‘She couldn’t get out of bed for 6 months. Which meant she didn’t wash her hair or brush it.’ (Photo: Facebook/Love What Matters. Credit: Kate Langman)

Sometimes it’s the small things in life that can dramatically lift one’s spirits, even a simple hair cut.

A “deeply depressed” woman walked into a hair salon one day after being unable to get out of bed for six months. She began picking up a variety of hair softening products before a hairdresser noticed her and asked if she needed help. The woman broke down and told the hairstylist her story. Since she couldn’t get out of bed for months, she didn’t wash her hair or brush it — it was a matted mess.

“She kept pulling (her hair) back into this bun which after that long of time turned into a huge dread lock,” Kate Langman recounts the story on the Love What Matters Facebook page.

“The bun was so matted that it felt like she literally had rocks on the back of her head.”

Langman suggested that the woman put the products back on the shelf so that she could properly revive her hair. They made an appointment for the following day, but the woman didn’t show up. After about two weeks, the woman called and booked another appointment, but didn’t show up for that one either.

“At this point I figured she wasn’t going to ever end up coming in. It actually, kind of, broke my heart. I wanted to help her so much.”

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And then one day, the woman unexpectedly returned to the salon and asked to get her hair done that day. She said that she had finally gotten herself out of bed again and was ready.

“I, of course, said yes. I didn’t care how late I stayed, I wanted to make sure she got taken care of,” Langman explained. “She wanted to keep it on the longer side if it was at all possible. Most of the time the advice is to just cut it off…But I wanted to make this work for her. I wanted her to know how hard I was going to try to make her feel great again.”

After explaining the prices to the woman, she responded, “’I don’t care about the price, I just want to look like myself again.’”

‘I spent 8 1/2 hours with this girl. 4 1/2 hours of combing, and 3 hours colouring and 1/2 hour for the cut.’ (Photo: Facebook/Love What Matters. Credit: Kate Langman) More

Langman spent 8 1/2 hours working on the woman’s hair — “4 1/2 hours of combing, and 3 hours colouring and 1/2 hour for the cut. All of this time, I’m just telling myself to keep going… that this is going to be all so worth it.”

By the end of this service, Langman saw the sparkle in the woman’s eyes — her cheeks flushed from the excitement of being able to run her fingers through her hair again.

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‘She felt herself again. I changed someone’s life today and I’ll never ever forget it.’ (Photo: Facebook/Love What Matters. Credit: Kate Langman) More

The post has since gone viral, with many Facebook users sharing their own personal stories of struggling with depression. One user wrote, “As someone who suffers from depression, I know that the fear of judgment is something that has kept me away from places I know could help. The best part of this story for me is the kindness and lack of judgment and willingness to help. And her hair looks beautiful in the end!”

Another person who battles with mental health wrote, “As a person who struggles with anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia, THANK YOU. Thank you for understanding that even though she had canceled before, and even though she didn’t have an appointment, she was able to get out of the house today. Your time made a difference in her life. Thank you!”

As for the hairdresser, she’s simply thankful that she helped the woman make her first step. “She felt herself again. I changed someone’s life today and I’ll never ever forget it,” Langman wrote. “And if this ever makes its way back to her, I want her to know how great, wonderful, kind, loving, and how strong of a person she is. And not only those things, but how beautiful she is… she deserves nothing but happiness.”

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