did/does anyone else have this fear?

[xoam0re]

So, I have severely damaged ends. . . before I joined this lovely community, I abused my hair by bleaching my ends to go ombre (I had been doing all over color for about 4 years -- at one point in 2011 I was bleached blonde) I had about an inch and a half or 2 cut off in July, with still tons of damage to go. I was recently diagnosed with sebhorrheic (i can never spell it correctly) dermatitis, and I have to use ketokonazole shampoo. . . so super super super drying, i can't seem to get enough moisture in my ends. So I've been flirting with the idea of the 'big chop' to start fresh. But i seem to have this irrational fear that it won't grow back. My hair grows super quickly when I take care of it and baby it, and I've given up bleach and color, and am learning to embrace my one tiny gray streak. In the past I've cycled through going super short and growing out, super short and growing out. . . but this time I'd love to stay long. But it seems almost pointless if my ends keep breaking off, I have a good 4 or 5 inches that could be cut off...

Does anyone else have this fear? Or did you have this fear when giving up chemical processing and did 'the big chop'? My hair is the longest its ever been in my life, so I think thats why the thought of the big chop seems almost unbearable this time. Since I was previously bleached blonde, I know the hair I have on my ends has been through hell and back and recently went back to hell, so I know REBLEACHING them like an idiot wasn't smart, but hey. . . I did it on a whim.

[teawitch]

After I buzzed my hair almost two years ago, I sometimes had the irrational fear that it wouldn't grow back. This was not helped by my father yelling, "It'll take you FOUR YEARS to get your hair back to the length it was at!" Thanks dad. :rolleyes: It hasn't even been two years yet and it's almost back at the length it was before the great buzz cut of New Year's 2012... and my hair is in much, much better condition.

[xoam0re]

It hasn't even been two years yet and it's almost back at the length it was before the great buzz cut of New Year's 2012... and my hair is in much, much better condition.

I wish that I didn't have this fear, I feel like it keeps me from cutting my hair and letting it get back to a super healthy state. I've always been one of those that highlighted since I was 16.. I took a full bleach/color break for about 3 years and let it go all natural, and it was so healthy, then I took a bite again of chemical processing and I'd done it for almost 4 years when i gave it up this January. But now its wayyyy more damaged than it ever was because I was bleach blonde for about a year. I may weigh the pros and cons and give it a week or two... I'm not afraid of how I'd look with short hair -- I love short hair on me, but I love my long hair more. I just think I get discouraged and instantly want to cut it when I remind myself of how much damage I've done to it -- I hope I can stick it out and just baby it as much as possible and just keep trimmy trimming until all the bleach is gone.

[Sylvestrix]

I worry about this too, despite evidence to the contrary :o

I chopped from heavily layered, v-hemmed waist length to above APL to get a blunt hemline, (which, somewhat amusingly, I don't like. The only reason I got rid of my layers was to help with updos. Mournful sigh, I do miss my layers!) and even though I have actually surpassed my pre-chop length by several inches, I actually feel like my hair isn't growing! I do think it has to do with two things- one, that I used to cut my hair ludicrously frequently. Because I did it myself, I could basically snip away whenever I felt like it. Two, that I stopped dying just a few weeks after my last cut, and now that my roots are past the 'Oh good grief avert your eyes!' stage, not having to deal with maintenance every two weeks has made me completely stop noticing my growth.

On the other hand, sometimes I take it down from my near-constant updo's and have a 'woah, where did all that come from!' moment, so it ain't all bad! :D

[ositarosita]

I've done the big chop multiple times (I did learn the first 10 times that my hair has trouble with chemicals) from APL to chin .. from chin to pixie.. from pixie to almost buzz.. than to a peter pan thing (I loved it by the way) ... try dumb blonde by bedhead (tigi) just give it a whirl, it worked wonders for me when I was chemically processed.. then in 2 months take off another half an inch, the big chop isn't for everyone and it's ok if it's not for you. You have to do what makes you feel comfortable and makes you happiest. Invoke the 2 week rule

[xoam0re]

I worry about this too, despite evidence to the contrary :o


hahhaha, EXACTLY! this is what gets me, is I've DONE THIS so many times before... I've cut from past my shoulders to a short short short aysemetrical cut, and it grew back just fine.. thats the cut I had before I grew to the length I'm at now. And I have had that same cycle for a long long long time... so I'm not sure why THIS TIME, my fear is so huge... maybe its because I have that lovely dermatitis and my hair line was thinning a bit. I'm not sure... its clearly STILL growing because its back to where it was before I trimmed it this last time.... so I'm not sure what the big hooplah is behind this huge fear I have this time... maybe its because I never had this specific fear before because I never minded to go short again --- this time I want to keep my long hair, or at the very least, have it long again if I chose to chop chop chop.

[teawitch]

I wish that I didn't have this fear, I feel like it keeps me from cutting my hair and letting it get back to a super healthy state. ... I'm not afraid of how I'd look with short hair -- I love short hair on me, but I love my long hair more. I just think I get discouraged and instantly want to cut it when I remind myself of how much damage I've done to it -- I hope I can stick it out and just baby it as much as possible and just keep trimmy trimming until all the bleach is gone.

You have to figure out what would make you happier: having short, healthy hair now and having to grow it out again, or having long hair now and dealing with the damage until it's all trimmed away. Personally, I was constantly unhappy with my damaged hair so chopping it all off was the way to go for me. I wasn't thrilled, but I felt better about it (despite the occasional odd fear that it wouldn't grow back). Either way you're going to need patience. I know it's hard, but try not to worry too much about it.

[xoam0re]

I've done the big chop multiple times (I did learn the first 10 times that my hair has trouble with chemicals) from APL to chin .. from chin to pixie.. from pixie to almost buzz.. than to a peter pan thing (I loved it by the way) ... try dumb blonde by bedhead (tigi) just give it a whirl, it worked wonders for me when I was chemically processed.. then in 2 months take off another half an inch, the big chop isn't for everyone and it's ok if it's not for you. You have to do what makes you feel comfortable and makes you happiest. Invoke the 2 week rule

thank you! i will try that out! your peter pan cut sounds awesome! :)

[Sylvestrix]

hahhaha, EXACTLY! this is what gets me, is I've DONE THIS so many times before... I've cut from past my shoulders to a short short short aysemetrical cut, and it grew back just fine.. thats the cut I had before I grew to the length I'm at now. And I have had that same cycle for a long long long time... so I'm not sure why THIS TIME, my fear is so huge... maybe its because I have that lovely dermatitis and my hair line was thinning a bit. I'm not sure... its clearly STILL growing because its back to where it was before I trimmed it this last time.... so I'm not sure what the big hooplah is behind this huge fear I have this time... maybe its because I never had this specific fear before because I never minded to go short again --- this time I want to keep my long hair, or at the very least, have it long again if I chose to chop chop chop.

It's the sort of recurring silly thought that one day our hair is just going to go NO, NO MORE HAIR FOR YOU!- as if our scalps are some sort of play-dough barbershop part that's one day going to run out of goo! :rolleyes:

[spidermom]

That does sound a little irrational but I go through cycles of feeling like my hair isn't growing even when I know that it is. Each length seems to last for so long that I despair of ever reaching the next milestone, but then I do, look at the next milestone I want my length to reach, and start the whole thing over again.

Giving your hair regular deep treatments and regular small trims will be fine. You don't have to chop.

[maegalcarwen]

I had the same thing two years ago, I got it cut like neck length, barely. Now I am somewhere between APL and BSL ( curly). Grows back, more, fuller and healthier. Maybe try to cut off the damage? No need to cut off OK hair. Good luck!