Its spring in Calderdale! I love this time of year. The Pennines are so vibrant.
Spring adds a magical kind of excitement to our valley; here we witness nature reviving itself after its winter hibernation.
We hear it, smell it and see it all around us in bright budding colour.
We know we may still suffer a cold night or even snow, but nature’s beauty blossoms and we get a front row seat. The winter challenges seem all worth the effort when surrounded by so much natural beauty.
Spring projects often find people working together lending a helping hand for special events, like preparing Incredible Edible growing beds or crafting with the Hand Made parade. It’s a great way to make new friends while enjoying the outdoors.
Spring chores include clearing away old growth, pruning so healthy bits can thrive, planting and decorating; it’s a time for newness, stripping old paint and applying fresh colour to winter worn surfaces; treating soil with the conditioners to assure quality growth, clearing streams and waterfalls of debris. Spring is a time for preparing; summer will be here soon.
In all this preparation, we may forget to prepare ourselves. Spring is a great time to revisit our thoughts on our personal fashion for the summer and how we are going to define our unique personality.
Raw natural beauty is world fashion’s most popular theme this spring and it couldn’t happen at a better time.
Calder Valley does natural beauty very well, and now the rest of the world is about to see it for itself.
This year’s Tour de France will be held on part of our lovely hillsides bringing bring impressive and influential sports coverage from all over the world. Sochi is a perfect example of how a remote area can be thrown into the spotlight by its sports potential. The Tour de France is viewed by 3.5 billion people on television and over 2000 reporters accumulate on the route to cover it. Images of our beautiful valleys will be live streamed while the world’s best cyclists race around us to meet the challenge. What will be most obvious is the rugged beauty of Calderdale and our life in these hills. We are very lucky to live here and the sporting world will soon be envious.
Raw natural beauty on a more personal level may not be as simple as it sounds to achieve, especially to the uninitiated.
We humans also require a little conditioning after the winter and before the summer heat. Pennine winters can have a damaging effect on skin and hair.
Our exposed areas, like our face, neck, and hands and our hair all cope as best they can, but over the months it all takes its toll, leaving our hair unmanageable, dry, split, lacking lustre, and limp.
Our skin gets the benefit of creams and moisturisers as modern soaps try to retain or even restore moisture while delicate creams help repair tissue and protect us from the sun.
Some products and procedures work more effectively though all claim to be “exceptional” and designed to keep our skin healthy and beautiful.
Today, technology and professional know-how can offer tremendous help in reversing these damaging effects and getting our hair’s innate beauty back on track.
The problem is of course, people are busy and seldom consider what their hair goes through.
All kinds of atmospheric factors attack our hair, from cigarette smoke to exhaust fumes.
Even the water we wash our hair with may do damage. If you travel, each region’s water has its own unique combinations of minerals, which can affect texture and colour.
Some colour products can damage hair if not used correctly, or strip your hair’s health if used without the proper conditioners to counteract the chemical stress and strain.
“As the seasons change we have clients preparing for the warmer months and this spring thinking out of the box is the new norm,” according to the people of Stone Hair Art in Todmorden.
“We have specialised conditioners for every possible hair challenge. We know how to fix damaged hair and we specialise in it.
“And this year we are very excited about the natural beauty theme because it fits Calderdale lifestyles so well.”