Urge to cut; help

[strawberryfine]

I went to the salon yesterday to get a pedicure and several of the hairdressers were trying to talk me into some long layers and angled sides, low-lighting and high-lighting and it really got me wanting to experiment. I am soooo close to my next goal of waist length and I really don't want to cut. I think I need to start doing my own toenails. I know that is how hairdressers make their living on repeat business; I used to be one for 10 years and quit in 1996. I never had long hair when I worked in the salon, either.

Just a little encouragement from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

I have old bangs that are chin length and growing back out (wish I had never cut them in the first place; bangs look good on a lot of people but I am not one of them!)
My hair has been growing very slowly for the last few months; it has only grown 1" since December, but I have never had a slow growing phase, ever, and I started growing my hair out in August 2004. Is this normal? Am I terminal? I take hair vitamins and drink lots of milk. Am I going nuts?
Thanks,
strawberryfine2

[Shypii90]

Don't worry, maybe your hair is just in a slower growth rate for now. It will probably stay like this for a few more months, and then start speeding up again.

I usually have quite a fast growth rate but lately my hair hasn't even been growing 0.5 inches per month... I hope it's only temperorary. My hair is still very short in comparison with everyone here.

Just relax. :) When it comes to hair, we just need a lot of patience!

[DaveDecker]

I went to the salon yesterday to get a pedicure and several of the hairdressers were trying to talk me into some long layers and angled sides, low-lighting and high-lighting and it really got me wanting to experiment. I am soooo close to my next goal of waist length and I really don't want to cut. I think I need to start doing my own toenails. I know that is how hairdressers make their living on repeat business; I used to be one for 10 years and quit in 1996. I never had long hair when I worked in the salon, either.

Just a little encouragement from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Hi SF2 (SF? :waving: ),

I find it curious that even though you acknowledge your understanding of the hairstylists motivations behind their little sales pitch, you still feel tempted. Had your experience at the salon not involved that sales pitch, how would you have felt about your waist-length goal -- probably still quite resolved to reach it? Honestly, who would you rather please -- them, or yourself?

Well, you have my support to stay strong and long. :)

[Lamb]

I am soooo close to my next goal of waist length and I really don't want to cut.
There is your answer. Why would you sabotage your own achievement?

I know that is how hairdressers make their living on repeat business; I used to be one for 10 years and quit in 1996. I never had long hair when I worked in the salon, either.
I think the stylists you met just look at your hair and see it as material from which they could make something in line with their taste/profession. You have to realize that it is not that, it is your gorgeous hair and you are the only one to decide what to do with it!



I have old bangs that are chin length and growing back out (wish I had never cut them in the first place; bangs look good on a lot of people but I am not one of them!)
There. I cannot really imagine layers without bangs or face-framing shorter hair. If you know that all-one-length is your style, stick to it.

Do not give up. Try new updos but do not cut. YOu can take down your hair from a bun any time, but length cut off is impossible to glue back!


Am I going nuts?
If you are, this board is full of nutty people, your humble servant included! :D Slow growth can be due to a number of reasons, it is just possible that you are approaching terminal, but anything is possible. That alone is no reason to abandon your goals!

[spidermom]

Keep your long hair. It can be cut away in a few minutes but take years to grow back.

When my growth stalls, it's usually time for a trim. Once my hair starts to split, it breaks off so much that I can't get any length increase. Check your ends; you might be at that point. Otherwise, happily grow on. Stalls are often followed by growth spurts.

[yogachic]

I know hairdressers make their living on repeat business; I used to be one for 10 years and quit in 1996. I never had long hair when I worked in the salon, either.


strawberryfine2

Can I ask why you quit? I am thinking of going to be a cosmotologist. Would the school or classmates, think its odd to have long hair while being a hairdresser, I have never seen a long haired hairdresser yet, and I would be one if I go to beauty school. No one will make me mess with my hair. I feel like it might be an uncomfortable postion. Sorry to hijack.

[rubyredslippers]

Would the school or classmates, think its odd to have long hair while being a hairdresser, I have never seen a long haired hairdresser yet, and I would be one if I go to beauty school.

The hairstylist I had from the age of five to seventeen (and she's been on maternity leave since) has gorgeous curly hair (3b, perhaps? Spirals, in any case) that reaches waist-length when dry. Mind you, she works in the shop with her brothers, and who wants their brother having at their hair with a pair of scissors?

I hope she comes back soon.:)

[DecafJane]

It sounds like they made it sound fun an exciting - and it probably would be, for all of the time that you got it cut, and then showed everybody.

But then, you would have a big crash down to earth when you realised just how long it will take you to get it back to the length that it now is, and how much upkeep and hairdresser visits are involved with the style that they are talking about.

Following an impulse is fun at the time, but dealing with the consequences can be devastating. Hang in there! *hugs*

[groque]

I think just a trim would do you great and no don't get it cut with all that stuff because you know that those cuts only look good when it is styled. you will probably wear it up most likely and would not wear it out except for what like once a week. am I right? I know it is tempting but it sounds like you want a little change not a drastic one. so I guess just experiment with the way you wear it like in a different pony tail or clip.

[Riot Crrl]

This may not be a popular opinion, but if you are going to succumb to any of these tactics, I think the cut would be a lot less drastic than highlights and lowlights.

Hear me out. A cut can only affect the very ends, by its very definition. Chemical color process is over the length (only if it's only 'some' of it), and you'll be living with it in one way or another for years to come.

But yeah, it's sales. You don't need these things just because a "professional" tells you that you do. Just like you don't need vinyl siding on your house because a professional tells you that you do.

[dukkelisa]

In this world of instant gratification and constant change, it seems too boring for people to leave their hair alone. I went through this most of my own adult life, always colouring, cutting and styling for a new look. Heck, I'd even rearrange the whole house when down, it always made me feel better when things looked different.

Growing hair has it's moments of glory and moments of boredom. In some ways, for me it's almost a weird challenge to never go near the scissors. I am even growing my bangs out to keep away from the scissors. I don't want to cut my hair, but that doesn't mean the temptation for something new and exciting and different doesn't hit me now and then.

Especially this time of year. Spring seems to be the time I feel like something short and sassy and lightweight. I have to remind myself that every single time I ever cut my hair, I regretted it and hated growing it back out.

Instead of going in that direction...I try to stay away from magazines with hair cuts, influencing conversations at work and do something to treat the hair I have in a really nice way. I can't wait for that first perfectly warm day I can wash my hair and dry it outside in the sun. And I am determined to find a new hair toy just for the celebration of spring!

[lora410]

I'm growing out layers as well, and alot of us would love to be at your length. If you really need a change try a different up do a day. My hair hasn't seemed like it's grown since last October, but different layers have grown; so talk about frustrating when i think if it was all one length i could have HAD more length, and not just layers getting longer. Layers also make up dos a pain in the rear. My longest layers is slightly past shoulder and I can't do braids or alot of other up-dos without hair sticking out everywhere :flower:

[strawberryfine]

Many thanks to everyone for the encouragement!
I think that my crisis has passed. I shampooed last night and looked at my hair in the mirror and really began to realize that I do not really want to part with a single hair. I am glad I didn't make a dreadful mistake. Many thanks again!

[Anje]

Glad you're past your crisis.

Regarding the growth: for now, I wouldn't worry about it. Make sure you have good nutrition, make sure you take good care of your hair. My hair grows in spurts and stalls -- yours might too. Furthermore, a lot of people have a long stall right near or just above waist, and many people find their growth slows seasonally (particularly around winter).

IIRC, people usually grow at their normal rate right up til terminal, then the hair just stops. If they cut it back, it grows at its normal speed to terminal and stops again.