I'm taking the plunge - I'm scared!

[EmmaDStrange]

Well, as the title says, I'm terrified!! :run:

I'm hopefully having my hair cut today, for the first time in 3 years! At the moment my hair is just about hip length, but heavily layered and tapered as well as severely damaged below my ears from past episodes of bleach, dye, straighteners, blow dryers and God knows what else. I don't torture my hair anymore, in fact I'm rather nice to it these days, and seeing all those split ends is heartbreaking, so I've made the decision to have about 3 inches or more off at the hair dressers. I really hope they don't take too much, as I will be back up to mid back length when they're done hopefully, and round here, and to me, that is not very long at all. I might have to wear it up for a while to disguise how short it is! Haha, but on the bright side that should stop me getting more splits.

So yeah, long story short, I'm rather nervous! This will be my first time getting a blunt cut too, hope it makes my hair look much healthier, even if it takes me much further away from my goal of classic+. I'll probably need a total of about 9 inches cut off eventually because it really is mostly very damaged.

Wish me luck, I'll post piccies when it's done!!

[restless]

Oh I can totally understand the feeling of being nerveous before a cut! Its been a long time since I let anyone else cut my hair too as Ive only been microtrimming it myself for the past 4 years. Im sure you´ll be fine, just be clear with what you want and make sure your definition of 3 inches (or however much you want off in the end) matches their definition of 3 inches. Good luck :)

[SamEatsBrains]

I've never had my hair cut more than probably 3 inches at a time. And I always do it myself. I can't imagine the nerves! Good luck!

[HintOfMint]

Good luck! And be sure to demonstrate with your fingers exactly what "three inches" means.

[Zebra Fish]

I totaly understand you! As HintOfMint and others said - be sure to indicate how much three inches are for you :p Crossing fingers you get what you want :) Post pics after. Good luck!!

[Lyv]

Good luck! I'm sure it's going to look nice and fresh ends always feel good. Like a couple of others said make sure to show them what length you're willing to have cut instead of just telling them. For some reason it's seems like 1" for me is .25" for them lol.

[SamEatsBrains]

Ya, I always show them as well. I once asked for an inch trimmed off and the woman said "Show me an inch." So I showed her an ACTUAL inch, and she looked kinda disappointed and said ok. And another hairdresser said "What? Did you expect her to show you three?" And she said "I hoped so! Most do!" >_<;...No. I know what an inch is, and you "hope so"?...I never went back!

[Stray_mind]

Don't worry. Just don't let your hairdresser to talk you into something you might regret later (they kinda often do that :/) and everything will be allright. As everyone else said-don't forget to show the hairdresser exactly how much do you want cut :) Good luck!

[lapushka]

If you haven't had it cut in 3 years, and with the history that hairdressers usually have of not listening to their clients very well... Yes, I do understand why you're nervous.

I bet it'll all go well, though. Can't wait to hear of the result!

[monsoonstorm]

At the end of the day, I find that if they have taken a bit much, what I do is close my eyes and run my fingers through it.

That normally helps to reassure me that, actually, it wasn't such a bad idea after all. It will grow back and when it does it will be so much prettier! At the end of the day, you aren't losing good strong hair, you are losing hair that was detracting from your good strong hair. Whilst it can be a shock, it can never be a bad thing.

[spidermom]

Be sure to pay attention to what the stylist is doing. Blunt cut means combing the hair straight down. If the stylist pulls hair out at an angle, that means layers.

[EmmaDStrange]

It's done, it feels short, but I love it!! Phewwww.

It's been cut back to just below BSL, but my God, it is amazing to have hair that is equal thickness all the way down!! :happydance:
The hairdresser was lovely, she made certain she was sure of what I was asking of her, kept making sure I was okay with the amount she was cutting off. So, we've cut it as short as I'm comfortable with it whilst removing as much of the damaged length as possible. The ends feel so soft now, it's great, and I can still braid it, so all is well. :)
It's the first time I've had blunt ends, I love that I can braid it all the way to the end without spikey bits!! (yes, I have been playing with it already)

Thanks for the tips guys, pictures to follow :)

Edit: Photos!

Whats it used to look like:
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o105/Emmy-Lou-94/IMAG1084_zps52638356.jpg (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/Emmy-Lou-94/media/IMAG1084_zps52638356.jpg.html)

To this:
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o105/Emmy-Lou-94/IMAG1135_zps1cdaafd6.jpg (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/Emmy-Lou-94/media/IMAG1135_zps1cdaafd6.jpg.html)

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o105/Emmy-Lou-94/IMAG1132_zpsef0fc779.jpg (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/Emmy-Lou-94/media/IMAG1132_zpsef0fc779.jpg.html) Braided, it still works!!!

Maybe I exaggerated though, maybe it's closer to waist length no, not sure. Haha!

[Isilme]

Sounds like a good hairdresser! Take her calling card, you know where to go next time!

[slyviolet]

Just remember to breathe, and maybe under-report slightly how much you want them to take off, to allow for hairdresser enthusiasm... And I'd love to see post-trim pics!

[ProverbsGirl]

Good Luck! Hopefully 3 inches will be enough to reverse the damage and you can get closer to your goal. :)
I go on Monday for a micro-trim and to have my bangs fixed. I'm already nervous!

[lapushka]

Looks nice, and you certainly won't have long to go until you hit waist length again!

[bunzfan]

Wow!! it looks amazing you did the right thing how thick is your braid now :thud: it will grow quick i bet , i think you were so brave to cut that much but oh so worth it.

[Lyv]

It looks really good! I love how much better braids looks without layered hair.