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View Full Version : Cutting back to ... again and again



adrenaline
February 19th, 2017, 04:26 AM
Does anyone knows this problem? :D Few years back i always wanted to reach waist length, but i cut my hair back to BSL over and over again. It seemed like it was my "feeling well-length". Some day i really reached waist length and i didn't feel the urge to cut back again!

My new situation is very similar: I want to reach hip length, but it seems that my "feeling well-length" is currently waist. Paradox! So i keep cutting back them to waist length. Does anyone knows this phenomenon, too? It seems as if i need time to get used to the preferred length.

kidari
February 19th, 2017, 04:34 AM
I'm kind of like that. I feel like it's partially just you getting really comfortable with that length and also it's that the longer you've had long hair the better your hair becomes SLOWLY. I think the first time you ever reach waist length your hair is not as thick and healthy... but after maintaining waist for a long time it gradually becomes a much better waist length than it ever was initially... does that make sense? That and maybe you've become better at caring and handling long hair as well as finding better products and routines to care for it as well.

Arctic
February 19th, 2017, 04:42 AM
I've been more or less stuck at the sameish length for a year, lol. Combination of trimming (I just love to trim) and a stall. I am pretty comfortable here at APLish and don't plan to grow longer than BSL but I do get a bit bored for my hair to look the same for so long.

lapushka
February 19th, 2017, 04:45 AM
Does this "cutting back" need happen in spring time, often? Back when I wanted "something new", it was always in spring or thereabouts.

I reached classic length September 2015, and maintained that until November 2016, then I cut back to hip, and I feel now that it is shorter that my ideal length is somewhere between TBL & classic, so that when it grows out for 4 months, I won't get to be "beyond" classic and won't have that "annoyed" stage to go through every 4 months. Because classic on me is *too long*.

Maybe it's the time of year? ;)

Nique1202
February 19th, 2017, 06:11 AM
Until I was 22 I kept my hair above my shoulders. Then I grew it out to near midback for the first time, and promptly chopped it back to a short pixie because I was frustrated and I needed a change. Growing out since them, I realized that I have a comfort zone above my shoulders and I have a comfort zone past bcl, and the entire length of my back is an uncomfortable zone.

If you keep finding yourself cutting it back, you really have to decide whether you want to tough it out and see if you find another comfort zone, or if you want to stick to what you know you're happy with and give up on a longer goal. If you do want to tough it out, wearing your hair up more can help you to forget that it's at an awkward length.

OhSuzi
February 20th, 2017, 05:06 AM
This might be partly why I've never had long hair. The longest its ever been is just beyond shoulder. I think the difference when it was growing from chin to shoulder is so subtle that it feels like I've had the same hair for months on end, and growing to boob length would be another 6 - 12 months of 'the same hair' so just beyond shoulder is when I get bored & end up doing something radical like a pixie or a bleached blonde perm - for an instant change.
Then once its at pixie it is very easy to keep chopping and changing it every few months.
And I've never really understood how to look after long hair so by the time it got to shoulder it would be in dire need of some kind of serious trim!

This is the first time I've made a conscious effort to grow it out long and natural, to take care of it properly and push past the boredom stages and the comfort zone of pixies and bobs.

ReadingRenee
February 20th, 2017, 10:00 AM
Yep, I really relate. I have been growing out my chin length bob since Nov 2014 and my hair is still only right about BSL. That is because once I get past APL, I start trimming and obsessing over my hair and my "thin" ends. I feel like I have been right above BSL for almost a year now. My ends do look better but that is because I am growing out the layers and slowly trimming them off. I think for me when my hair gets a certain length, I just start honing in on the appearance of the ends and get itchy scissor fingers. However, by the time my hair gets to the length it was before I trimmed, my ends are thinner once again. I think that I just have to accept that my ends are not going to look the same past BSL as they do at APL and get over it.

And the boredom factor for sure! I hate looking the same all the time, and I love to change up my look. I feel like in between APL and BSL for me all looks the same, too short to look uniquely long and too long to look interesting/ different. For instant gratification it is much more tempting to cut it off into a cute bob or pixie and get a whole new look. However, I am DETERMINED to get to waist before I make any drastic cuts and I plan to power through the BSL sticking point once and for all. What has been helping me are pre wash oil treatments, wearing my hair up every single day, and only taking a length picture once a month.

spidermom
February 20th, 2017, 10:08 AM
While I was still maintaining long hair, I kept cutting back to around hip length because it seemed that my ends would start to lose all integrity around tailbone length. The split ends were overwhelming! Now I'm at shoulder to collarbone length and am enjoying that.

adrenaline
February 21st, 2017, 12:23 PM
First of all, thank you for your answers :blossom: It's interesting to see that some others experience the same phenomenon. kidari, absolutely, i totally agree: after trimming them many times, the hair looks healthier and better. This is a nice "side effect", i guess :D The first time i reached waist length, my hair was horrible and i really didn't feel well. Now i do feel more comfortable and the hair looks healthier of course!

lapushka, i don't think that has to do with a certain time of the year - at least in my case. I keep my hair at the same length for 2-3 years, i think :confused:

Nique1202 & OhSuzi, you say it: comfort zone is the correct description, i think! Wearing it up more often, i didn't think about it so far. I'm used to wearing my hair down, so it didn't come to my mind. It's a good advice, thank you! :o OhSuzi, I'm curious what your hair looks like now! Yes, if pixie/bob is your comfort zone, it must be a big change to wear long hair. At which length are they now? (Have they already reached shoulder? Don't know if my English is too bad, but i'm not sure :o)

ReadingRenee, your tips sound very clever, thank you for sharing :) I think, i'll wear them up more often, too. I wish you success and fun reaching your hair goals! :o

spidermom, happy to hear that! I think, that's the most important thing: to enjoy the hair. That's why i never stressed myself with getting them long or anything. If i want to cut them short(er), why not?