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Doreen
August 4th, 2016, 09:53 PM
So after sitting on the fence for a long time, I made an appointment to get my hair cut a week from now. I'm planning to go from past knee to slightly past tailbone (16"). But since making the appointment in the past week I have been feeling pangs of regret about losing that much hair, and arguing with myself of why I should and why I shouldn't. I don't know if I should cancel my appointment, or decide to cut less, or go through with it.

Reasons of cutting it:
- I will still be able to do all the styles I do now after it's cut.
- I can wear my hair down and half-up again, which I haven't been comfortable doing in a while.
- It will be easier for my bangs to catch up with.
- Feeling less motivated than I have in the past towards my goal of Floor length (see below). Like, for a long time I really wanted FL hair but now at knee it feels very troublesome and I don't know if Floor Length would be enjoyable or just even more trouble for me. But, on the other hand, I will never know unless I grow it, right?!?!?!?! idk.

Reasons of not cutting it:
- Many hairsticks I have will be overly long and I don't really like the look of extra-long sticks.
- I like how large my bun has become.
- It's quite healthy!
- I'm around 1.5-2 years away from reaching FL at my current length. If I cut, it will be another 5-6 years til I can reach floor and I don't know if I will have the motivation or be able to maintain.
- I feel emotionally attached to it, to be honest.


The reason I don't want to cut less than 16" is because I wouldn't be able to wear it down very much unless I cut it that much.

My question is, have any of you ever had these pre-haircut ""regrets"", and if you went through with it did you regret it AFTER?

MariSA5894
August 5th, 2016, 01:16 AM
If you already feel like you are going to regret it then maybe you could think about chopping off less?

You still have a week to decide what is worth more to you, to grow out your bangs or to have it floor length first.
Whatever your decision will be, you have gorgeous hair anyway :)

I think its most important that you feel comfortable with it.
You can chop it off easily but growing back takes a lot of time.

If you wear your hair up most of the time no one notices that your bangs are growing out.
You could wear a lot of updo's and decide to take the big chop when your bangs are on a length you feel comfortable with and than cut it all on that length or if your goal length starts to bug you.

Sorry I can't be more of help.

Fru fru
August 5th, 2016, 02:10 AM
I think that if you are already having pangs of regret you might want to cancel the appointment and give yourself a bit more time to make a decision that's right for you.

DaveDecker
August 5th, 2016, 02:52 AM
I agree with Fru fru... it sounds like you aren't ready for the cut. (The terms of the two-week rule have not been met.)

Can you elaborate on its current troublesome-ness? Surely there must be ways to alleviate the issues you're facing, as others here have broken through the knee-length zone and made it to floor length.

Given that you are so close to reaching floor-length now (about 3 more years, I might guess?), I would suggest going for it now. You never know what factors might arise later that could adversely impact your growth quest (illness, accident, age- or stress-related thinning, etc).

If you were to grace the forum with a new or recent photo of your hair, I am sure that many compliments would be offered (if you want a supportive boost). :)

lapushka
August 5th, 2016, 03:55 AM
Yes, get yourself over to the 2-week rule thread and ponder there some more before you do anything rash.

Usually if you are uncomfy with your hair and you get these inexplicable urges, it is a tad too long for you. Cutting a few inches usually relieves that problem altogether. Ask me how I know? Experience. If I let it grow beyond classic too much, I get these urges, can't deal with it on wash day, it all gets too much. Just cutting back to classic solves all my issues, and that's just the difference of a few inches!

Elly May
August 5th, 2016, 04:47 AM
In total agreement, if you are already questioning the decision, don't do it! For that big of a chop you need to be sure that you're sure that you're sure......

MidnightMoon
August 5th, 2016, 04:52 AM
I agree with everybody else... if youre having second thoughts just stop it right away. Cancel the appointment. During the next week baby your hair, do nice things with it and see if you really want to lose the length or youre just uncomfortable with something else and hair just seems like its thw problem but its not.

MidnightMoon
August 5th, 2016, 04:56 AM
Ah and forgot to say... I was very nervous but listened to everybody else when I went from about tailbone/BCL to a bit past shoulder length and I regret it deeply... in fact, I was regretting it like the day after I had it done...
Not everyone is this way but I just missed running my fingers through my length all the way to my hips, I missed being able to cover my arms and body with it, the original look, the princess like lool I could achieve... theres so much I like about it I didnt realise back then.

Entangled
August 5th, 2016, 06:35 AM
Perhaps cut to a shorter milestone, like classic (since your hair wouldn't be longer than your fingertips, it might be easier), or cutting back by maybe two inches at a time.

Roscata
August 5th, 2016, 06:49 AM
I read some blogs and one of the people I follow is currently cutting off about an inch a month from knee length, aiming to stop at classic. This way she can see at which length she wants to stop and she can just grow it back fast if she changes her mind along the way. This is just a way that won't make a huge difference in one fell swoop, if you wanted some options.
Good luck deciding, hope it works out for you.

spidermom
August 5th, 2016, 07:10 AM
If I were you, I wouldn't go for the cut until I were sure. You should be excited about a new haircut, I think.

Cg
August 5th, 2016, 09:23 AM
I have several times cut from nearly knee to pixie. I never missed the hair-induced headaches (my hair used to be quite thick), and a change was fun for awhile. But always I missed how wonderful all that hair can be.

I would caution anyone against a major cut until you're absolutely sure you won't have any regrets.

Beborani
August 5th, 2016, 10:07 AM
What spidermom said. Even if you're excited you may have remorse later but if you start with regret, you really don't want to do it. And I am a person who advocates cutting if that is what you really want but you seem to want longer hair. Floor length people will be able to advise you better about handling at this length and longer.

Shepherdess
August 5th, 2016, 10:36 AM
I agree with what others have said; if you are having regret now, I definitely think you should give it more time. Some years ago I was almost to knee length and had a horrible shed and thinning, so I cut back to classic. I didn't really regret it at the time, since it made my ends healthier, though now I wonder if I would have reached my hair length goals by now if I had waited through it.

If your goal was floor length, and you are getting so close to that length, if you cut back now you may always have that question at the back of your mind about what it would have been like. Though I can also understand how much more time it takes to take care of hair which is so long. Personally, for me, I have found thigh length to almost knee length some of the easiest lengths to care for my hair. At shorter lengths I had a different set of challenges in caring for it, though I suppose a lot might depend on ones hair type and texture when it comes to which is an easier hair length. Anyway, definitely do what you feel is for the best.

If you do cut back, I really like the suggestions made of trimming back very small amounts, to see if that helps. With a big chop you will really feel a huge difference in your hair length, and it can be hard to get used to that at first for a while, since that is a major difference in length from the other length, so if you have an emotional attachment to your hair right now, a sudden change like that might not be easy to get used to.

Best wishes! :flower:

turtlelover
August 5th, 2016, 11:23 AM
I say cut like an inch or so, and then wait another month. If you have no regrets, and it still feels too long, cut an inch every month till you are happier, but if you feel some regret, it won't take years to get back to where you were.

Giant Robot
August 5th, 2016, 11:32 AM
I agree with the people who are suggesting a series of smaller trims. 16 inches is a few years of hair growth gone all at once. How much time could you be comfortable being set back if you change your mind? Six months, maybe? If so, that's three inches or so. You could try that length for a month, then get the next trim. If ever you feel it's too much, then the regrowth period is not as intimidating.

lithostoic
August 5th, 2016, 12:00 PM
Just cut back to mid-thigh and see how you feel.

Hypnoteyes
August 5th, 2016, 09:55 PM
Adelina I love following your blog! It's so inspirational to me seeing your monthly progress. You must be so proud! It's looking gorgeous!

Hypnoteyes
August 5th, 2016, 09:57 PM
My opinion is that if you are already feeling the regret, then definitely listen to those fears. It was a great idea to make a T-table of pros and cons. As others stated, if I were in your situation, I would start with having less taken off and if you are still wanting more of a difference, go back and get more taken off! Those stylists aren't going anywhere!

Doreen
August 6th, 2016, 01:31 AM
Thanks so much for all your advice! I tried asking my family & friends for help but lots of them just urged me to cut off even more (eyeroll) which I know would be totally the wrong decision for me... Though I'm still feeling nervous, at this point I am thinking I will keep my appointment, but I will go back to Classic which will be a 10-12" cut.

I'm also still trying to reevaluate my FL goals, but in the grand scheme of things, a 2yr setback is not so bad for me and I can see some benefit to it as far as overall hair health and letting bangs catch up so they can also be FL, if I do choose to try to go there.

Honestly this is the first significant haircut of my adult life, and even though I will still have 'long' hair regardless of whether I cut 10 or 16, it still feels like a big decision >_<

Roscata
August 6th, 2016, 02:14 AM
Adelina I love following your blog! It's so inspirational to me seeing your monthly progress. You must be so proud! It's looking gorgeous!

Thank you Hypnoteyes! :heartbeat I am happy with my hair right now and I am very glad to hear you are reading my blog. :)

eadwine
August 6th, 2016, 02:57 AM
Look at your thread title. Says plenty ;)

embee
August 6th, 2016, 10:53 AM
Be careful. Years ago I cut 8 inches. What a mistake. It never crossed my mind it would be such a drastic change. If I were you, I'd get a *trim* - from someone I trust to take off maybe an inch or two. See how it feels/looks.

QuietVixen
August 6th, 2016, 12:32 PM
I agree with previous posters that having regrets and concerns prior to even getting the cut signals maybe you should have more time to think about your decision or get a trim or minor cut.

Katem
August 6th, 2016, 01:20 PM
I cut my hair shoulder length and regretted it tons, still do. I could have waist length if I didn't cut it to shoulder so much

Agnes Hannah
August 6th, 2016, 01:20 PM
Two week rule!!
and just a little if you do.
Calf length maybe.

Doreen
August 10th, 2016, 10:15 PM
So if anyone was wondering how this ended up --
I just self-trimmed off 5 inches. It was really scary for me because I'd never done it before but it turned out okay and when I go tomorrow I'm just going to ask for another inch off, just to even things up. But I'm okay with being 6 inches shorter (FTL), and I'm glad I did it myself. Thanks for talking me down from losing 16" because 5" shorter feels like a lot already. I wish I'd taken a picture of it at Knee but I just had to cut it while I had the courage. Now that I know I can do a decent job of trimming it myself I feel like I have plenty of time to decide whether I want to go back to TBL/CL.

Entangled
August 11th, 2016, 12:52 AM
I'm glad that turned out well! Six inches is a good cut; it's a decent difference but it's only a year or so until you're back. I'm glad you're pleased with it!

lapushka
August 11th, 2016, 06:19 AM
Let's hope they only take off an additional inch. I'd just stick to the home-trim, Doreen. Why not? I bet you did a great job!

DaveDecker
August 15th, 2016, 04:43 AM
How did it go at the salon, Doreen? And what are thoughts about the trim/cut you just had done?