A lot has changed for me over the past few months, but one change in particular was a biggie. No… not getting engaged. (Although that is a HUGE change, it isn’t the one I am referring to here.) If you follow me on social media, you likely have seen my long blonde hair. My hair was getting close to reaching my butt until I decided to chop about 13-14 inches off.
The thing about hair is, the styles we choose for ourselves impact how we are perceived by others. I’ve been told hundreds of times that I look much younger with long hair compared to when my hair is shorter. But, for the past 3 years that did not stop me from growing it out for as long as I could. I didn’t care so much about how old or young I appeared, I cared about the number of ways I could style my hair for each occasion. Whether that occasion was church, a wedding, softball practice, or a date… I wanted options. Naturally, I felt that having longer hair would provide me with countless hairstyles from which to choose.
Now, for me, growing my hair isn’t too complicated. At times I felt that it was taking forever to grow. Then, one morning I woke up and I could swear it was 5 inches longer. (Not really, though, lol!) To help my hair grow, I took a multivitamin daily (Flintstones vitamins) and for a short period of time, I took biotin. I didn’t notice enough of a difference after two months, so I ditched biotin from my daily routine. If you want long hair, my only piece of advice is to be patient. Patience is a virtue when waiting for your hair to grow, ladies.
Okay. A little about my hair: it is incredibly fine and pin straight. When it is long, it has zero volume, tangles easily, and holds no curls. My plan to have more options for styling proved accurate, but the styles did not look at all how I had hoped. (See photo below for an example.)
This photo is an example of my attempt at having curls for the day. As you can see, those curls fell. What a bummer.
The photo you see above was actually from a few weeks ago. So, you can see the length of my hair is quite long. Had it not been curled (if you can even call it that), it would appear even longer. When not styled and brushed straight, it was very very long.
Aside from styles not being up to par in my book, I struggled with the tangles. I HATE BRUSHING MY HAIR. Seriously… brushing my hair when it is long is the absolute worst. Why? Well, it turns into a rat’s nest during the night, handles the wind well (not), and if I were to go to the gym or do something active, my hair would turn into a rat’s nest… again.
Does that hair up there look healthy to you? No. It may not appear very dry right there, but if you were to examine it up close prior to the cut, it was dead, dull, and dry. Let’s be real, if you are a hairdresser, you would laugh when you see my sorry excuse for taming my long hair. Keegan Michael Key said it best in the movie Just Go With It, “There’s only one word for it: Neglect.”
I was sick of my head of hair. Simple as that. It was time for a change. So, instead of getting a trim or some layers… I chopped 14 inches off. Well, my hairdresser did, haha. My inspiration for the hairstyle stemmed from reading a post from Steph’s Scribe about how to style short hair. It gave me hope for going short! So thank you, Stephanie Verni!
Aside from a lot of research, I thought back to the last time I cut my hair. It never felt healthier. I wanted that feeling back. I wanted to treat my hair the way it deserved to be treated. Chopping off all the dead, dull, and dry hair was the only answer. I felt so youthful, excited, and lighter. I love my decision to go short. If you are considering it… I say GO FOR IT! Don’t look back.
BEFORE THE CUT
BEFORE THE CUT
AFTER THE CUT
