new thread
I never thought I'd say that. For eight years (almost) I've had it long.
And now, with a lot of personal things, I find myself wanting to cut it. But I'm so AFRAID.
Doesn't that sound weird? I'm terrified of going there, sitting in the chair, and letting some strange woman cut all my hair. I don't know.
Has anybody else gone through this?
For me personally, I've recently come out of an abusive relationship, I've recently realized a lot about myself, and I've recently lost weight. It feels like cutting off all my hair and keeping it short is the "right thing to do," but of course there's no way to reverse it if I get it cut.
I'm so anxious. Hair has such an amazing hold on us.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
I think you shouldn't cut your hair. You are definitely going to regret it. What took you years to grow will be gone in minutes! I think you are just upset and stressed out because of this disfunctional relationship. You feel that you need a change so you think a hair cut is the way to go but yet you feel wrong about going through with it at the same time. It sounds like you are in denial. You want long hair but feel that a hair cut(A change in your life)will help/make you feel better about yourself. A haircut is not going to boost up your self esteem nor is it going to help you feel better and it definitely won't make your problems disappear. You need another change in your life. Definitely not a haircut. Try doing different activities and meeting new people. Exercise, Walk, Go places etc..... Hope this helps.
Good luck
Two week rule. If you feel like cutting your hair each and every day of two weeks, then go and do it. But if one day you feel like keeping long hair, then you go back to day one. And so only with 14 consecutive days, you cut your hair.
Now, I will say change for the sake of change can feel good but it is also quite often an empty action. You were in an abusive relationship. I am sure we all were there once. We wanted to change ourselves in every way we could because we did not want to be that person who was abused and if we can change our clothes, hair, face, demeanor, friends, music, life, and everything we will not be that person, right? Well, not exactly.
I do not want to just say get over it like that but permanent outward changes because of a temporary condition do not make sense. This is when the two week rule comes into play. I'd vote for keeping the hair long but it is your choice and hopefully fellow posters my elders and my juniors, my longers and my shorters, will chime in.
If your hair is so long, then cut it shorter (shoulder length) and see how you like it. You may feel like a new person.
Once a month go and get two inches cut off as the months roll by your hair will get shorter and shorter. One of two things will happen you'll end up with short hair or you'll stop and get over your cutting desires. If you don't mind spending the money you could get an inch cut every two weeks until you snap out of it.
This is uncle Kevins remedy for those who feel they want to cut their hair short. Cut a little at a time so if you change your mind you don't have as far to go to re-grow it.
Kevin
There is a way to reverse it, but it just takes a while. Also remember that wherever you go, there you are - you're still you with long hair or no hair.
I go through this quite often, so I feel for you...
All I can say is that every time I have gone through with it and cut off my hair, I've regretted it terribly.
Please think about it for at least a month before you make a final decision. =o)
1. I KNOW I desire to have long hair always.
2. The one and only time in my life that I fell for a "Buzz-Cut" was one of the worst experiences of all. Right after it was done I wanted to throw-up.
Elmo
Oh yes Ive been there done that and got the tee-shirt for doing what you are considering doing and oh yes I most certainly regretted it to that happen back in October 2004 at first I liked it but as the first week went by I started to miss my long hair and before the end of the second week on having it cut Short Back & Sides I decided to grow it back long so here i am again with shoulder length hair again and this is defiantly me as I know SHORT HAIR isnt for me due to me doing the task of having it cut in the first place.
Advice for yourself before you decided to actually go though with having it cut here is a few questions to ask yourself
1/ Think if you decided to have it cut short will you miss your long hair ??
2/ You say you have had long hair for 8 years now when you get it cut of you will alter the appearence of yourself will you like your new look ?
3/ First & foremost Once you have had it all cut of Short you cannot undo what you have had done !
4/ 8 years growth its taken you just to get it cut of short in as little as 10 Minutes I suggest it will take you another 8 years to achieve what you have already got.
5/ You are afraid to have it cut of well you have already answered your question and you havent really decided on what you really want to do take time to think if you really want to go though with it ?
6/ Please think about all the questions ive asked you before you get your hair cut really short unless you might consider the alterative on getting it trimmed to satisfy your altered ego !
Best of luck on what you decide please let us know the out come of your decision
Axel
Hi Elmo,
Well, you've already been given some great suggestions to chew on by ChrisH, Antesse, KevinC, Bragi, Justin, and others, --- and in my opinion, each person who responded brought up some excellent and very valid points!
I don't have a whole lot to add, other than narrating the following experience:
I cut my waist-length hair short in Y2K, which totally devastated me at the time (once I fully realized what I'd done a few days later). A friend of mine who wanted to help me get emotionally "over it" suggested I go BACK FOR ANOTHER TRIM; but, to go to a completely different hairstylist than the one who cut off all my long hair... At first, I thought her suggestion was totally NUTS!!! But, as the weeks rolled by, and I still felt like an emotional train-wreck, it came to me to take up her suggestion, --- especially considering the fact that the hairstylist that she recommended I go to was a guy who specialized in long hair (for both men as well as women).
When I went in for my appointment, I swear he barely cut off 1/4 inch of hair all the way around, --- IF EVEN THAT MUCH!!! He treated me like royalty, spending more time on the shampooing & conditioning and fussing than on actually cutting off any hair. I'm sure it helped that my friend, Hester, who also went to this hairstylist (she has hip-length hair), apparently told him ahead-of-time about my negative experience and how devastated I was afterward. This trim cut off next to NOTHING, as far as any real length goes; but, psychologically and emotionally, it felt like it "erased" the bad memory of all that had happened before... And I then felt free to move forward in life, --- including with the re-growing of getting my long hair back.
If you've just come out of a bad abusive relationship, it's totally understandable that you would want to erase everything and anything even remotely associated with that realationship. But, long hair also sounds like it's very much a part of who YOU are, --- and that you would regret cutting it if you did. My thoughts are these: don't punish yourself for the abuse that somebody else is guilty of having inflicted on you, --- and ESPECIALLY don't punish your hair, which is just as equally innocent as you!!!! But, to treat yourself to the finest hair salon in whatever city you live in, pampering yourself to experience an outrageously expensive hairstylist just to trim off any split ends and any slight re-shaping of how your mane is normally styled, to me sounds like an excellent way to help start off your new life in the right direction!
My best to you, --- and I hope my comments have helped!!
- Ken in San Francisco
I have no idea how long your hear is now, since there's no picture, but I have a suggestion: If, for example, your hair reaches your belt, cut about 6 inches off, and see how you like that. The average person can grow 6 inches a year, so if you don't like it, you'll be back to your old length in a year. But if your hair is not that long, 6 inches may be too much.