The Psychology of Hair

Haircut by myself

What does hair mean to you?

Hair is more than just a body part. It's deeply personal, and can be a powerful non-verbal communicator of personality, identity, strength, emotions, self-image, creativity, health, and status.

Hair can even influence our mood, think about the confidence you have on a 'good hair day' or the sense of renewal after a meaningful haircut.

If you know me personally, you know how much hair means to me. How I believe it's important to take care of it and that I've had long hair most of my life.

Keeping my hair long makes me feel connected to my identity. It feels like me!

I almost feel like my hair is like Medusas's hair - in greek mythology, instead of normal hair, she had living snakes growing from her head. I believe my hair has a life and a mind of its own!

It’s both funny and real how, when I’m not feeling well or I’m going through a difficult moment, I can see it in my hair and the way it behaves. It makes me more aware, almost as if it’s nudging me to take action, hinting at me in the mirror: “Get a grip, girl”, “Pull yourself together.” It's basically my life coach, lol!

I see hair as a spiritual extension of the self and a connection to the spiritual world. A sort of antenna that senses energy. I resonate with Native American culture, which considers hair sacred and holding deep spiritual significance. Hair also shows the different stages of our lives.

And what about haircuts? The iconic quote by Coco Chanel goes:

“A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” (Coco Chanel)

Nowadays, a haircut can be a fashion choice: it can offer a sense of novelty by following new trends, or simply serve as a refreshing and restyling.

But it's not just a fashion choice, it also has deep personal meaning.

Milestones often come with hair changes as a way to reclaim identity, show personal growth and evolution through renewal, and mark the start of something new.

A haircut can signal a moment of transition, or a bounce-back moment that calls for a glow-up, a powerful act of transformation that must be lead by confidence that 'good hair' can often give you.

For me, a haircut has most often been just a gentle layering of my lengths and a light trim of the ends. I usually have a trim of my hair in September, during Autumn, to respect Nature's teachings. Every year Nature gives us a profound lesson on letting go, showing us how trees gracefully shed their leaves in order to survive winter and prepare for spring, and future growth.

But both in 2016 (when I moved to London), and now in 2026 (wow, 10 years later!), for me haircut has meant a long, layered bob! In 2016, it was a quiet way of turning a page in my life, but also a practical choice, since I couldn’t take care of my very long hair (down to my hips!) the way I wanted while resettling abroad.

This is my vision: I almost feel like hair is alive, it knows, and “holds memories,” it stores experiences, it "records" emotions, memories, or life events, both positive and negative.

When needed, a haircut can symbolically release stored tension or heavy/negative energy (also from the past) that we may no longer be able to carry or deal with in the present. So in 2026 I am just releasing some old energy I cannot longer deal with. I also did the haircut myself so it was very courageous, quite empowering!

So yes, cutting hair can feel like letting go, and changing style can help people mentally step into a new phase, like at the end of one phase and the beginning of another. As I said before, it's not just a fashion choice: it also has deep personal meaning.

Hair changes can be linked to major life events or new beginnings, personal journeys, emotional shifts, and identity evolution.

In every signature hair style we keep over the years, in every new style, in every trim, there's a story being told - we are simply telling the world more about who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming.

Thanks for reading, I hope my words helped. I will use this blog to share my experiences (life/work) and insights with you. Hope to talk to you in the comments or on social media, feel free to ask me questions below.

Sending love,

Chiara x