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Well it went better than I thought. The lady that helped me (I went to a salon instead of a barber shop) completely understood exactly what I was going through because she had great long hair. She understood about taking off as little as possible and just basically evened it all up.
She "tidied up" my sideburns and shaved off those little fine hairs on the back of my neck, and it looks over-all less "shaggy." She also found my natural part which is slightly to the right of center. Of course, being one who makes money by cutting hair, she suggested that I come in once every 2 months to get 1/4 inch taken off....I said I'd think about it but I already did. She left the top alone and basically all she did as far as trimming goes was comb it straight down and get the very ends chopped, instead of chopping the same amount all the way around.
I'm very happy with the way it went, and might actually go back, but not any time soon. I wasn't at all devastated by losing any length because the back actually looks somewhat longer/neater. In a week I'll have back the length that she trimmed off (it was so little!) but hopefully I'll still retain the same neatness - senior pictures are soon.....
I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be because she knew what I wanted and what I didn't want. Overall it was a pretty good experience.
Good luck everyone.
She "tidied up" my sideburns and shaved off those little fine hairs on the back of my neck, and it looks over-all less "shaggy."
She also found my natural part which is slightly to the right of center.
She left the top alone and basically all she did as far as trimming goes was comb it straight down and get the very ends
chopped, instead of chopping the same amount all the way around.
As I said...she's my kind of Lady!
Thanx for sharing that story...and...
Good Luck!
..That spiel about coming in every 2 or 3 months to get a little trimmed off. Over a year ago in my first (this is my second) attempt of growing my hair, I went to the salon not knowing where to start and told the guy (he was bald..) that I wanted to grow it long. He told me the same thing.
Never do this, they are just out for money. Not only would the awkward stage be prolonged into a perpetual nightmare, your hair also won't look long for almost double the time it would take otherwise.
I believe in trimming every once in a while if it needs it, but frequent trims are a waste.
- Amish Guy
Oh lord, lets start an X files on those evil hair stylist, I knew some who I went to while growing my hair in the past and they wouldn't chop it all off. I would get a very small amount cut off the very ends and my hair remained super healthy. They actually refused to take all my money sometimes as they thought it was rediculous that I was paying full price for a short trim and touch up with the hairs on my neck, sideburns,etc.
If you are able to go years at a time, put up with it, and keep your hair healthy, I praise you but there shouldn't be some type of scare tactic given to people.
No one's trying to scare anybody. Not all hair stylists are evil, actually most are very attentive and nice, but there's always that one in a million that will screw you over. It's just good to be prepared in case you meet that person who just snips and snips without batting an eyelash. There is always a risk, albeit a small one, when you leave yourself in the hands of another person. A haircut is definitely not like major surgery! Just go to someone you trust and all will be quite well.
~Jenn
Another chance for my favorite rant....
Decide what's more important to you:
- Nice looking long hair
- Long hair, no matter how it looks
Trims (once every 8-12 weeks) will make your hair healthier by trimming off the splits (no cure for split ends except cut them to prevent more splitting). Plus, it will give the ends a neater appearance.
I have trims on a regular schedule. I've been growing by hair for 2.5 years and it IS growing!
Please don't go get a $10 trim...you get what you pay for. Your hair is something you wear everyday! (How much did you pay for the clothes you're wearing now?) Find a good stylist and always use the same one. Don't go to a walk-in salon and have a different stylist trim you each time you go in. There's going to be bad results sooner or later, regardless of whether you're growing your hair or not. I pay about $30 for a trim. Plus, I tip very well.
It's your hair and you're the one who has to wear it everyday. Decide how you want it to look.
Same thing happened to me shortly before my senior pictures, but my parents made me take off about an inch. It's been a year since then, so everything is cool now.