changing identities, menopause, relationships, and learning how to hold onto yourself while everyone around you still needs pieces of you too.
Which feels a lot like the conversations that happen in the salon chair every single day.
And speaking of surviving life transitions ...Texas humidity deserves it's own chapter at this point.
So, this month's Product of the Month is BAM! Humidity Armor through my jackwinnpro.com/ambergresham store if your hair is also currently fighting for survival against Texas weather.
If your hair leaves the house looking smooth and polished but comes home looking personally victimized by the weather, BAM was made for you.
It's help protect against humidity; smooths frizz, softens the hair, adds silkiness and shine, and protects against heat styling without leaving the hair heavy or sticky.
Basically, the emotionally supportive friend of hair products.
Because between good books, good conversations, and a really good humidity spray...women are just out here trying to survive the week however we can.
This month’s Book of the Month is Sandwich by Catherine Newman — a heartfelt, funny, beautifully honest story about a woman navigating motherhood, aging parents, menopause, changing relationships, and the strange emotional middle ground so many women find themselves standing in.
It’s one of those books that makes you laugh, then quietly stare at the wall for a minute afterward because it hit a little too close to home.
And honestly?
Because Texas humidity is personally committed to testing all of us emotionally, this month’s Product of the Month is BAM! Humidity Armor by Jack Winn Pro.
If your hair leaves the house looking smooth and returns home looking like it fought for survival, BAM is your girl.
It helps protect against humidity, smooths the hair, adds softness and silkiness, protects from heat styling, and helps control frizz without making your hair feel heavy or sticky.
Which, frankly, feels like emotional support in spray form.
I may do hair for a living.
But some days, I think what I really do is give women a place to put their shoulders down for a while.
The hair is just the bonus.
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