I remember when I was 25, I was hit by an overwhelming feeling that everything was going wrong. From my work to my personal life, nothing was going right. I needed to do something big, so I made an appointment to go to the salon and get a haircut.
Yes, it’s cliché, but a trip to the salon has the power of transformation. It was just a haircut, but I felt like a new person, free from old worries and ready to tackle a new chapter in my life.
From a bad breakup to job loss, the humble haircut has long been prescribed as a cure to shed the old and prepare for the new. But now, the new hair, new me vibe is reaching new heights thanks to something called the “energy haircut,” which promises to renew your emotional and mental health. But can a trim really heal your energy?
What is an Energy Haircut?
Formally known as Trichotherapy, the treatment was created by former L’Oreal professional and Wella ambassador Jill Andrew. Trichotherapy uses a holistic approach, which is what makes it different from a regular haircut.
In ancient Greek, “tricho” means hair, and trichotherapy embodies energy haircutting techniques that detoxify hair, activate vital energy, and stimulate cranial meridians.
With just 400 trained Energetician hairdressers, Hari’s is one of the few salons to offer the service in the UK. Over three steps and 90 minutes, the Energetician Haircut promises product-free care to revitalise hair, body and mind. “It brings instantly visible shine, volume and brightness to transformed hair,” explains Sabrina Picotte, senior stylist at Hari’s.
New, lush hair sounds great, but trichotherapy offers much more than just physical benefits: its principles focus on optimal health, based on the understanding that hair has a deep connection to our health that goes far beyond appearance.
“The fundamental question is: is our hair still healthy? Before we can answer this question, we need to understand what processes hair goes through and what its energetic capabilities are,” Picotte says.
“Hair must be thought of as optical fibers. It is an energy receiver and an energy sensor. It is linked to the body in its growth mechanism and in the detoxification process. We also detoxify with tears, sweat and urine. Unfortunately, when stress and toxins build up, hair loses its shine and vitality. When the energy contained in hair condenses, it impedes its ability to receive energy, shine and live lightly. Hair reflects one’s mood. It is one of the first to give us information about our health.”
How to feel brand new
Your 90-minute haircut begins with a Craniosacral System Therapy (CST) head massage, which has been shown to have unique healing properties for physical and emotional trauma, stimulating the back of the head and pineal gland to prepare the body for the detoxification process that accompanies the haircut.
All common hair care products are omitted – there is no lathering shampoo or sharp scissors, only a Japanese sword called a tanto and a razor. At first glance this looks pretty scary (the hair is too close to the head for the sword to get close), but it was explained that the tanto does not cut the hair off, but only cuts a minimal amount of hair in a grazed motion.
“Unlike scissors, which cut hair without vibration using two blades, the vibrations of the Tanto are transmitted through the hair cuticle to the hair bulb. The vibrations resonate in the skull and are spread throughout the cerebral hemispheres by the cerebrospinal fluid, transmitting this vibration frequency to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems,” explains Picotte. “Cutting hair with the Tanto causes an immediate feeling of relief, and the hair immediately becomes visibly stronger, lighter, and shinier.”
The tantos are said to highlight energy restrictions, flowing smoothly in some places while feeling resistance in others. During the energy haircut, the tantos felt resistance at the back right side of my hair. Picot told me it had to do with my relentlessly active and dedicated personality. It felt like some kind of mystical reading, but most of what my hair was telling her was true. I often get caught up in the busyness of work and have been guilty of not prioritizing my own time.
Many may be wary of the effects of an energy haircut and dismiss it as gimmicky. Please note that this is presented not as a way to heal from trauma, but as a tool to supplement the process. As with most things health-related, if it makes you feel good, that’s good enough. Sure, in my case, I got a neat haircut, but I also got a prescription for relaxation and self-pampering. It should be a good day at the hair salon.
