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SaucyWench
December 25th, 2015, 09:44 PM
Hello, I'm allowing myself some online time over the holidays, so here I am on LHC, for a few postings.

I've been mulling over cutting my hair over the last couple of months, for a variety of reasons. My neck and shoulders were feeling the weight more and more, I was noticing more hair in the shower after washing it, sleeping wasn't comfortable in any hair fashion and thinking I am more than just my hair (you know, "Oh, you're the one with the really long hair!").

I washed it yesterday, so it would feel fresh for Christmas. I think, inside, I knew I would be doing something to it.

So, tonight, I braided it, wrapped a couple of rubber bands at where I thought it would look good and asked dh to cut it. It took me chickening out a couple of times (!) before I ordered him to just do it, NOW.

Once the scissors began making that almost-crunching sound as they cut through the braid, I knew it was a done deal. I did feel a little light-headed. But, then I realized it was because I was light-headed!

So, now, instead of below knee-length, it is at my waist. I keep flipping it this way and that. My head feels weightless. My neck, immediately, felt looser. I tried a ponytail and my head doesn't want to tip back! It is a most amazing feeling.

I worried I would regret it. But, I don't! I'm going to sleep with it down tonight (haven't done that in forever).

I'm going to wash it, again, tomorrow, to see the difference in drying time.

The braid that I cut is lying in my craft room on the shelf. I'll wrap it with the 18" long braid that my Mom had saved from when I cut my hair as a little girl at age 6. Kind of neat, the color is nearly the same (except for a few silver strands now!!).

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with others that would truly understand!!!

Saucy

khryz
December 25th, 2015, 09:46 PM
Wow! That took a lot of guts! Do share a couple of before/after pics when you can. I would love to see the 18" braid your mom saved too!

hennalonghair
December 25th, 2015, 09:47 PM
Congrats on braving up enough for such a huge cut BUT no pictures?:shrug:

Groovy Granny
December 25th, 2015, 09:50 PM
Wow :agape:

I am happy if you are happy.....and yes.....pics please :popcorn:

SaucyWench
December 25th, 2015, 09:51 PM
Oh, I never even thought about pictures!

But, I don't post any personal images, online, in any case. Sorry.

Groovy Granny
December 25th, 2015, 09:52 PM
Awww :(
Just the back of your head :wink:

hennalonghair
December 25th, 2015, 09:53 PM
Oh, I never even thought about pictures!

But, I don't post any personal images, online, in any case. Sorry.

Not even the back of your head ?

spidermom
December 25th, 2015, 10:40 PM
How cool; I'll bet your head feels very light weight indeed.

hypersensitive
December 25th, 2015, 11:30 PM
That's crazy! I respect that kind of guts!! It's probably very thick at the hemline too!

turtlelover
December 26th, 2015, 12:47 AM
To most of the world, waist is still very long. Now if you would've gone for a pixie cut, THAT would have been shocking! HAHA

stelz
December 26th, 2015, 01:25 AM
To most of the world, waist is still very long. Now if you would've gone for a pixie cut, THAT would have been shocking! HAHA
That's what I though she was doing until paragraph six. :shocked: I have nothing against short hair - some short hairstyles look good. I personally never liked pixies, but I love the shorter hairstyles in the old movies from the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's. There's some serious glam going on there! But waist length can do even MORE glam. You can do a Veronica Lake thing with waist length if you want. :love: Or an updo with Billie Holiday gardenias. :love: :love:

SaucyWench, you had me going! That post took me from "Oh, nooo..." to "Whew!" LOL. There's no reason on earth to keep it that long if it's not comfortable, or even if you're just tired of it.

parkmikii
December 26th, 2015, 04:05 AM
Oh wow, that really is amazing, but I'm glad you're happy with the choice you made! :)

restless
December 26th, 2015, 04:09 AM
26" in one go?! Holy sh--, thats brave.

You seem happy with your decision and I hope you'll enjoy it big time! :)

lapushka
December 26th, 2015, 04:33 AM
Going from knee to waist is a pretty big deal, but it's about being happy with the length you have, that's all that matters, truly! I'm glad you like it. :D

Obsidian
December 26th, 2015, 05:35 AM
I wonder how that much hair weighs, do you have any way to weigh it?

Mimha
December 26th, 2015, 05:56 AM
SaucyWench, thank you for sharing ! I really enjoyed reading your post and I felt kind of moved too ! :) I really felt every feeling you describe in my own guts, as I have gone from very long to very short several times in my life. So I know the excitement, and the noise of the scissor, and "feeling sooo light and free" kind of feeling ! :) :) Waist is the length I have just achieved now in the process of growing my hair long again. It's the length where everything becomes possible in terms of updos, so it's not as if you had cut to chin length anyway. In the same time, growing long is soooo long, lol. I could not help feeling sad thinking that I have always ended up cutting before classic length because I was just fed up of the length and weight when I passed TBL, so I can't imagine how it is to have knee length hair !

I'm happy you kept you braid as a treasure. It must be so lovely to have your childhood hair too ! I would love to find my mother's one, or my grand-mother's one too !^^ I don't understand how some people can let the hairdresser cut their hair and let it drop on the floor and go away with the broom ! Such a precious material !

Lol. Maybe that's what we call "being a long hair" ^^

yogagirl
December 26th, 2015, 08:38 AM
So happy that you are happy! A tense neck and uncomfortable sleep does not sound fun at all. Enjoy your new hair freedom!

LongCurlyTress
December 26th, 2015, 09:05 AM
I bet your new hemline is so thick and even! Enjoy your new length! Congrats! ;) :toast:

Cap93WL
December 26th, 2015, 09:43 AM
I totally agree, stelz. You can do so much more with long hair!

LongCurlyTress
December 26th, 2015, 10:04 AM
I wonder how that much hair weighs, do you have any way to weigh it?

Here is a video of Lucy weighing her hair. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XduqBu1s44Y

papayatree
December 26th, 2015, 10:38 AM
That takes so much to cut over 2 feet of hair! Glad you're happy!

SaucyWench
December 26th, 2015, 11:09 AM
I had the best sleep in a long time! I wore my hair down and loose. Positively blissful.... And, deliciously sensual.

It feels weirdly wonderful today. My neck and shoulders are soooooooo relaxed.

Things I couldn't do easily yesterday: I keep swishing my ponytail around (dh & ds find it quite funny). I could put it up in a Gibson Roll without causing a headache or strained shoulders. Imagine, wearing a ponytail and NOT having to wrap it around your arm before sitting on the toilet! I could wash it this morning, knowing it would be dry before going out to lunch at noon.

Dh says it looks great (and, it is still long enough to be a part of our, shall we say, romantic life....).

I am totally happy with the change. No second thoughts.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Deborah
December 26th, 2015, 11:51 AM
Good for you! Waist is a wonderful length, and much more free and easy than below the knees. You can still wear it up or down, and it is still long. I have had 12 and 13 inches cut off in one step, and I completely know that free, swingy feeling of having a serious amount of length cut off, yet still having nice long hair. It's wonderful!

Hurven
December 26th, 2015, 11:55 AM
I'm glad the decision made you happy! :o

SaucyWench
December 27th, 2015, 03:38 PM
A friend saw my new, shorter hair and said I had ruined it!

Her problem, not mine... :rolleyes:

lapushka
December 27th, 2015, 04:17 PM
A friend saw my new, shorter hair and said I had ruined it!

Her problem, not mine... :rolleyes:

It's about whether or not you're happy with it! :D
Don't mind her. ;)

SaucyWench
December 27th, 2015, 04:32 PM
Oh, I don't mind. It's funny, she's one that always has said, "I don't know how you deal with all that hair! There's just so much, I'd hate having to take care of it!"

It's not like anyone with long hair had it happen overnight (that would be a shock!). We all have our routines, long hair or short. Personally, I never want to have super short hair again (as I did as a child to teen). I think short hair is too much work!

Forgot to add:

She made the statement, "Well, I hope you'll donate it to Locks Of Love so it won't be wasted."

So much to respond and, yet, it's just not worth it....

LongCurlyTress
December 27th, 2015, 06:04 PM
I am really sorry to hear your friend was so thoughtless with her comments SaucyWench.... Hugs to you! :blossom: The important thing is that you slept well last night and your neck feels better. Your hair could always grow back if YOU want it to... in the meantime enjoy your new, healthy length and stay strong! You did what you needed to do to make yourself happy!! :cool:

sarahthegemini
December 27th, 2015, 07:54 PM
I really thought you'd chopped it to chin length or something, after saying how wonderful your neck felt....

spidermom
December 27th, 2015, 10:43 PM
What a weird thing for a "friend" to say.

turtlelover
December 27th, 2015, 10:54 PM
Oh, I don't mind. It's funny, she's one that always has said, "I don't know how you deal with all that hair! There's just so much, I'd hate having to take care of it!"

It's not like anyone with long hair had it happen overnight (that would be a shock!). We all have our routines, long hair or short. Personally, I never want to have super short hair again (as I did as a child to teen). I think short hair is too much work!

Forgot to add:

She made the statement, "Well, I hope you'll donate it to Locks Of Love so it won't be wasted."

So much to respond and, yet, it's just not worth it....

I feel sad sometimes, too, when people with pretty long hair cut it off, but I'd rather them be happy with their hair than me be happy from looking at their hair any day! Your friend probably liked your old hair and blurted it out without thinking and probably didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I'm sorry it happened. I'm sure you look just fine, and it is NOT short!

SaucyWench
December 27th, 2015, 11:47 PM
Oh, my feelings aren't hurt in the least!

She's heard my negative take on LOL before. So, her suggesting it was weirdly funny.

Like I said, I am really enjoying the change. It is so comfortable, I wish I'd done this sooner.

I'll probably let it continue growing and see how it feels. Maybe I'll go for knee-length again, maybe I won't. I don't think I'll ever go shorter. Unless I am too old to take care of it easily (or, it's too much for a caregiver, if it comes to that).

I am more than just my hair, so the length really doesn't matter to me anymore. I guess that is why it was really pretty easy to cut and why I have no second thoughts about doing so.

My hair is healthy and has never had anything more than shampoo and conditioner on it. No color, bleach, dyes or anything like that. Guess that's why it grows so fast?

Ah, random thoughts....

Saucy

hanne jensen
December 28th, 2015, 02:53 AM
I'm glad that you're happy, Saucy. Waist length hair is still considered very long IRL. You can still do a lot of different updos and it's possible to wear it down sometimes. The best of both worlds!

lapushka
December 28th, 2015, 04:36 AM
It will grow back. I'm in this cycle of still growing longer, but at some point when you reach your goals you either cut back or maintain a bit. Unless you want to grow to terminal, but those people are far and few between.

Lemon*
December 28th, 2015, 09:13 AM
Wow, I really enjoyed reading your post! I think waist length is a beautiful length to wear down and still makes a decent updo. I have never been able to get mine past waist.. We'll see what happens in 2016. :)

SaucyWench
February 21st, 2016, 12:15 PM
Just wanted to update:

It's been almost two months and I am still really happy I cut my hair shorter.

Sleeping with it down continues to be a joy. Both of us love it being loose!

My head, neck and shoulders feel wonderful, the loss of all the extra weight and drag of the the hair I cut has removed so much tension to my body. No more hair headaches! It truly is amazing.

I can wash it while I take my bath (I've always hated showers), making it a relaxing experience. And, I can do this an hour before bed! Pure bliss....mmmmmmm....

My dh loves that I wear it down so much now, rather than up in a bun.

I still get the stupid "Did you donate it to LOL?" question when people discover I cut it. Sigh.... Oh, well, an educational opportunity presents tself!

I plan on keeping it at waist-length as I am so happy with it.

Anyway, just wanted to share this, in case anyone else was having thoughts about cutting their hair.

LisaButz2001
March 8th, 2016, 06:30 PM
Hi SaucyWench, I was wondering, have you noticed your hair get a little heavier in the months since you cut? I cut just five inches on December 30 2015 and I had the same wonderful light, weightless feel. Now 2 and a 1/2 months on, it feels heavy again. When you cut a braid, were the ends ragged? Did you lose additional inches evening up for a blunt hemline? I have straight, fine hair around waist/ hip. I would loath cutting it shorter, but the weight bothers me. I don't want all through out layers though. So, how to lose the weight and still have long hair?

SaucyWench
March 8th, 2016, 09:03 PM
Hi SaucyWench, I was wondering, have you noticed your hair get a little heavier in the months since you cut? I cut just five inches on December 30 2015 and I had the same wonderful light, weightless feel. Now 2 and a 1/2 months on, it feels heavy again. When you cut a braid, were the ends ragged? Did you lose additional inches evening up for a blunt hemline? I have straight, fine hair around waist/ hip. I would loath cutting it shorter, but the weight bothers me. I don't want all through out layers though. So, how to lose the weight and still have long hair?

Heavier? No, removing 26" made me feel practically bald (weight-wise)! I absolutely LOVE how it feels. With the extra length/weight gone, my hair has a lovely bounce/swish to it, when I wear it either pony-tailed or down. I think my hair looks healthier. I wash it more often, every couple of days, instead of every two weeks (my hair has never been overly oily, so I could do this and just wash my bangs daily). I think this helps with the bounce/swish feeling and the more body it seems to have. It feels fuller, thicker and softer. But, I wouldn't say it feels heavy (it just couldn't, not like before!!).

Dh did some further trimming (not really measurable, less than an inch) right after he cut the braid, just to even things a bit. I really like how it looks.

If your hair is naturally thick, I don't think you can have long hair without some weight, unless you have it thinned (which I wouldn't recommend).

You say your hair is fine and straight. Does it look good being long?

Remember, it's hair. It grows. Cut some more, if you want, and know that it will grow back!

Of the Fae
March 9th, 2016, 07:43 AM
Oh my! I thought reading the title you went for a buzz cut/pixie (as I have myself multiple times)! haha but I am glad you are feeling better about this length, I can imagine it is a bit easier to manage and lighter.