Why Did You Cut Off All Your Hair??? And A Ramble. [Archive] - The Long Hair Community Discussion Boards

Dark Star

October 3rd, 2013, 06:59 AM

I know some of you have done the, 'BIG CHOP' as you call it. After having perused the site for awhile, I have come to notice that. Was it due to damage, being sick of having long hair, illness, depression, et cetera? Is it even okay to ask this? It must have been quite emotional in some cases. I find hair--every--well, special. It is a fact that back in, "The Burning Times" the beautiful, long hair of witches was often cut off as part of their humiliation and torture (not to go so dark there but it is true).

I feel so shallow being preoccupied with my hair for most hours of the day of late. I am wondering about chopping because something seems to have happened to my hair and I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face because I do not 'get' what has happened. Something bad without any processing or heat-styling having been done in 20 or more years. I've been treating it for a protein overload for five weeks now and while it seemed to have been getting better for a time, it has got worse last week and has stayed pretty much the same since. It even feels bone-dry when it is soaking wet. I NEVER thought hair could behave like that and it is REALLY scaring me! I don't know if the products I am using suck or what. I cannot fix something if I do not know what is wrong, now can I? I have had waist-length (give or take 3 inches off that depending on when I would trim it) for 20 solid years now. I cannot imagine how I would look with short hair as it would not go with my whole 'style' really and I would miss my long tresses so much. I wish there was a definitive way to tell if this was a protein issue because I woke up today, with the urge to put a, "Blue Green Algae" conditioning (rich in protein but moisture too) mask in my hair because it always made my hair feel so soft--never hard. The longer I left it in, it would feel softer. But you can all relax, because I only tried it on ONE section of my ends and the results are inconclusive (ends that are as crispy as toast!). I know that one section of my hair has been fused together in a crispy bunch since this started in late August and that is, typically, a sign of protein overkill (according to online sources anyway).

I am STILL looking for products because what I am using is not cutting it--apparently. Sorry to ramble. I am just really down right now. I used to be beautiful and even modelled for artists when I was younger. My skin went to hell 2 years ago when it was always in top condition. I somehow got an impaired skin barrier even though I was doing the same skin care routine I had done for 10 years. That brought on acne, dilated capillaries, hypersensitivity, increased oiliness and dehydration. 'Tis a better since I've been working with the lovely Jen, over at, "Garden of Wisdom"--but still it is not my skin.

Please forgive me for this ramble--I have suffered A LOT of losses and disappointments in my life lately, on top of already being clinically depressed and my hair was basically THE last part of me that was still good, still beautiful and now it is fading too. :(:(:( If I can even get it back to health, it is going to take YEARS and YEARS to get it back to this length it is now if I chop it.

Kwantslonghair

October 3rd, 2013, 07:08 AM

The times I have cut my hair has been from pressure from family members. I finally decided it is MY hair and if I want it long, then I will.

Siiri

October 3rd, 2013, 07:21 AM

Mine was only from APL to pixie. I just wanted to grow out the dye, and having black length with light roots is not my ideal look. The cut wasn't really very emotional for me, it just needed to be done and I'm glad I did it.

As for your hair, I've seen your recent threads and you have had some good advice already, so I won't be repeating any here. One thing, if nothing works, stop experimenting with different new products and after clarifying/chelating try going back to using those products, some really basic ones, you've used in the past for long perods with good results, and try to not think about your hair for a while. Then introduce new products one at a time so you can see what they do for your hair.

MonaMayfair

October 3rd, 2013, 07:21 AM

I just said something about this in another thread. I had my hair cut to a chin length bob in 2010 because I was sick of being long haired just like everyone else, and I wanted to stand out. Started growing it out straight away (apart from one further cut because I needed it for a play I was in) because it was too much work to look after and I couldn't be bothered.
It grew back to waist length pretty quickly.

PetuniaBlossom

October 3rd, 2013, 07:25 AM

The times I've done a big chop were when I was bored and just wanted a change. I'd see someone with really short hair and it looked cute and I knew it would work on me so I just went for it. Those days are over now. If it could grow back long overnight, fine. But since it takes years to grow back, I'm sticking with it long.
I'm not very knowledgeable about things like protein overload, so I don't have any practical scientific input for you.
I'm thinking your stress and depression are having a bad effect on your hair and skin. And then that reinforces the stress and depression, like it's a vicious cycle. So basically I'd try to look to treating the depression, reduce the stress level if you can, and maybe your hair and skin will respond to that by blooming again.
OK, don't laugh, but I do have one suggestion that may seem unrelated to what's going on with you, but I know it helps me. Drink more water. (You may giggle, but I really mean it.) A big glass of water, with some lemon in it, always has a nice calming effect, and the hydration is great for hair and skin health.
Anyway, I wish you well and will be following this thread in the hopes that things will get better for you very soon.

blendedchaitea

October 3rd, 2013, 07:31 AM

furnival

October 3rd, 2013, 07:32 AM

I know everyone asks you this, but I don't know if you've answered it on any of your threads yet. Have you tried clarifying? Sudden straw-like hair is indicative of build-up.

Dark Star

October 3rd, 2013, 08:07 AM

"Furnival"--is that a Brian Froud piece there?

I've clarified, I've chelated. I understand everyone is trying to help but I keep getting this suggestion (over and over again) and it has been done--at the start of this and again, last week. I cannot keep doing that or I will have NO hair left at all. I did want to post about denatured alcohol because it was in ALL the products I was using. Protein was in most of them so i felt it necessary to change my products to very basic, all-natural, no-protein, no-alcohol (unless the good fatty alcohols of course!) products.

This is VERY hard on me. When this had happened I was already clarifying/chelating monthly due to the hard water here. And I just use vinegar rinses for that--nothing harsh so I doubt that caused it. However, when I do a more serious clarifying as in twice recently--I use a special shampoo for that.

My hair is like parchment paper--breaking like mad, thin, wiry and crisp in areas, no volume--just well, 'dead'.

I drink LOTS of water by the way and I have since the mid-90s so it is not that.

Again about the 'bad' alcohol--I got a free catalog from a company today and in that catalog, they listed, 'Alcohol Denatured' as one of their top ten BIG baddies. They said it can strip the hair and the skin of all moisture--even impairing the latter's hydro-lipid barrier. This article disagrees: http://www.zaega.com/beauty-myth-alcohol-dries-out-and-damages-your-hair-and-your-skin.html

It may not be AT ALL related but when the company I had been devoted to for years had undergone dome dramatic changes due to the death of the CEO/founder and 'denatured alcohol' started appearing on the label--my skin went to heck. But frankly, it has stayed that way with some improvements so who knows? Now the hair too. Whatever.

I am sorry. I am sure you are all sick of hearing about this. It is just a shock to have lush. soft, volumninos tresses one day and literally, the next day, to have awful, parched-dry, breaking, 'fried' hair.

Anyway, thanks for reading this self-absorbed dribble. My mood is bad today and I am probably going into hiding for awhile. From here and even 'out in the world' save for the blood tests I have to have to see if this is a health-related matter.

Hugs to you all. I mean that. I really, really do and thank you.

ceruleansky

October 3rd, 2013, 08:19 AM

My mother forced my first big chop on me at 13, from TB to shag... it was a couple years before the style enjoyed new popularity due to the show "Friends" and with my really wavy hair I looked like a scarecrow. I got teased a lot too.

The next 2 big chops I was enduring some crazy life changes, so I guess these were emotional chops. The first from hip to ear, I just lopped the ponytail off the back of my head and evened up as much as I could get by myself. The second time from waist to pixie. I had it done at a tiny salon but it didn't get cut proper, it took 6 months growing and 3 more cuts at two different salons to get it "balanced" looking, the layers had been cut so uneven all over my head.

This last time I cut it was due to crazy thinning postpartum. I was also a little hyperthyroid, which is probably accounts for the worst of it. My entire hairline receded, even more so at the temples. I lost so much hair all over the top and sides of my head too, I had a ginormous part no matter where I separated my hair. My hair came out in clumps and ropes for months. After losing half my thickness handling my hair made me feel very depressed, so I had it chopped nearly to pixie length (from waist).

I am at shoulder length now. My first forced cut and this most recent one are the only chops I regret having had done.

furnival

October 3rd, 2013, 08:32 AM

Aye, both my avatar and signature are pictures by Brian Froud :)

I'm sorry that you're having such trouble with your hair and I hope you find a way to sort it out soon. :flower:

Flor

October 3rd, 2013, 08:40 AM

ositarosita

October 3rd, 2013, 09:11 AM

I cut my hair from waist/hip to shoulder when I moved away to college because my mother kept telling me that my hair is what made me special and I wanted to prove to her that I was more than my hair. After years of figuring out who I am without hair I realised that I'm just a mermaid with legs and I deserve to have my hair again.

Stray_mind

October 3rd, 2013, 09:19 AM

I cut my hair, because it was dry,frizzy broken hair flew around, it tangled a lot, thinned out from about APL till the ends and i had soo many split ends.. I kinda regret it now, because i could've saved it with moisturizing and trimming away all the split ends.. Oh well... Now just gotta be patient and wait for it to grow back.

MaryRose

October 3rd, 2013, 09:34 AM

My last major chop was out of boredom. I had bsl hair that I chopped to a pixie cut. I loved it short and kept it that way for about a year. I did not think much about my hair being short or long. One day Hubby, asked for me to grow it back out. I love him and didn't really have a preference of length, so I grew it out with the promise that I wont cut it that short again. When my hair reached APL, this is when I started becoming hair conscious and joined LHC. I started with the plan to be come waist. I have reached this goal and soon after, cut my hair to above bsl. I think the act of growing hair is more fun than reaching a goal and maintaining. Because of this, I decided that once I reach waist again ( in a few months) I will continue to grow to TB.

sweetinlace

October 3rd, 2013, 09:47 AM

This may sound like a weird question, but you said you've clarified. What exactly are you clarifying with? Did you apply it to just the scalp or the length too?

I had some seriously crunchy and grabby ends last week, and I just added some baking soda to my normal shampoo. I applied it directly to the ends (as gently as I could) and rinsed and out. Followed it with a heavy conditioning with a cone free conditioner concentrating on my ends.

Nope

October 3rd, 2013, 09:56 AM

I went from a blonde, crispy APL to a soft red-brown pixie. I was growing out my natural roots after bleaching the crap out of my hair. I originally planned to just let it grow long before I cut it, but I had irreparable damage and protein overload, combined with a really hard time in my life. I'm very impulsive also :P

Crumpet

October 3rd, 2013, 10:42 AM

I'm thinking your stress and depression are having a bad effect on your hair and skin. And then that reinforces the stress and depression, like it's a vicious cycle. So basically I'd try to look to treating the depression, reduce the stress level if you can, and maybe your hair and skin will respond to that by blooming again.
OK, don't laugh, but I do have one suggestion that may seem unrelated to what's going on with you, but I know it helps me. Drink more water. (You may giggle, but I really mean it.) A big glass of water, with some lemon in it, always has a nice calming effect, and the hydration is great for hair and skin health.
Anyway, I wish you well and will be following this thread in the hopes that things will get better for you very soon.

Good advice. I have chronic depression (i.e. I will always get cyclically depressed) and I'm on medication that helps with that. Still, it takes a lot of bootstrapping to keep myself going. Every. Single. Day. Focus on doing nice things for yourself and things will slowly but surely fall into place. Make sure you get healthy food each and every day. Drink lots of water and herbal tea. Take yourself for walks, runs, whatever sport you like. Make sure you get sleep.

My other bit of depression advice that sounds crazy: stop caring so much. I'm very emotional and get over-wrought about my hair and oodles of things every day. Try to remind yourself that there are way more important things in life (e.g. daily care for yourself) and let them go.

Depression will impact your physical looks so try to focus on taking care of that and things will improve. I promise.

Also :grouphug:

spidermom

October 3rd, 2013, 10:43 AM

The last few times I got a big trim (5-7 inches), it was because my ends had gone to crap, white dots and split ends all over the place plus sticking together like Velcro. After trying all the usual LHC fixes, I decided there was no saving those ends, so I had them cut off. I hate fighting with my hair every day. I'd rather have it shorter.

Sometimes solving your hair woes is a matter of finding the right products. A year ago (give/take a few months), I hated my hair. It was tangly and awful. No matter what I did, any improvement only lasted about a day. Just by chance (because it was on sale), I bought a set of Renpure Originals argan oil formula shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in, and my hair did a 180-degree turn-around to awesome. Before that, I was a "buy whatever is on sale, smells good, and is gentle" kind of shopper. Now I seek this product out. I also have a Suave clarifying shampoo for very occasional use. I can tell when I've got too much product residue in my hair; it feels dry but looks limp.

Now I'm not saying that my product of choice would work for you, but if you've given your current products at least two weeks and your hair is still awful, maybe you should try something else.

But of course make sure that your health habits are good first.

Good luck!

Katrine

October 3rd, 2013, 10:45 AM

I'm so sorry to hear about all that is happening with your hair. If you've just moved I know water can really be an issue. Have you tried miracle water or CA (Citric Acid) rinses? Sometimes I do both ACV and CA rinses because of the water here being very hard and full of chemicals even though I have a good shower filter.

You didn't mention moisture which is what can really help protein overload. Have you tried SMT (Snowy Moon's Moisturizing Treatment)? It works wonders and it's really easy to make. You can do a search for it and it should pull up the thread.

Oh, and I wanted to add that I cut my hair the last time from TBL to Chin several years ago because of massive shedding and breakage (half my hair) due to health issues and stress. There was no salvaging it. When I was younger I got it cut because I wanted a change or felt it needed it.

I hope you and your hair are feeling better soon.

RedNymph

October 3rd, 2013, 10:47 AM

I wanted fresh hair that wasn't damaged. I hated touching my hair so I did the big chop. It's a long journey but you gotta be brave to do it.

ExpectoPatronum

October 3rd, 2013, 10:55 AM

I did the big chop because my ends were so damaged, that they kept breaking and splitting. I was getting nowhere with my growth and I was sick and tired of my hair looking and feeling like crap. My ends were also ridiculously thin compared to the rest of my hair (less than half an inch to my four inch ponytail circumference) so I wanted to get rid of that dramatic taper. I only did my chop a few days ago, but my hair looks and feels amazing now. I went from having bad hair to having nice hair again.

It sounds like you're having a lot of trouble with your hair...How much would you have to chop? If it's not a bunch, I really recommend you do it. If it's more than you're willing to let go of, you should do moisture treatments to counteract the protein overload and try to keep your hair in protective styles as much as you can until it grows out.

PJolie

October 3rd, 2013, 11:10 AM

I went from waist length to bra strap length cause my ends looked so damaged and no life due to a perm.. But even at bsl wasn't good and it was driving me bananas, so I got a pixie for a fresh start. It has been 3 years since I did it, and I have to say it was worth it. I always have had long hair so I was afraid to cut it, but when I did I realized the following:
1. Healthy hair grows waaaaaaay faster (mine is at hip length right now and I trim it frequently, not so much now that I want tail bone length!)
2.The time it took to grow back helped me to learn a lot about my hair.
3. While is was growing it was fun! I went through a lot of hairstyles that I never experienced before cause I always had it long. The fact that I got to see myself with different hairstyles helped me to see which one I like better, and though I love my long hair I gotta admit that at shoulder length it was fun hair! (my ends curled a lot)

Now that my hair is longer that I've have had it before I'm learning new things and enjoying the new experience. Incredible my ends started to curl a lot again, and I just love it. I have a new hair routine and I plan to always do my best to keep my hair healthy cause even though I enjoy the journey I do not want to cut it again. One time is enough to learn! :)

For you, I would say that you dont have to cut it if you don't want to. You can change your hair routine and maybe trim your ends a little.

Upside Down

October 3rd, 2013, 11:15 AM

Hi, Dark Star. I am sorry you are going through this.
Are you by any chance taking some oral hormones or patches or such (like birth control pill)?

I am asking because of my experience. I had my big chop before I joined TLC and it was due to breakage, horrible condition of hair, loss of texture, color wouldn't stick...
At that time it seemed to me that these things happened all of a sudden out of nowhere - but looking back, I was panicking and got lost in trying different stuff in order to fix this.

It came gradually, but the change was drastic. You can see the difference in texture in this thread..
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=114852 (Progress thread)
The first pic ("before") was the best I got my hair back then... it didn't look that good :)

And then check out the real texture of those days..
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=25320 (hairtyping thread)

I think most people won't think Eureka! Birth Control Pill! when dealing with weak damaged and breaking hair, thus the need to share this.
If you are using hormones, consider all of the above...

jen5972

October 3rd, 2013, 12:28 PM

I'm so sorry you are going through so much, Dark Star :(. I hope you start seeing some really positive changes soon.

I have done many chops over the years, for various reasons. The first really big chop I did that was about a foot of hair was because of grief. I had gone through a personal loss, and was grieving heavily. I cut my hair in hopes that I would somehow feel better, but it only made things worse. My last chop (which I am growing out) was because I wanted to feel pretty and be like everyone else. After I cut, I realized that I didn't like being like everyone else because it is BORING :).

spirals

October 3rd, 2013, 12:36 PM

I wish I had some advice. Instead, have a virtual hug.

kmcg

October 3rd, 2013, 01:22 PM

You've got my sympathies. I will say, if all the advice about your hair is over whelming you right now then by all means, move away from the computer. When I feel stressed about my skin or hair and I'm at a fork in the road my ability to know what method I should embrace is diminished at best. Honestly, you might need to put your hair up, don't touch it, try not to look in the mirror and take a couple personal days to do relaxing things that don't require make up and hair fixing. I use to freak out and go overboard with my hair and skin when I encountered a problem. Being lazy and walking away from the endless piles of products was the best thing I ever did for my hair, skin + sanity. But that's me, not you. Bottom line, take a breath and do what you need to be happy. I hope your results from the blood tests offer the insight you need.
My thread related hair story:
Years ago when I wanted to cut my hair off I did it gradually as I was nervous at first. I did it myself and was not kind to my hair but as a dirty college kid that didn't matter then. Doing it myself did offer a level of control. Pixie cuts fit my personality much better. I needed my hair to convey a level of sass.
If you cut your hair, I hope it won't have to be laden with a sense of defeat. Personally, if I put my mind to it I can find a way to enjoy the outcome even if it was spurred by something negative. I know that's easier said than done. My good thoughts go out to you Dark Star.

hannabiss

October 3rd, 2013, 01:53 PM

Eh. Guess it depends on person I shaved my head a few months ago. Nothing emotional about it for it's just hair! I used to have long hair and my mom did too. So there was a bond but honestly I felt awesome with no hair! I do plan to grow to ankle or terminal. So obviously I love long hair. But for me it's still just hair.

hannabiss

October 3rd, 2013, 02:05 PM

But I must say you have my sympathy as you say you have skin problems and have suffered loses. Hope all can be well. Have you tried to leave your hair alone with no product? Idk if it will help but I know some have said their hair looks best with nothing in it

see_turtle

October 3rd, 2013, 02:09 PM

I chopped right after my wedding ( a year ago) but I am impulsive and it was feeling nasty from the hair spray and heat styling. I majorly regret it as I was at waist but Im almost back to BSL so it is not the end of the world. Good luck figuring out your hair!

Marika

October 3rd, 2013, 02:17 PM

I basically chopped my hair because it reminded me of all the bad times. When my hair was at its longest, I was depressed, lonely and obese. I lost 120 pounds in a year (without surgery), found love and was just happy. I was relieved to say goodbye to my hair and just recently I've started to miss my long hair. But without the misery and obesity, please!:D

woodswanderer

October 3rd, 2013, 02:29 PM

So sorry you are feeling so depressed. I cut my hair back in high school, and really, I think I just cut it because I thought going to a salon for a style was an "adult" thing to do....instead of having my mom trim the ends like usual.

renia22

October 3rd, 2013, 03:44 PM

Do you have any pictures? Maybe it's not that bad, you just think it is?

And I know you've said several times that you want to use natural products, but I'd try some basic sulfate shampoo and cone conditioner at least once before deciding to cut hair off. I think you mentioned you've moved recently? Maybe water is much worse where you live now and natural products are simply not cutting it?

Yes, seconded ^^. I would bite the bullet & get some Prell shampoo & Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner (a couple of cult classics known the clarify/ moisturize). Worse case scenario, it doesn't work and you're out $10. Better than cutting your hair off & ending up with short, dry hair that you don't like any better, especially if you like your hair long & that's important to you.

spidermom

October 3rd, 2013, 03:52 PM

Ack - no, not Prell!

(way too harsh for my hair, but the advice wasn't given to me, so never mind)

jacqueline101

October 3rd, 2013, 03:54 PM

In the years before lhc I started growing my hair long it was mbl. I did the perm thing, straightener thing, and dye thing. My hair looked good but grew very little it struck me as odd. I never tried to seek help so I got bored one more time got a hair cut it was botched waited for it to grow. It did grow I changed my ways in the mean time. I got on hair skin nail vitamin and my product line improved. I got mane n tail shampoo and conditioner set, vo5 keep me keep me strong cream leave in. I did use the us version sunsilk products hair mask in pink jar, purple bottle of heat protector shine spray and I air dried. My hair grew in October I cut my chunks in how I wanted them. They were two layers one jaw length the other one Adam apple length. This was 07 and very modern trend. My hair was bsl at this time straight as its natural texture. I had a met a man he deceived me. I went through a major over haul lost 30 pounds and got a short shag. I regretted it because I loved my long hair. That's where my signature came from. I've been trying since that time frame to grow what I lost.

renia22

October 3rd, 2013, 04:07 PM

Ack - no, not Prell!

(way too harsh for my hair, but the advice wasn't given to me, so never mind)

Haha :) if it's not a clarifying issue, though, Another idea would be clairol herbal essences hello hydration shampoo & conditioner... Straight up, coney goodness :)

WilfredAllen

October 3rd, 2013, 10:13 PM

have you heard of greenhouse method? It's a moisturizing technique when you just use water and heat. basically, you wet your hair, wrap it in a plastic bag/shpwercap/swim cap and put a wrm hat overtop for a few hours. I cut off all my hair into a mohawk once, just because i had always wanted one aand i was shaving my friends mohawk for her. I loved it and it was so cute, but yes the change was VERY emotional. I'm glad I had the bald (okay not really bald... but kinda... lol) experience.

CurlyCap

October 4th, 2013, 12:04 AM

I cut my hair for a lot of reasons:

1. No one ever mentioned anything about me but my hair.

2. I was never allowed to cut my hair growing up, except as a punishment.

3. I was poor, tired, and sick of spending precious money on conditioner and serums (I didn't have LHC knowledge that there were cheaper alternatives).

4. I wanted, while I was young enough to grow it back if I hated it, really really short hair.

I've always been an advocate of "Your hair is there to make you happy." So if having it short is what you need in life, cut it. If you like it long, keep it long despite the nay sayers. Personally, it took me almost 2 years to finalize the decision to cut, and since I took the decision very seriously and thought about it, I've never regretted it.

Hope that helps,

CC

AnqeIicDemise

October 4th, 2013, 12:19 AM

I chopped mine off because my hair was so damaged, an old, natural broom bristles like these (http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/96/db/6c/96db6cc0c1636e55c1c6cf4ec628f658.jpg) looked healthier than my hair. It was so fried, it crinkled when the wind blew through it-- or tried to. Splits had splits upon splits and I couldn't run my fingers through it at all.

But then again, I was 17, didn't know a lick of hair care and loved me some heat stylin'.

And I didn't regret it at all either. I had the most fun trying all sorts of pixies for about a eight years before I decided to go ahead and grow it back out.

Olavi

October 4th, 2013, 01:23 AM

First time was because I was stupid kid who chopped big tangle off. I'm amazed that my hairdresser handled the situation that well, and the bob cut actually looked nice.

Second was because I wanted some change.

And third was because my hair was overly damaged and was literally breaking away. Every time I touched my hair, I got tiny brittled pieces of hair all over me. Plus I wanted to try bald anyway, so why not? Bald looked good, but not as good as long hair :p

BlondeWavyGal

October 4th, 2013, 03:46 AM

The first time was when I was very young and tried a pixie because a friend had gotten it and I was a copy cat.
The second was years after when I fell into depression and my hair got tangles. I left the tangles way too long and they developed into a giant knot, which eventually had to be cut out along with most of my hair. Then I dyed it black.
Only now is my hair nearly back to the longest its ever been, which was between APL and BSL. Is also back to my natural color.

Even If I fell back into depression, I've learned my lesson with hair so I definitely wont be cutting it anytime soon
The only time I ever think I'll cut my hair again is when I reach TBL and beyond, I'll probably start cutting away the dye damage until its all virgin and a good length.
But never above BSL again, Above BSL is a horror.

inanna

October 4th, 2013, 04:22 AM

The first time I cut my hair drastically shorter was when I got permission to choose my own hairstyle for the first time, I think I was 12 years old. I got it cut from BCL to SL and permed. :rolleyes: After I grew the perm out a bit, I had to get it cut short again to get rid of the damage and the last remaining curls that I really couldn't handle properly.

In my 20s I had it cut from MBL to a short bob because I felt like I needed a change. I loved the feeling of lightness and the wind ruffling my hair, and proceeded to go shorter and shorter for the next few years. It was great going into the hairdressers and being able to say "just do whatever" because I was sure it'd grow out within a few months anyway.

After being at pixie for a while, I started to miss my "own" hair both in terms of colour and in terms of length. And here I am, growing it out again to the virgin BCL hair of my childhood. Except that I'll probably never reach BCL again.

I'm sorry to hear about your hair troubles, DarkStar. I'm afraid I have zero advice, apart from being patient with both yourself and your hair. :)

GeoJ

October 4th, 2013, 01:42 PM

I cut from knee to BSL due to illness. I was having health problems that were causing major shedding. The length became thin, not like naturally thin hair, but like unhealthy thin. It looked bad & began to tangle easily. It was hard to make buns with the thin long bit of hair that was left (and more kept falling out).

I hated having to cut it, but I am glad that I did, especially since I lost even more hair after cutting. I still only cut to BSL, and now my regrowth (that is nearer to my original thickness) has just crossed APL. It is still thin below that. I will slowly remove my old hair as the regrowth gets longer.

I hope you find a solution to your hair problems.

0xalis

October 5th, 2013, 12:20 AM

My first big chop was from waist to chin in the 5th grade. I do not regret it, I enjoyed it a lot. However I tried off and on to regrow my hair for years, and I was JUST finally getting to the point of long again [full APL when wavy] when I decided "hey let's bleach the everloving heck out of my hair!] due to boredom :nono:
I don't know what came over me. But after numerous bleachings [because the results just weren't good enough!] I realized what a horrible state I had left my hair in, and decided I had no other choice.
I almost shaved it. If I had had a wig, I probably would have. I decided on a pixie.
I hated it almost immediately. My mind has been focused on nothing but getting my hair long and healthy again ever since. I still have 4-6 inches of bleach damage left on the ends, and some annoying layers. Definitely glad I did mullet trims, though. With my hair now at solid collarbone [right between collarbone and APL stretched] I finally feel like myself again but it's still not good enough for me. I'm so hard to please. If health was my #1 top priority, I'd chop it all to chin to get rid of the rest of the bleach, but length is #1 with health at #1.5. I'm working very hard to keep my ends happy enough to keep growing while trimming little bits along the way. I'm so sick of having short hair. My hair hasn't been past APL since the 5th grade. *Sigh* and I still have 17-20 inches until hip [thanks, waves and shrinkage OTL]

TheVegan6

October 5th, 2013, 02:53 PM

I got my hair cut to a pixie because I wanted to try it! I had wanted to get all my hair chopped off just to see what it was like, so I did. It looks good and I'm glad I did it, but I also learned that it's just not me. If I hadn't gotten my hair cut, I never would've known.

Also there's nothing quite like scratching your scalp with short hair. Man it feels good.

I also wanted to try it! But I regretted it. It looked so bad with my height and face shape and hair texture and such. And After it grew out a little, I would want to put my hair up, but I couldn't!

Becky9679

October 5th, 2013, 03:06 PM

Bored, sick of it getting in the way, wanting to get rid of dye, cutting out layers, seeing someone else with shorter hair and thinking the same style would look good on me.

The urge to cut comes and goes, as although I love long hair I seem to have a love/hate relationship with my own. Just the other week I was thinking how happy I was with my hair the way it is now but the past couple of days it's really been getting on my nerves and I've been having a crazy urge to get a buzz-cut. I tend to go through cycles like this and these days when I have a 'cut brain' I remind myself how much I've disliked it every time I've cut it short, how hard I've worked to get it back to this length and keep it healthy in the process and that I'll probably go back to loving it again fairly soon. Then I just put it up and try to forget about it!

prettyinpink

October 5th, 2013, 09:54 PM

remember, having short hair will not take away from your beauty

teawitch

October 5th, 2013, 11:19 PM

I buzzed my hair almost two years ago because I got a terrible haircut that not only looked really bad but also damaged my hair. I was constantly upset about it. I tried to make the front look better by getting bangs, and although it was a slight improvement in the front the condition of the back was still very bad and the bangs started to annoy me. I was fed up with my hair mess. So on January 1, 2012, I buzzed it with the help of my husband. On the first pass I was shocked but elated... he said the look on my face was priceless. When it was done I felt light and liberated! My super short hair was so soft. My family was not thrilled, but my husband thought it was cute. I was sad to have to start over on my long hair journey, but I knew it would turn out for the better. I really needed to just start over.

My hair is currently past shoulder length, and needless to say it is in much better condition than it was. Starting over caused me to be more mindful of my hair and take better care of it overall. At the same time, it made me realize that it is just hair. It's lovely to have long hair, but it's not the end of the world if you don"t.