Hair do (bee-doo-bee-doo).

before and after

Hello, my name's Charlotte and it had been 18 months since my last haircut. Partly down to laziness, partly shame. It had been a similar length of time since I last hennaed my hair, and my roots were ear-length. I'm a great believer that in the fraught world of 'getting your hairdresser to give you what you ask for', it's very important to go in looking stylish and groomed.

But I recently did henna my hair, and with it being half term (a week of school, for my international readers), and with the first of this year's weddings happening this Saturday, I thought it timely to get chopped. I'd heard a lot about It's Something Hells in Kingly Court - off Carnaby Street. It's a small concern: only one female stylist: Miss Betty - a gorgeous flame-haired frenchwoman. She was very sweetly horrified by the length of my hair, but I assured her I was more than happy to have it drastically reduced, and she set about doing so (with that customary hairdresser's knack of cutting it to a level significantly higher than the one you both agreed on...).

After cutting, she styled it with tongs and pins, setting it in great fat barrel rolls which she then unpinned, brushed through, and magically coaxed into perfect, sexy waves. I floated out of the shop on a cloud of gorgeousness, and sadly into a mist of fine drizzle - so that by the time I got home to take these photos, the full effect was somewhat diminished. My own fault. Should have taken and umbrella, or a headscarf, or both.

The haircut is, of course completely wearable without the retro setting: I'm not a full-time rockabilly gal - not even in the holidays. It is shorter than I've worn my hair for about ten years (since my traumatic televised haircut for BBC2's now defunct 'Looking Good') but that isn't really troubling me at the moment. Maybe I'm ready for a shade more sophistication?

It cost £50 for a cut and full style, which considering the time it took (1hr 15mins) and the 'specialness' of the treatment - I think compares favourably with my regular hairdresser's price of £35. Absolutely no use to readers outside London, and of somewhat niche interest to the rest, I still thought I'd share. The dress is the one in the black and white photo on the left. It was from Evans about a year ago, so no shopping recommendations either. Normal service will be resumed soon.

I reckon I'll be due another cut at the end of April, just before my sister's wedding. Can't wait.

the salon