hair angst

[robinsnest]

I'm visiting the parents house for the weekend. My Dad is visiting the Grandmother for her 90th birthday in Wisconsin so it's just Mom and I kickin' it girl style this weekend. We have a billion errands planned, and some fun stuff. Mom thinks we should go and get me a fancy salon hair cut....only I'm having hair angst! I chopped it up to my chin 2 years ago and it's only now starting to get long-ish again. I know I need a trim as it's very ratty..but I can't decide if I want a big chop or to keep growing it out. I don't DO anything with my hair, I don't blow dry it, flat iron it or curl it anymore. I just braid it or put it in a bun...so why do I spend 99% of my life with long hair for the 1% that's costume hair? Especially as I do like two events a year...even so I'm having a really hard time with the thought of cutting it off :-/

What do you all do? Anyone chopped it and regretted it? Wish you had chopped it? Most liberating decision ever?

Comments

[blackcat452.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly, even with long hair, you still used hair pieces most of the time. And it always looked better then when my real hair was styled since it didn't friz or droop. If go with what you think is best for 99% of your life, and you'll figure it out with the costuming later.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Every time I have ever cut my hair, I've regretted it. I think the worst was when I was still a teenager, chopped it to right below my ears, and the next week went on a camping trip. Not only could I not pull it back at all, but all the other girls were french braiding their hair and mine was deemed to short to even get into a french braid. I was stuck with the hairstyle I had and couldn't do a thing with it.

I suppose what I did last week could be considered chopping my hair - I did cut off 14" but it's still 34" long. Honestly, I don't like the look of short hair on anyone for the most part. There are VERY few women that can pull it off. Hair is supposed to frame the face and head. When it's short, it's like you are missing half the frame.

And if you have a bad hair day, you are stuck. You can't braid it, can't pull it back, can't put it in a bun - you just get to wear a hat over your hair.

[jennylafleur.livejournal.com]

If you aren't sure you want to cut it my advise is don't. Wait until you are comfortable with the decision. Because once its gone, its gone. Everytime I've cut my hair on a whim, thinking its the practical choice and I'll just get used to it or let the stylist talk me into something, I've cried. Get it trimmed now, you can always cut more off later.

[wereleopard.livejournal.com]

I'm growing mine out for the wedding this fall and I cannot WAIT to cut it all off again afterwards. It just tangles and is an enormous pain to take care of and I end up just pulling it back every day.

[hlwoods.livejournal.com]

To add a datapoint; I used to suffer from headaches. (Not migraines, headaches. The migraines were rare and unrelated.)

The headaches decreased in both intensity and occurrence after I cut my hair. (We're going from headache 4 days out of 7, to just a headache around Auntie Flo's visit.)

[heidilea.livejournal.com]

I had butt-length hair from age 10 to 26. I got a wild hair up my ass after a fight with my boyfriend and had it trimmed 6 or 8 inches. It grew back so fast, I decided to commit to a layered cut, with the shorter pieces (which were pretty small) just at the base of my chin graduating gracefully down to a point on my middle back. 7 years have passed, and I still keep a variation of that cut. 2 years ago, I did have it layered to shoulder length, but I didn't like it and let it grow back to my slightly longer look.

As far as historical stuff, that was part of the reason I kept it so long, but I do 18thc, and wear a cap anyway.

[heidilea.livejournal.com]

Oh, advice--don't do a chin cut. My sister did that, and while it looked great, she said it was high maintenance and had to be styled every day, and required frequent trips to the hair dresser.

Talk to the stylist, list your concerns. If she's good, she'll be able to help you out. Try to get someone closer to your age or has a style that you like (though, I had a hairdresser recently who was 10 or so years older and bleach blonde, but she still did what I liked). And don't freak out if you don't like how she styles it--that washes out--just as long as the cut is good.

I like those octopus clips if I need my hair out of the way, with a soft headband if it needs to stay out of my face.

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

I chop mine off every ten years or so, then grow it back out. I've done the big change (from really long to chin length) at least three or four times. And while I enjoy it short, I always end up growing it back out again.

I don't do anything much with my hair either, but short hair seems like it needs more work to look good. I don't like to wash my hair every day, I don't think it's necessary unless I've been working hard or working out, but when it's short I have to if it's going to look good. I never have "bed head" when my hair is long. And if I don't have time for a shower? I can pull it back in a ponytail or braid it or put it up in a bun. In the summer I like my hair off my neck, and when it's short, that's hard to do.

In short, I tend to like it longer, but I cut it every ten years or so, just for a change.