A Coffee With a Hairdresser: "You're Cabin Crew? That Explains a Lot."

"So... what do you do?"

"I'm cabin crew."

She looked at my hair for a second.

"Ah... that explains a few things."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing bad. I just see the same patterns over and over again."

"Now I'm curious."

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Go for it."

"How many years have you been flying?"

"More than fifteen."

"And your hair has been in a bun most working days?"

"Pretty much."

"I thought so."

That was the start of a conversation I wasn't expecting.

And one that sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole.

Over the next few evenings, I found myself reading dermatology papers, hair science and cosmetic research.

Turns out...

there's a reason so many of us feel like our hair has changed since we started flying.

Let's start with the cabin.

"Aircraft cabins are basically deserts."

"I knew they were dry... but I never thought about my hair."

"Most people don't."

Aircraft cabins typically operate at around 10–20% humidity, so it makes sense that our hair is exposed to the same dry air as our skin and eyes.

Hair is a fibre.

Like other natural fibres, it naturally contains moisture.

Spend hours in very dry air, and that fibre gradually loses some of it.

It becomes less flexible.

More prone to tangles.

More likely to snap when you brush it.

"Tell me about your bun."

"I wear one almost every flight."

"How tight?"

"Tight enough to survive a twelve-hour duty."

"There's another clue."

She explained something called traction alopecia.

Hair loss caused by repeated tension.

Not one tight bun.

Years of wearing the same hairstyle.

Pulling on the same hairs.

In the same direction.

Especially around the temples.

Suddenly those tiny broken hairs around my hairline made a lot more sense.

"I always blamed the hairspray."

"Most people do."

"So... is it?"

"Usually not."

Modern hairsprays aren't considered particularly damaging on their own.

They make the hair stiffer.

Then we brush it.

Pull it into another bun.

Take it down.

Sleep on it.

Do it all again the next morning.

The spray might not be the problem.

Everything we do afterwards could be.

I hadn't thought about it like that.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Why my hair feels amazing in some countries...

...and awful in others?”

"Because the water is different from country to country”.

I'd never even considered it.

Some places have soft water.

Others have hard water, which contains more minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Those minerals can build up on the hair over time, making it feel rougher and harder to manage.

Now think about our job.

Dubai.

London.

Singapore.

Tokyo.

Different hotel.

Different shower.

Different water.

Sometimes every couple of days.

Your shampoo might be exactly the same.

The water isn't.

"How often do you wash your hair?"

"After most flights."

"I guessed that too."

For many crew, it's simply part of the routine.

To wash out the hairspray.

To get rid of galley smells.

To feel fresh again.

Then comes the blow dryer.

The straightener.

The curling iron.

The bun.

The next flight.

None of these things is a big deal on its own.

Together, over hundreds of flights, they start telling a different story.

I finished my coffee thinking,

"Maybe my hair wasn't the problem after all."

Maybe I just expected one thing to explain something that never had one answer.

Safe to say...

my shampoo got an apology.