Diary of a slightly mad, single mummy...

I hate my hair.

I tie it back and it looks like a fox’s tail, so I leave it loose and I morph into the cat-bothered drama teacher that nobody liked.

With that in mind having spent my entire life as a blonde I decided - as most women do when they have had a baby - to do something drastic. I dyed my hair brown.

A year later and I’m an auburn shade of brown and receive regular comments about how drained my face looks now I’m a brunette. As much as I hated the blonde look, the negative comments have made me long for it again.

As a blonde I’ve found you are judged as the bubbly fun type or the cool distant type. l was always the first, but since being a brunette I have found my persona has faded into the background.

So this week, I ventured to Rush hair salon to get my confidence and blonde locks back. The results of a strand test showed my hair would go gingery blonde, and the stylist warned it would take several consultations before I reached my desired shade.

Before

After>

When you think about it, a hairdresser is a very influential person; they have the power to make you feel instantly good or terrible. In this case I knew I would leave feeling, and no doubt looking, terrible. So I was prepared for my fantasy of sleek poolside Cheryl Cole perfection to take a back seat, and wacky, almost blonde, drama teacher to step up.

For the four hours I sat there, I found myself chatting endlessly about Summer. What is it about being a mum that when you get an afternoon to yourself, you end up spending it talking about your children?

As the towel was removed I took a deep breath, but I needn’t have worried. Ginger blonde I was not. Instead, my hair looked a light shade of brown and the blow dry had shaped luscious curls held by a thick bouncy exterior. Even the £50 car parking fine I received that afternoon didn’t dampen my spirit...see you in six weeks Rush!

Laura’s book, ‘My Summer Bump’, can be purchased at:www.authourhouse.co.uk

If you can’t wait a week to see what Laura has been up to, follow Laura on twitter @LauraPauley