PDA

View Full Version : Why do women cut their hair off?



Leisa
May 6th, 2008, 11:27 AM
Curlsgirl :) got me thinking in her post about depression and hair cutting. And it made me curious about the reasons why women cut their hair.

Why do women cut their hair off?

SchnauzerMom
May 6th, 2008, 11:35 AM
Well let's see, in my case I've cut it because of depression, low self esteem, convinced that I was too old for long hair, worried about what other people think, I also like short hair and long hair. I'm working through these issues because I really do want long hair.

spidermom
May 6th, 2008, 11:44 AM
I've cut because of sticky baby fingers and puke in my hair, falling in love with a shorter style, hating the way my hair looked and thinking anything else would look better, being too hot, and being frustrated because I had been growing it for an ENTIRE TWO YEARS from a pixie and it wasn't hiney-length yet.

swanns
May 6th, 2008, 11:45 AM
I've had (very!) short hair several times.

~ A bob till I turned 9, just because my mum wanted to keep it that way.
~ Cut my BSL lenght hair at 11 because my mum doesn't like long hair on me and actually paid me to get it cut :rolleyes: After that it stayed fairly short for years.
~ Had hair past BSL again at 15, then my dad passed away and I had an appointment with a hairdresser just days before the funeral and just didn't care, and let her cut off several inches, and it just wasn't really any lenght after that anymore, so the following Autumn and Winter I juts had it cut shorter and shorter until it was just few inches long. Haven't cut it since :)

This is a shorter version, I think I've had hair past my shoulders a couple of times but have ended up cutting it because I've gotten bored with it.

lora410
May 6th, 2008, 11:47 AM
I used to cut when I got close to waist because I thought it looked aweful on me.When I was in my teens most of it was I just wanted a change and that was the most drastic change I could find. Also when I would look at magazines with really beautiful women with short hair I though the cut would make me look beautiful to, or I thought a new style would help me become one of the "cool kids" in school. None never worked though :lol:

Katze
May 6th, 2008, 11:50 AM
I cut because I went to salons and they always hacked off any growth I'd had. As a former bleach addict, my hair never seemed to want to grow long - the ends would get scraggly at about APL, then I'd feel selfconscious and go to the salon, where they would promptly say "let's get rid of those old ends" and cut back to shoulder.

I've wanted long hair for over ten years, but the bleach meant too much damage to get it long, and the salons removed any growth I would have had.

Also, when everyone tells you your hair is too fine/thin to grow, and you can't seem to get it longer, it is hard to have the courage to grow.

Kirin
May 6th, 2008, 11:50 AM
Welp, cut for a "punk" hairstyle, got the latest trend to be 'in' or at least close to in (think mullet here and razored). Then, because it was a chore with damage not realizing my treatment of them tresses was abysmal with color and so fourth. chop chop.

Eireann
May 6th, 2008, 11:57 AM
To look like Winona Ryder, only I just looked like me with short hair. Seriously, though, I LOVED the way my pixie cut felt. It was so light and free and I felt chic and cute. Unfortunately, despite it's reputation, a pixie cut is VERY high maintenance, and I was getting trims every 4 weeks. I've been growing it out for a while now, and only just recently learned that my DH likes very long hair (e.g. tailbone or beyond). Six years together and I never knew! (And we accuse men of being clueless!) Some day I'll go back to pixie-ville--maybe when I finally decide to grow out my grey hair--not any time soon though.

SHELIAANN1969
May 6th, 2008, 11:58 AM
I kept chopping my hair because I didnt know what to "do" with it except ponytail it.

Once I was depressed, mad, and drunk and whacked my hair halfway off, ugh, i was so disgusted when the hangover was finished!!

Anje
May 6th, 2008, 12:05 PM
I think some whack it off because they're unhappy about a situation and feel like changing their appearance to something new and fresh will improve their outlook. Others seem to cut their hair after they've changed a situation they're unhappy about (often dumping the good-for-nothing boyfriend), as though they're symbolically purging themselves of that period in their lives.

Lots of people who cut for reasons like this seem to regret it, though I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't, too. I also suspect that it's for people who cut for these reasons that other women rave about how much they love the new hairstyle. They figure the cut-ee needs all the encouragement they can get at this stage.

Why have I cut mine?
Once, because I was sick of getting headaches from trying to cram it all into a swimcap.
Once, for LoL (*gasp*) because the girl who sat next to me in stats decided to organize a donation day and I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't donate. (Her hair was longer than mine and somewhat nicer-looking, so I'll blame generosity and not jealousy.)

AJoifulNoise
May 6th, 2008, 12:06 PM
I always wound up cutting my hair because I needed a change in my life. I would get super restless and needed to do something, anything to change. So, I'd lop off inches of hair.

Islandgrrl
May 6th, 2008, 12:08 PM
I cut because I couldn't figure out how to take care of my hair within the context of my very, very active lifestyle. Oh, if I'd only had LHC back then I'd probably be to ankle by now!

thunderlilies
May 6th, 2008, 12:10 PM
When I was little I wanted to look like a friend of mine (who'd recently gotten her hair cut) so I begged my mom to cut it short too. It eventually grew back down to waist length (around 13) and I decided to cut it again because I felt like it was drawing way too much attention. A few years later when it was again quite long (around 16), I cut it because I simply wanted it short. At age 18 I got it chopped - out of rebellion - and I looked like a boy after - lol. Now, my husband won't let me cut it :P And so far so good :)

akurah
May 6th, 2008, 12:12 PM
Once, when I was a child, waist length to shoulder length. I don't recall why, possibly because I didn't know how to take care of it.

Another time (Age 13 or so) was a super short boyish cut (above ears) because I wanted to embrace my tomboyness and I thought it was cute.

More recently, about 5 years ago, I cut off all my black dyed hair out of anger and frusteration because my boyfriend at the time was being an absolute jerk. I went from BSL to about shoulder length. I didn't regret that cut, amazingly, mostly because I didn't go shorter than shoulder AND because it got the black dye out.

And even more recently, about 2 or 3 years ago, I cut my hair to my chin due to bleach damage--I couldn't untangle my hair and even when I did, it tangled right back up almost instantly. I DID regret that cut and I wish I had attempted babying it first before doing such a chop. I was somewhere between BSL and APL pre-chop. This was also pre-LHC, if I had found this place, I may have attempted to deep treatment and slowly trim off the hair as it grew out until the damage was gone.

Since then, I've never cut off more than an inch at a time. My hair is BSL at its longest points and right smack between APL and BSL at its shortest (I have a V shaped hemline, though at my last trim the lady made it more U shaped than V shaped despite my instructions. C'est la vie).

CurlyNinja
May 6th, 2008, 12:14 PM
Most of the times I've cut my hair it's because I just needed/wanted to do something different. Not too much else to it. Everyone needs a change now and then.

Suldrun
May 6th, 2008, 12:17 PM
I had it cut and colored becasue I was bored with it and wanted to try something new. I loved it. then i had it cut shorted to get rid of the blonde partially because I became chemically sensative but also because the upkeep was hard.

I started growing long out of laziness to be honest. I also had long thin scaggly hair when I was younger lol now that I know better it is looking thicker and less scraggle:) Now I want to see what my terminal length is mostly out of curiosity. I did want longer hair when I was younger but it always broke off due to harsh treatment but its not a huge deal for me I don't regret anything or feel bad about it. I just didn't know any better.

Meli
May 6th, 2008, 12:18 PM
I have had fairly long hair almost all my life. I spent most of my childhood between APL and BSL, with two exceptions:
When I was 6 years old I wanted to have a boy's cut. I can't remember why, not to save my life, but I was pretty much a tomboy so it could have something to do with that... I was allowed to cut it and as far as I can remember I was happy with it.
My second chop was when I was 11. I had grown out my bangs and cut it to shoulder length to even it up with my former bangs. This was by the way my last professional haircut - I have only trimmed since then, mostly myself. I was happy with this haircut too, but I remeber it felt very weird with that "short" hair. In my adult life, I have never had shorter than waistlength and would never cut it shorter.

Anlbe
May 6th, 2008, 12:24 PM
Why do men cut their hair? Nearly all of us trim or style in some way, I think alot of the time we just do what we think looks nicest.

Saying that I have observed that often of the people I know who have cut their hair short from long are those who during their childhood were forced to have long hair by their parents, and that conversely those who during adulthood maintain long hair were forced to have short hair as children. I think most people want to see what they look like with both short and long hair at some point in their lives.

Shypii90
May 6th, 2008, 12:59 PM
Why did I cut my hair. Let's see.

When I was 15 (2005) I was into the whole flat-iron, hair-dye, filling my hair with all sorts of gunk to make it straight and spiky thing. I didn't mind trimming it off a bit every few months, but after over half a year I realised how the straightening chemical never worked on my natural 3a hair, and how my hair felt damaged and horrible.

I cut it off because I wanted to get rid of the damage, and grow it out afresh, with my natural texture to see what I'd look like with longer hair. That and my mum took my school rules seriously and said if I don't cut my hair I won't be allowed to school (even though before cutting, my hair was 4 inches long). A month later I wore a long-haired wig for a Halloween party (October 2005) and I got so many compliments that it suits me and a lot of strangers thought it was real, that I decided to grow it out long-long like never before :P

Until I was 15 my hair was either crew-cut shaved, or grown-out-for-2-months-after-crew-cut. I grew out the straightening chemical when I was 15, but horrible hairdressers said if I want to grow it out I have to put the straightening chemical in it or it won't grow nicely. So i gave in, and the "Curly ends" were chopped off. Then I just didn't feel like any more hair-cutting. I left my hair for about 5 months, but didn't know anything about caring for hair. Sure enough in the end, everyone was bugging me to cut my 'horrible afro', so that I can get a job and won't feel so hot in the summer. That and I had about 2-3 inches of split, bent ends. *shudder*. I was 16 by now, and went to the same hairdresser of the last straightening chemical. I told her to cut off like half of my hair, to a slightly shorter style. She kinda went crazy with the razors and I walked out with shaved hair. I was so angry.

AT the time on the internet it said "if you grow out your hair you must trim it every 4 months", so changing my hairdresser, I started trimming it every 4 months, even though I didn't need it. When I told them "I'm growing it", they assumed I wanted my hair one length when I wanted to grow it out from shaved, with natural layers. After about 9 months I realised my hair looked like a bob, and I was really annoyed. Change hairdresser again. I got the bob-look removed and back to even layers how I wanted it. By now I was 17, but was still quite oblivious as to how to take care of hair. A few weeks later, I found a job (at McDonalds), who were super harsh and said if I don't cut my hair I can't work with them. I needed the money too badly so I just said "screw it" and cut it off.
2 months later I quit because my hair grew an inch and they said "OK time to cut it again!" and I was too pissed off at the job to give in.

I've been growing my hair since. Since I didn't know about LHC or any hair-support sites, I still thought the "4-month trim" was necessary. So in November 2007 I got it trimmed slightly. The hairdresser "thinned" my hair out because it's really thick and curly lol. Anyway. But I haven't been to a hairdresser since. And I get a lot of comments to cut my hair and look normal from both family and "friends" or I won't get a job and I'll remain poor and suffer.

I don't care. I don't want to listen.
They can shave their hair all they want. But let me be.
I have a lot of arguments with ignorant people because of my hair.
And if I don't find a job, then it's not my problem. Why should I have to change my appearance according to how strangers want it? Haha. Good one. No f***ing way :D

So I'm never going to hairdressers ever again!
I hope to master S&D missions when my hair is long enough to pull it to the front from the back. But until then, scissors are staying well away from my hair!

Sorry for the super-annoyingly long post lol. Just thought I'd give my history. I'm amused women cut their hair short thinking it will solve problems and such. It explains why a lot of female friends I have who are growing out their hair suddenly "want a change" and end up bleaching all their ends, or putting extremely strong straightening chemicals in their hair. How horrible.

Wind Dragon
May 6th, 2008, 01:17 PM
I think some whack it off because they're unhappy about a situation and feel like changing their appearance to something new and fresh will improve their outlook. Others seem to cut their hair after they've changed a situation they're unhappy about (often dumping the good-for-nothing boyfriend), as though they're symbolically purging themselves of that period in their lives.

It probably looked like one of those things when I cut my waist-length hair into a pixie after my first marriage strangled itself to death, but while the cut went along with a fresh new outlook and a purge of much that was unhealthy in my life, I did not then and do not now consider it to have been either causative or symbolic. I kept it that way (or close to it, usually let it get way too shaggy before I trimmed it again) for about eight years and loved it.


Lots of people who cut for reasons like this seem to regret it, though I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't, too. I also suspect that it's for people who cut for these reasons that other women rave about how much they love the new hairstyle. They figure the cut-ee needs all the encouragement they can get at this stage.

Maybe it's just me, but if I rave about a woman's new short do, it's because it looks awesome on her (or because she feels awesome in it, which amounts to pretty much the same thing.) Unless they look less than thrilled about it, I tend to assume that if someone's cut their hair, it's because they wanted it cut. :shrug:

PatGear
May 6th, 2008, 01:18 PM
Last cut I had (about 7" from midback to a bit longer than shoulder) was simply because I liked having my hair around BSL and didn't want to cut often. That was all there was to it.

lyneya
May 6th, 2008, 01:23 PM
Because I LIKE short hair. And I like long hair. I just don't like the in-between stages. :)

I've had all lengths from waist (as a child) to buzz cuts several times and really only had one cut that was bad (accidental mullet...required going from BSL to accidental mullet that was meant to be shoulder length to boy cut and starting all over). But really...it's just hair. And mine grows freaky fast. So I like to play.

Usually a big chop comes around when long hair on other people starts to look dead to me. Or I start to feel like it's not flattering and want a change. I have been teetering in that direction lately. But I'm trying to hold out for tailbone length to see if I like it. That should only be maybe 8-12 months tops including a significant trim or two.

Plus, now that I've learned to CO, I don't have the messy fly-away problem as much. I can look respectable at work without hair-goop.

Medvssa
May 6th, 2008, 01:27 PM
Why do men cut their hair off? :)

Katurday
May 6th, 2008, 01:41 PM
I cut all my hair off many times. When I was younger, I did it because of head lice. Later, I cut it all off because it was a stage necessary for me to go through to find myself. As a long haired girl, I was shy, pushed around easily, and introverted. This was not something I liked, so my pixie chop was a part of my "liberation".
It worked and I do not regret it. For many years, short hair earned me confidence and spunk. However, I feel I am ready and confident enough to go back to long again.
I want to be both feminine and confident, and I will be in a few short years.

Leisa
May 6th, 2008, 01:42 PM
:)When I wrote the question i was thinking about women and their hairstyles. Sorry for offending anyone.

Of course I'd love to know why anyone cuts their hair off. Hindsight is 20/20. I should have asked 'why do people cut their hair off'...lol :)

Thanks Shypii for replying and ignoring the 'women' bit.

Stagecoach
May 6th, 2008, 01:48 PM
I've actually toyed with the idea of cutting my hair often.

It's never been 'short' as in above shoulder or above, so I've always been curious as to how I'd look with short hair....

Blueglass
May 6th, 2008, 01:49 PM
When I was in Highschool it was to fit in. Didn't work.

dancingbarefoot
May 6th, 2008, 01:52 PM
Why do women cut their hair off?

Why do men cut their hair off? :p

Honestly, why does anyone have the style they have? Usually it boils down to personal preference. :shrug:

Lasiren
May 6th, 2008, 01:57 PM
I cut mine off once when I was ten and sick of it and sick of myself, then promptly grew it all out again. The last big cut was over the summer, when I took my hair from TBL to just above my boobs because all that part had turned green. Oops! Then yesterday I cut off about 3" -saying goodbye to some of the remaining green (there's still some in there, though!) and to some of the split ends I got from having to rat my hair into huge, foofy pigtails three nights in a row for a Gothic dance number. Surprisingly, neither the ratting or the three-inch trim was that traumatic!

Buddaphlyy
May 6th, 2008, 02:01 PM
I got my first haircut when I was 13 because my mom made me. All through high school, I kept a short cut because I liked the low maintenance. Last time I cut my hair was to get rid of all my chemical damage. I hope I never have to cut my hair again (except for an occasional trim).

Medvssa
May 6th, 2008, 02:07 PM
Why do men cut their hair off? :p

Honestly, why does anyone have the style they have? Usually it boils down to personal preference. :shrug:
Hehee, we posted the exact same thing, with the italics on the same place even :D

lapushka
May 6th, 2008, 02:16 PM
I've had all kinds of lengths and all kinds of styles... all kinds of colors too. I've been wanting to grow my hair long again for three years now (had classic at age 10/11) and had a bad hair dye accident in between which made me even more determined to grow it long again. I had to start over... again. I'm like a yo-yo! I have less doubts than before the hair dye accident but I know that shorter hair looks very sporty, fresh, youthful on me. I look really great with short styles, that's the problem, but that would mean that I would have to blow dry and straighten it all the time which is time-consuming because I have oily hair. Longer means less maintenance (less effort to look great too) and with a disability like mine (CRPS) less maintenance is everything.

az_sweetie01
May 6th, 2008, 02:16 PM
Well, my first real hair cut was at age 7. I wanted my hair cut, it was nearly tailbone length and my parents were always very good about letting us do what we wanted with our hair.

So, I cut it to my shoulders. Let it grow till I was about 12 and then I cut it all off. Throughout middle school...the most scarring of years :).....I had several extremely awkward bobs that, while I was growing into alot of my stronger features (the schnoz) made me look and feel not so feminine. Once I cut because of rejection, once because I just wanted to try a shorter style.

Freshman year I decided I wanted to be a blonde....oooo yeah...big mistake. Dark hair ladies don't transition well to blond without ALOT of help. My friends still laught about the orange bob! From there I developed a strong aversion to the salon. I wouldn't let anyone take more than a half inch at a time!!

I did however, dye it back to brown and let it grow. When I reached waist I just felt like my hair was very scraggly looking and I cut approx 3-4 inches off. Finally when I was 20, all of the nasty blonde was finally gone and my hair was just below BSL and it was in the best shape it has ever been.

Then at 22ish I got an itch to do something new and I cut it (dreaded layers) and tinted it a little darker. Three years later, I'm still in that cycle.

It's not been shorter than shoulders since 1998 and it won't be again unless I get sick and it has to be. :)

vindo
May 6th, 2008, 02:25 PM
I cut it because I thought I dont have the hair to wear it long..meaning too thin, no volume etc. :shrug:

Loviatar
May 6th, 2008, 02:27 PM
People cut their hair off for all kinds of different reasons.

A male friend of mine went from tailbone length blond locks to a quiffed short back and sides overnight after almost catching his hair in a cement mixer. No damage was done physically, but his wife was also expecting a baby, and he decided to cut.

Personally, I've cut in the past because:

I wanted to cut out colour or damage
I wanted a punky colour over bleach and long hair wouldnt have stood up to it
I wanted to show off a thinner face from weight loss
I was sick of growing my hair (I didnt know about any routines other than shampoo, light condition, then blowdrying with a balltip brush)

That's about it for me really.

jtl45
May 6th, 2008, 02:28 PM
With a reverse answer as to why men cut thier hair, let me say that I will not cut my hair short until some period of time when I feel like its something I want to do! I grew up with long hair (I got my first haircut when I was almost 6!). I have also been all extremes as I wore mine in a old fashioned crew cut for about 5 years and actually liked it at the time. When I made the decision to go long it was because it was something I wanted to do! I had no predetermined length so basically decided to grow it until it stopped or it did not look good! I am just past waist now and we will see where the future takes it!
Jim

Alaskanheart
May 6th, 2008, 02:29 PM
Sometimes Ive cut out of boredom with my current style, and felt I needed a fresh change to my look.Sometimes Ive cut because I saw a really cute hairstyle and wanted to try it out.

I have emotional cut on occassion, but no as a symbolic gester, but more for something to make me feel better or take my mind off the situation, I view it as being no different than getting my nails done, or shopping, to make myself feel better. I dont think I ever regreted cutting my hair in the past unless the hairdresser did a bad job.Of course since im trying to grow my hair now, I might sometimes feel regretful about chopping when I had long hair, because I wouldnt have to wait as long, but really life is about change and changing from short hair to long or long hair to short is neither any worse than the other.Its just change and sometimes change is good.

Wind Dragon
May 6th, 2008, 02:33 PM
Oh yes, I should probably add that this last cut, from terminal at hip to just past shoulder-length, was sort of an accident. It's actually a bit embarrassing when someone compliments it; if I were going to keep it this length, I'd have it layered. As it is, I'm just waiting impatiently for it to grow back out. :oops:

LaCitoyenne
May 6th, 2008, 02:34 PM
I'm often tempted to go back to shoulder length. It would be easier/faster to take care of, and according to everyone around me, would look more "professional".

But I like long hair! It's sensual, and it's fun to put my hair up in a ponytail or braids. In fact, there are so many styles available to me.

My hair isn't particularly damaged, so I wouldn't need more than a trim to obtain healthier hair. It's getting better with CWC.

So I'm hoping to stave off the cut and maybe figure out how to do an elegant french braid.

LeahElizabeth
May 6th, 2008, 02:37 PM
Last time I got my hair cut I thought it'd make all the stress in my life go away. But of course it didn't! The stress was still there, I just had shorter hair that I hated!

naomimcc
May 6th, 2008, 03:34 PM
I cut mine the first time to 'fit in'
The second was after a break up.
Now it's been 11 years and still going strong :D

Gemma
May 6th, 2008, 03:39 PM
I cut mine because I love short hair as much as I love long hair. It suited my face shape, made me stand out, and I could dye it all kinds of crazy colours and then just chop off the damage.

I loved the freedom of doing whatever I wanted to my hair, all the time knowing it would grow out within months if it looked awful. I also loved being able to just rub gel through it after a shower and heading out the door. Of course, now I can just slap it into a ponytail, but it was fun having an instant spiky do within seconds!

curls2grow
May 6th, 2008, 04:09 PM
I used to cut mine shorter at about the same time each year, sort of like waving the white flag in my battle with humidity. I would cut when I saw a cute short curly haircut on someeone or in a magazine. I would cut when I "needed a change".

dancingbarefoot
May 6th, 2008, 04:13 PM
Hehee, we posted the exact same thing, with the italics on the same place even :D

:lol: That'll teach me to browse threads too quickly! :silly:

Naluin
May 6th, 2008, 04:13 PM
I cut my hair off because I had some adventures with bleach that wrecked my hair.

Usually, when I get bored, I mess around with my hair: braid, color, straighten. That's not to say that those are the only reason I do things to my hair. I tend to come up with a lot of crazy things to do to my hair. I just save acting on them for when I'm bored and tired of the same old thing.

paper
May 6th, 2008, 05:14 PM
Pressure from everyone asking me "when are you cutting your hair?" Then finally thinking I was too old for long hair.

Electronika
May 6th, 2008, 07:11 PM
My hair was tailbone length when I cut it to my shoulders. I don't regret it. I miss it often but I don't regret it. My hair was so damaged from bleaching and over styling.

I'm growing my hair now and it's in fantastic shape (all natuaral, no dye, nothing) I feel better about my healthier shorter hair now then I ever did with my longer damaged hair.

artemis_orange
May 6th, 2008, 08:25 PM
because I went crazy when I was 15 and wanted to piss off my mom, and because people were always guilt tripping me to donate it .

Nat242
May 6th, 2008, 08:52 PM
Why do people *grow* their hair?



Sometimes people may make physical changes due to emotional upheaval, but it would be very wrong to generalise on this.

Isn't that the flip side of that other thread, "People with long hair are holding on to something"?

-- Natalie

RavennaNight
May 6th, 2008, 09:10 PM
I lopped off my hair from BSL to bob in 05 for a change and to get rid of formerly bleached blonde damage. It was good becuse, looking back, it was irretrievably fried, but I missed the length. And now I'm kinda back to where I was before the big hacking. I'm working on waist length next.

Tashomani
May 6th, 2008, 09:26 PM
ShcnauzerMom.............YOUR HAIR IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLOR!!!!

MusingFrog
May 6th, 2008, 09:52 PM
When I had my hair short I really liked it. I loved getting it cut and actually looked forward to it. I liked everything from the lightness I got to the blunt ends. It was fun and I liked how it looked. I still think short hair looks nice (though now that I have long hair I don't consider many heads long that I would have before).

Rustella
May 6th, 2008, 10:00 PM
Back in about 2000 I cut for symbolic reasons. I had just gone through a two-year long divorce and custody battle. (I won, yaayy me.) I was changing everything around that time. I was inspired by a story on Locks of Love. I went from almost waist to a chin length bob. My long-time hairdresser was amazed and made me tell her about it for months before she'd actually do it. I knew even then that I'd grow it back.


This time around was not done purposefully. (See my story on the Newbies board.) Different hairdresser, with a different vision of "take a few inches off."

Dianyla
May 6th, 2008, 11:08 PM
I've absolutely no idea why people significantly chop off large quantities of hair. Never done it myself, and certainly don't plan to. :shrug:

Velvettt
May 7th, 2008, 12:13 AM
I wore my hair short for 25 yrs because it looked better on me.
Short still looks better on me but I'm growing it long because I want to.
I don't care if it's not as flattering. I want long hair and I will have it.

nastasska
May 7th, 2008, 12:37 AM
I've mainly done it to copy somebody elses style like I had the Diana when I was a child and last time I went short was to copy Marilyn Monroe

sapphire-o
May 7th, 2008, 02:29 AM
To get that cool, light head before every summer. :D That's what I used to do anyway. Every late spring or early summer I'd chop several inches off. I still think that felt great, but I love my long hair too much now.

Rini
May 7th, 2008, 04:54 AM
I chopped mine last year because of the drastic colour change I had to have. I discovered I could not grow my hair long with the constant henna-ing (too many greys), so had to bite the bullet and get the colour right (and low maintenance) before I could continue on the growing journey.

That's in the past now and I can't see myself ever needing a significant chop in the future.

Pegasus Marsters
May 7th, 2008, 05:20 AM
Maybe they just want a change? That's why I've always cut it.

Lamb
May 7th, 2008, 05:28 AM
Isn't that the flip side of that other thread, "People with long hair are holding on to something"?

-- Natalie

SPOT ON!! :thumbsup:

Really, I don't see what's the big deal. :shrug: Why do we need to suspect a mysterious psychological reason behind changes made to hairstyle, hair length, color etc?
No need for playing the psychiatrist, it's not like having long hair is the "healthy" mental state and cutting off hair is the symptom of something out of the ordinary.
My answer to the question "Why do women cut off hair?" would be: "Just because.... *insert a billion different reasons here.*" It can be an unhealthy reason, such as depression - but then, many people grow their hair when they are depressed, simply because they have no strength to make it ot the salon. So what? :shrug: For every rebellious teenager who cuts their hair there will be one who grows long hair. So what?

birdiefu
May 7th, 2008, 08:53 AM
Let's see, when I was little my mom cut my hair short once (don't remember why) and I immediately started growing it back out. The second time I cut my hair was right before going into the Army. I thought it would be 'easier' (ummm, not!), but the main reason was that I really didn't know what I was like with short hair and wanted to try it out. I learned that I do look good with a bob, but that is the only short hairstyle that looks good on me, and it turned out to be pretty boring after a while. Also, I learned that I am just a longhair at heart. I'm glad I got the chance to try short hair (as an adult, that is), but I don't want to have it again.

As far as mental issues and hair...I've had/have a variety of mental illnesses and altering my hair in a permanent fashion just never seemed to occur to me. I was a cutter from middle school till college- but not hair, my skin. When I was bored with my appearance or wanted a change, I would get peircings or tattoos. The only thing 'wild' (and it's not that wild) I did with my hair was put it in a ton of tiny braids with waistlength hair.

Jaime
May 7th, 2008, 10:30 AM
I grew out my hair the first time from 1999-2001. In January 2001, I had the flu for about a week, right before I started a new job, in a new state. I had interviewed for, and was offered, the job, with slightly longer than shoulderlength hair, but the combination of being sick, and the combined stress of a new job and and a new home put me into an unhappy state of mind. At the end of the three day road trip to the new place (while still sick!), I decided on the spur of the moment that I was tired of dealing with it, and walked in somewhere and had it all cut off.

Of course, once I got settled in, and recovered from the flu, I regretted it, but didn't get around to growing out again until April 2006.

8) Jim

terriej
May 7th, 2008, 10:47 AM
My daughter has waist length hair, it was to her butt and we had it cut to apl a few months ago. She wants to get it cut to the top of her shoulders because she just can't take care of it herself. Her hair type is a lot like mine, she has a lot of hair. She can't brush it by herself and if it gets tangled, she can't de-tangle it, she can't put it up either.

I know that most of us think that long hair isn't as much work as is often suggested, but maybe for some women, long hair is too much work. If I felt like brushing, washing, de-tangling, and styling were a chore, difficult, or I didn't have enough time for those things, I would cut my hair.

seabear
May 7th, 2008, 11:30 AM
For me, it was often a desire for something, anything different in my mundane, stay-at-home, housework-kid taxi-drudgery life. Going to the salon and getting a new style was a fun way to a) get out of the house without the kids, and b) get some much-needed pampering. Sometimes I think I could have just paid them to wash my hair and massage my scalp, I love that part!

Now that the kids are grown and I have a very fulfilling job, I don't need that kind of attention any more - at least, not as much! Of course, NOW I'm dealing with a lifetime of conditioning that says anyone over age 35 shouldn't have long hair, but that's another issue, and one I think I am coming to terms with.

GlennaGirl
May 7th, 2008, 11:35 AM
When I was little, my mom cut my hair all the time. Then when I was 10, she told me I could grow it if I wanted. I grew it until I was 12; then the "Farrah" do or banana curls came into style and I had never been in style in any way, so I decided to get that cut. I wanted to leave the back long but the hairdresser said it would look funny that way. (Like it didn't look funny already?) So it was just about at my shoulders.

After that I started doing all sorts of things to it, like perming and coloring it, and it would be in such terrible condition that I'd have to cut it once in a while, so it was never short-short but it was never really long, either.

I did get three short cuts in my adult life. I got them due to damage and "starting over".

ETA: I do like short hair on some people, though. My sister is one of them. She has a very long, slender neck and huge, dark, dark, dark brown eyes, very light brown hair and pale skin, and she likes to keep her hair short-ish. Not a pixie but that shortish layered sticking-out-ish style. She looks beautiful, like a little elf princess.

jastark84
May 7th, 2008, 06:03 PM
I originally cut my hair when I was 10 because my bestfriend at the time got her straight hair cut to her shoulders. So I just HAD to get the same thing done, so I begged my mom to let me get it cut (she flat out refused for a week) until she finally let me. I liked it for a week, then cried ecause I hated it so much. Before that I had the best hair, it was hip length, shiny, banana curls, not frizzy! Then it changed to frizzy, froey, and triangle head-ish. Is wore I would never get it cut again. That lated until 8th grade, when it was again hip length, and I had a run in with Sun-in, that turned my medium brown with red toned hair orange, went to salon to get fixed and trimmed. She gave me a bob!!!!!

After that I 've never gone to another hairdresser again, and just had little trims form my mom, but finally went back to a hair dresser at Ulta in November last year and she made my hair normal again, after I had dyed it black, it took about 20 minutes of convincing to let her chop 6 inches of nasty damaged hair off and she gave me my normal color back. Now I'm happy with getting inch per month trims until it's all healthy hair again.

Jae6
May 8th, 2008, 12:43 AM
I share a lot of the same reasons already posted. Here's my own hair history:

Before middle/high school, my parents and I had this war w/ my hairlength. I wanted it long, they wanted it short. And my hair grew like a weed, so I'd go through this grow&chop cycle (you can even see it in my school pix, every other year I have long long hair LOL). Then in middle school I put my foot down and kept it long.

Next cut was 15: everyone had long hair, and I wanted something different. Cut to a bob.

18: Ex-BF loved long hair, and I kept it long for him...promptly chopped to a choppy ankled bob

21: I just wanted to concentrate on school and didn't want boys to look at me; totally backfired. It was a pixie...and I TOTALLY AGREE that this is a VERY high maintenance cut!!!

23: I wanted to cut out my highlights/damage...another bob.

25: I was tired of long hair...I got what is now known as the Posh bob (one of the easiest hairstyles for me to grow).

25-now: I had a steady job and was able to afford my stylist ($65)....and I haven't cut it since last summer.

I haven't had waist length hair since high school (right before I chopped it 'cuz of ex-BF), so I thought I'd have one last hurrah before I'll have access to steady income and can be experimental w/ my hair again. I'm totally a grower-chopper, but I'm blaming that on my parents! LOL

lady G
May 8th, 2008, 12:56 AM
I am a serial chopper and grower purely boredom from my point of view I need the patience required to grow it really long and I am not blessed with much patience lol however this time I am going to try yet again :D

Emme76
May 8th, 2008, 01:01 AM
I cut and kept is short since I was 14, from damage..but also because everyone kept telling me I had thin hair and I should keep it short. I thought I looked better with short hair because it was so fine and thin. Now I am convinced it will look good long, thanks to LHC. But it is hard to break a habit - I been thinking I have horrible hair since I was so young and I canīt wear it long that even now I sometimes feel very unsure about myself and the way my hair looks growing out.
But this time I will NOT cut it. I HAVE to know what it looks like long.....:)!!!Just once in my life...I ALWAYS been looking at others with long hair and felt a longing that I also wanted it.

/Emme

lady G
May 8th, 2008, 02:15 AM
I cut and kept is short since I was 14, from damage..but also because everyone kept telling me I had thin hair and I should keep it short. I thought I looked better with short hair because it was so fine and thin. Now I am convinced it will look good long, thanks to LHC. But it is hard to break a habit - I been thinking I have horrible hair since I was so young and I canīt wear it long that even now I sometimes feel very unsure about myself and the way my hair looks growing out.
But this time I will NOT cut it. I HAVE to know what it looks like long.....:)!!!Just once in my life...I ALWAYS been looking at others with long hair and felt a longing that I also wanted it.

/Emme



well i too have fine hair and always felt similar to you but i had it long when i was a child, so why can't i now, i am gonna really persevere like you this time :)

Amoretti
May 8th, 2008, 03:29 AM
Because I thought it would make me beautiful if I changed my hair; because I was fed up with my life and wanted to make a drastic change. Because it was the only thing I felt I had some measure of control over. That's how I never had long hair until I was 26.

yrrebwartsymssi
May 8th, 2008, 09:54 AM
1st time i cut was to keep up with the trends, then i cut because my mom had chemo and we shaved together. I kept it short because i enjoyed having a good hair day everyday. I don't regret that i cut it, but i am hating this weird stage its in right now

GlennaGirl
May 8th, 2008, 09:58 AM
then i cut because my mom had chemo and we shaved together.

I'll bet you were never more beautiful. Your mom is lucky to have a daughter like you.

connie
May 8th, 2008, 02:12 PM
I chopped mine off mostly because it was just in my way, was a hassle to care for, and partly because I no longer liked the way it looked on me.

I have enough to do without having to fiddle around with my hair all the time. It had gotten down to almost classic, and I hated it. I couldn't even use the bathroom without moving my hair out of the way first, sorry TMI...so I cut off about 3-4 inches.

Well, it was still a hassle...and I have this baby, who was very colicky when he was little & still continues to be pretty high needs...so I really didn't need one more thing to bother with...and I babywear, with slings & wraps and the hair was just constantly in the way with that, and baby loves to pull hair. Plus, I was shedding like mad, huge amounts of hair every day. :rolleyes: And it looked crappy to me, it was getting limp and dull. I hated the look of it, from about BSL down was starting to look tatty. For me, I'm very particular about the longer it is, the more spectacular it needs to be, or it should be cut back. Even having to take the time to braid it ticked me off. Just ignoring it wasn't an option, it would tangle, my hair always required some sort of attention, even it was just to put it up.

It was too the point where my hair HAD to be up constantly, and when I tried to leave it down, it didn't look that good anymore anyway, so I figured, what's the point of having it. I like to wear my hair down, because having it up for too long gives me a headache. But I couldn't wear it down much, even just around the house, because it was just in my way!
I barely have time to shower, and even then, I usually had to bring baby with...so trying to do deep treatments/conditioning treatments or whatever was pretty much out of the question. I'm not about to risk getting something in baby's eyes. And I didn't even like the look of it on a good hair day, it just seemed too long for my face or something. I felt it took away from my looks, not enhanced it. Even feel-wise, I didn't like it anymore, it wasn't all flowy around my shoulders, it was clingy and hanging and grippy and always sticking to things. It drove me nuts. :mad: I couldn't even wear it in a ponytail anymore because it would tangle underneath very badly and it would pull and give me a headache.
I always liked the look of my hair about BSL, but I thought about going shorter just to try out a new look. I thought it would be fun to try a new look too.

I'd been thinking about chopping it for a year....I finally had had enough one day and had my husband help me lop off the ponytail. I cut nearly 16 inches off. It was slightly crooked & blunt cut, but I didn't care, I was just happy to be rid of it. DH helped me even it out. I had planned to go to a hairdresser to get it reshaped/restyled but I never found the time.

Plus, honestly, I was getting sick of feeling like I had to cut it myself...I missed being able to walk into a salon & have someone else do all the work for me. Call me lazy, I don't care, LOL. And, like someone else mentioned, it feels nice to have them shampoo & massage your head. :)

Well, it came out shorter than I'd planned, and it took me some getting used to, but I'm not the slightest bit sorry I chopped it. To me, it was good riddance. It's still long, not by LHC standards, but it's about armpit length. It's been over a month, and I finally found the time to do alittle reshaping myself around the front so it hangs alittle better (it was looking kinda triangly before) and I'm so much happier with it. I can, and do, wear it down most of the time. It looks thicker and not limp anymore. (Well thats partly because I went back to CO wash, but that's another story) When I wear it down it doesn't get all tangled up. I can ponytail it with out a hassle too. I like the swingy-ness of it, it kind of brushes back and forth over my shoulders.

I love that I have shaved off so much off my shower time as well, and my air-drying time. I love that I can sit in a chair without catching or trapping my hair behind me. I love that DH, or anybody else for that matter, doesn't accidently lean on my hair anymore. And I like the look of it on me more, even though it still needs to be restyled/reshaped alittle better.

I'm happy to have my hair return to just being hair, and not another task on my to-do list. I don't have to give it a 2nd thought if I chose, and it hardly ever gets in my way anymore.

I still may go to a hairdresser (if I could find the oppurtunity) & have it cut even shorter, in a cool style, maybe just above the shoulder, just for the sake of trying it out.

Actually, if I had a thinner face, I'd love to try out this short angled bob I saw on Rhianna in some music videos, I guess that's the same as Posh's, but I think it's super hot.

I might eventually grow it back out again when I'm older, but I really don't want to have the same hairstyle for like 20 years in a row, so I'm glad to have made a change at some point in between.

Even looking back at some of my old pictures, I'm mentally drawing a line where I want to cut it...so I guess that means I really don't miss it at all.

GlennaGirl
May 8th, 2008, 02:15 PM
Connie,

I hear you on the babywearing (I had a Sears sling, plus one that someone hand-made for me) and on the high-maintenance baby bit. It takes a while for a "high needs" baby to mellow out, but your little sweetheart will get there. But I went through the same thing, with hair always being pulled and yanked in and out of the sling and by the baby. My sons still both play with my hair--too harshly--and only now are really getting the hang of "let go means let go. Now!" LOL.

Your baby is cute.

connie
May 8th, 2008, 02:58 PM
Connie,

I hear you on the babywearing (I had a Sears sling, plus one that someone hand-made for me) and on the high-maintenance baby bit. It takes a while for a "high needs" baby to mellow out, but your little sweetheart will get there. But I went through the same thing, with hair always being pulled and yanked in and out of the sling and by the baby. My sons still both play with my hair--too harshly--and only now are really getting the hang of "let go means let go. Now!" LOL.

Your baby is cute.
Thanks! :)
Well, I hope he gets past it, he's already 15 months old. Our Dr. said it'd just his personality, and I kind of agree...and he still gets ahold of my hair sometimes, but it's easier to untangle his grip now. Actually, now he likes to try to brush it, and it let him because it's short enough he won't get it tangled too badly.

And a brief thread hijack...here's my LO's: :heartbeat
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff313/chelo2007/Logan-April08.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff313/chelo2007/Dillon-April08.jpg

Ice~Cold~Wind
October 25th, 2008, 12:32 PM
My mother always had my hair short as a kid, though when I was about 7 my hair was about BSL. Short hair looks horrible on me. I've been gowing it out since I was twelve.

lizzyjo
October 25th, 2008, 01:13 PM
I chopped mine off in high school because I wanted to rebel and be different from everybody else. My parents wouldn't let me dye it, but they DID let me cut it!

I remember thinking, I want really short hair sometime in my life, and I want really long hair sometime in my life. I've had short hair. Now I have long hair.

GlennaGirl
October 25th, 2008, 01:27 PM
hating the way my hair looked and thinking anything else would look better

This has been my main motivator for most of the cuts I've had.

Silver & Gold
October 25th, 2008, 01:44 PM
Reading through the posts I realize that I've cut my hair for practically every reason listed here already by someone else. In no particular order:

1) Change
2) Practicality (New Mommy)
3) Depression
4) Remove old damage
5) It was cut off against my will (when I was little)
6) Being told that long hair wasn't good for me because it hid my face
7) Being told I was too old for long hair
8) Sudden, impulsive desire

Then I realized that I had one good reason to have long hair that trumped all the reasons to cut:

1) Because I want to

Chromis
October 25th, 2008, 01:45 PM
My only reasons for cutting as an adult have been lice and cancer. Can't say I liked either one! I detested having short hair and have no desire whatsoever to chop it off ever again beyond small trims to keep it even.

suicides_eve
October 25th, 2008, 02:04 PM
Coming from a family of straight hairs- they nor i never knew how to care for curly hair . when brushed it turns to a fro. My mom always kept it short. When i was about 15 i had apl and opted for a buzz cut after getting lice from the neighbor kids. I then got in to the whole bleach color thing and my hair never grew much past apl. Last fall i tried to remove black hair dye using bleach- a univeral no-no. Welp my roots melted off in spots and i went for a pixie that i am still growing out

Forever_Sophie
October 25th, 2008, 02:44 PM
Once, I did it because I loved the cut (jaw-length, flippy layers)....I was graduating from uni. so it was sort of a new start (but in my mind, it was all about the cut & kind of important for work).

Another time, (it was a different cut, lip-length bob) I was working at Sephora and they wanted long hair *always* to be up...I hated that, and it was the final straw that helped me make the decision. Didn't regret it, but was much less pleased than with the previous cut.

toocurly
October 25th, 2008, 03:14 PM
- when I was a teen I was cutting, because really wanted change. For sure I didn't feel good with myself and with my hair in this time.
- then I cut my hair when relationship with the most important person was broken. I had low-esteem at this time.
- then I cut it, because I didn't know what to do with my hair. I straightened them all the time. Still low-esteem period.
- then I wanted long hair so bad, but bleached (stupid me!) so I had to cut it...
- now I'm growing my hair healthy and I like myself.

So your theory works for me:)

30isthenewblack
October 25th, 2008, 03:46 PM
I have only cut my hair once and that was because I wanted a Whitney Houston style bob when I was 14 :smile: Unfortunately, the hairdresser took it upon herself to give me a cut where the hair was shaved at the back. I can't even tell you what she was thinking now. I haven't cut it since but I've bleached it, put extensions in my hair and all sorts of silly things and it never grew past BSL. Hopefully, that will change now I've joined the LHC.

Missie
October 25th, 2008, 07:42 PM
I cut my hair when the ends feel bad and a little further up the length towards my head my hair feels heaps better. So.. on occasions, if the ends feel bad enough then I cut back to the healthier length (sometimes)
I can imagine some times a person might want to cut their hair as a symbolic act of wishing to close off and make a new beginning.. a clean slate sort of thing. Hair is an emotional expression of our inner barometer perhaps?

Addy
October 25th, 2008, 08:35 PM
I cut my long hair off in 2005 to a very short punked out cut with long bangs.

I did it because I wanted a complete change after surving a near fatal reaction that should have never happened the way it did. It was a very difficult time in my life and I had a lot of things that needed left go and apparently, my hair was one of them. I didn't regret it though and I kept that style for like two years.

I hope to always have long hair for the rest of my life!

ladyshannonanne
October 25th, 2008, 08:51 PM
The first time I chopped off my long hair, I was 19 and depressed. I was on a bad medication, had uncontrollable acne, and fried my hair with bleach and dye. I actually liked the way I looked with short hair, but I didn't like how limiting it was. You can style your hair only a few ways when it's short and cut for a particular "look."

The second time I chopped off my hair was due to several factors. Right when I got pregnant with my son, I got my hair cut in this really hip, chunky, Japanese-inspired style. Very much a not-intended-for-wavy-fine-hair-style. I grew it out through my pregnancy. After I grew out most of the crazy layers, I was watching some anime with a friend and though, hmmmm, I kind of miss my funky hair. Chop. Oops. This time, I didn't have the patience to let the layers grow out, so I decided to start from scratch. I ended up with a very nice graduated bob that, if it wouldn't have cost me $60 a month in upkeep, I may still have today. It was a great cut that was very flattering and very easy to care for. Truly a wash and go style. But as soon as I had any growth--like after three weeks--it didn't look so great.

So, I clipped it back and let it grow.

I'll probably cut my hair short sometime in the future, but it will most likely be when I go gray. I've always loved Judi Dench's gray/white pixie cut.

CourtneyS
October 26th, 2008, 01:33 AM
Ive always thought I look better in short hair.. Plus I always got tired of waiting for it to grow :) When it was long and I cut it short it was just for change.

HotRag
October 26th, 2008, 02:15 AM
I have cut my hair short three times in my life.

At four years old: Wanted to look like my father.
At 12 years old: Wanted to look more "normal". (80's shoulder length with layers)
At 27 years old: Wanted to make 40's hairdo with rolls.' (Shoulder length)

After the two latest big cuts, I held it in the new shorter style for some years before letting it grow again.

Robbi Dehlinger
October 26th, 2008, 02:16 AM
I've actually toyed with the idea of cutting my hair often.

It's never been 'short' as in above shoulder or above, so I've always been curious as to how I'd look with short hair....

Don't do it, it's too pretty:)

Accolady cut hers from knee to waist length (Is that short?) and instantly regretted it!

Buy a shorty wig and wear it until the feeling to cut goes away:)

Isa-belle
October 26th, 2008, 03:04 AM
I had my hair down my back for years; I cut it off when my grandma died. She loved it so much and I thought, what's the use of having them long now? She won't be here to touch them and look at them anymore.

I've been growing it again for about a year. I now grow it back as a tribute to her and her own wonderful long hair. (she still had a magnificent bun when she died at 98 ). I just think, she'd probably be happy to know that I'm back to having the long hair that she loved.

Periwinkle
October 26th, 2008, 07:27 AM
People are always telling me that I should cut my hair because I never wear it down. I used to listen to them.

invisiblebabe
October 26th, 2008, 02:07 PM
As a kid, I don't remember why I cut my hair, lol. It was always somewhere from shoulder-length to BSL, and I guess sometimes I just wanted it a bit shorter so I had my mom trim it.

During middle school I grew my hair out, and I maintained it at classic length from 8th grade to senior year of HS. At graduation, I cut it to waist b/c it got frustrating keeping it highlighted AND very long, and I chose color over length.

When I was 21, I chopped it from waist to BSL because I got mad at it, lol. BSL is easiest for me to maintain while highlighting it. It is still long, it looks nice and thick on the ends, plus I have a color that flatters my face and skin tone. :)

smilinjenn71
October 26th, 2008, 02:58 PM
I've cut my hair short a few times in life because I am totally impulsive and love that instant change! Nothing beats that high!! :D

My hair has been pixie short for about 12 yrs now and I've grown tired of it. Also, before cutting it to this pixie I was always wearing my hair up in a pony tail. I thought to myself... WHY do I have long hair when all I do is put it up in a pony tail?!?!? To me, I didn't have a style... it was just kinda there.

I've started growing my hair out again in July. I have to say that I dislike the 'ugly' growing out phases. However I'm looking forward to figuring out new styles with my longer hair and enjoying touching it again. As will my hubby...hehe. One thing I have noticed is that I think about my hair all the time now.... almost obsessively, which I've never done before. I'm not really sure if I'm diggin' that or not. I just never really had to think about my hair with the pixie and NEVER had a bad hair day....LOL!

Hopefully I will have the determination and patience to grow long. How long is yet to be determined.

Jenn

Amara
October 26th, 2008, 07:20 PM
At particular points in my life, it's been to make a statement: to say unequivocally to the world that "I have changed!"

At other times it's been because it was the only thing in my life I felt like I had control over. Why that translated to cutting it to feel like I had control rather than keeping it long to feel like I had control, I don't know.

Caldonia Sun
October 26th, 2008, 07:37 PM
I've cut bunches of times, mainly when I was just sick of looking at it and wanted some new, slick short style or just something easier. No regrets - I like short, medium, long - they all have their pluses and minuses.

LawyerGirl
October 26th, 2008, 07:44 PM
I once cut my hair very very short because I broke up with a boyfriend who loved my long hair! This past summer I cut off some damage, but ended up being unhappy with how young it made me look... and got some choppy layers put in to match my personality. I have been growing it out about a month now... I'm at an awkward shaggy-dog phase now that I usually chop off but am resisting!

MiccaBimon
October 27th, 2008, 12:13 AM
I've cut for several reasons, ranging from cutting off damage to just wanting a change less permanent than a new tattoo or moving.

My latest cut, though, in fall 2005, was a reaction to getting married. I had compromised everything about my wedding to my parents, who were paying for it, and ended up giving in on almost all the dreams I'd had for my wedding. My parents and my inlaws had pretty much dominated my life for the prior six months. I moved into my husband's home, away from the life I had established for myself after college. I think for me, at that time, it was very much about demonstrating that I still had some control over my life. I went from shoulder length to about 1.5 inches all over in a single afternoon.

I kept it short for about 8 months. Because my hair is slightly curlier than wavy, and relatively fine, it was actually really easy to style when it was shorter. I loved experimenting with the lengths to see how my wurls would look and with different products. Unfortunately, the pain of growing out when all that fun grew tiresome has pretty much made me decide never to go above my chin again. Unfortunately, having got the itch for change again, I highlighted it in June and the damage is unbelievable. As soon as the virgin hair reaches my chin, off it will all come again. THEN I'm getting on with growing it to either just past my shoulders or BSL, which is about as long as I can handle with the fine wurls.

elrowiel
October 27th, 2008, 01:31 AM
When I was still a kid, short hairs were easier to handle.
I was one of that kids who climb on high trees, old ruins and crawl through the forest.

And after that because I got annoyed or to show that I made a break with my "old" life.

Robbi Dehlinger
October 27th, 2008, 01:35 AM
my worthless 2c again:)

I do not know why, except for depression or pressure from peers or relatives, of course.

I know that the longer mine gets, the more I feel "completed," that is why I bought a shorty wig to keep from having to cut it for work!

Isa-belle
October 27th, 2008, 01:37 AM
I *so* agree with you, Robbi.

Robbi Dehlinger
October 27th, 2008, 01:39 AM
I *so* agree with you, Robbi.

I can tell, at least by appearances, and you hair is LOVELY!

And you are about my age, that gives me lots of hope:)

Robbi Dehlinger
October 27th, 2008, 01:39 AM
Ooops! That was your number of posts! Sorry:)

Lucky
October 27th, 2008, 04:02 AM
I've cut mine over the years for various reasons. Usually it was just to change style a bit because I was bored. But I have cut it for psychological reasons - break ups, big transitions (pregnancy), etc. I'm a big believer that there is a lot of energy tied up in hair, if you're going through a change in your life, cutting your hair can be cathardic or a terrible mistake!
I recently had a big cut to get rid of damage. My post partum shed was terrible, it wreaked havoc on my hair volume, but I'm finally bouncing back!

rymorg2
October 27th, 2008, 04:07 AM
I've cut mine for a number of reasons too. Needing a change, to get rid of damage, to celebrate a breakup, all those. Last time I cut it because I was having headaches. From this point I'm not planning on cutting it again, other than trims or getting rid of damage. But we'll see; I'm always changing my mind that way LOL.....

Siava
October 27th, 2008, 04:46 AM
When I cut mine super short it was because I had been married to a man for almost 12 years that told me I was not "allowed" to cut it shorter than shoulder length and had to have it a light color because if not I'd be ugly. Two weeks after we separated I chopped all of it off and never felt more liberated. Now I'm growing it back long, unbleached and healthy for ME.

zift
October 27th, 2008, 05:42 AM
Why I cut my hair off? Well ofcourse because I wanted to. And I did cut a lot of it too, from mid-thigh to mid-back. It was giving me more trouble than joy and I think that's a fair enough reason to do what I did. Everyone wouldn't understand this and hey wait they don't need to because it's just hair so why not?

darl_in1
October 27th, 2008, 05:51 AM
...because I wanted it shorter.

noelgirl
October 27th, 2008, 05:54 AM
Damage, overzealous hairdressers, little of both . . . I've never gone short-short, but those are all things that have caused me to lose significant length from time to time. I did have a near-miss some time ago when I was almost cast in a period piece where they wanted the women to have bobs - I can't say I was too bummed out when I found out that I had a scheduling conflict and would have to back out. I've never really had the desire to chop it all off - sometimes I get that "change" itch, but usually something more minor like bangs or layers satisfies that.

Gecko
October 27th, 2008, 06:06 AM
I haven't had that many hair cuts, but when I did I suppose I was bored... I just wanted something different. I think that's the reason for alot of girls, they just want a new hairstyle.

Duchess of Erat
October 27th, 2008, 06:29 AM
Generally because it got too long for comfort, I never knew what to do with it once it got past BSL or so (finding LHC solved that problem), so I'd cut back to APL, shoulder or chinlength.
My last big chop was from BSL (maybe even a bit longer) to a layered shoulderlength cut when I finally got my engineering degree. Closing of a period/making a new start thing I guess. I kept that cut for a while and then just sort of neglected to go to the hairdresser's, so I'm between waist and tailbone right now and still growing.
I've decided the long hair suits me, so not planning any big cuts again, but you never know...

burns_erin
October 27th, 2008, 08:45 AM
1. I was on a volleyball team and everytime I would dive then roll, I would kneel on my hair and when I tried to bounce back up i would give myself whiplash.
2. The day I woke up to go take my GRE it was a huge rats nest. I could not get it untangled and had to take the test with my hair like that, I went directly from the testing center to a salon and told them to chop it off.
3. My professors started giving me alot of flack about it.

Unofficial_Rose
October 27th, 2008, 08:55 AM
I kept chopping my hair because I didnt know what to "do" with it except ponytail it.

Once I was depressed, mad, and drunk and whacked my hair halfway off, ugh, i was so disgusted when the hangover was finished!!

This is what I was going to say. Are you me?:p

I did the latter once when I was low and decided to cut out all my highlights and "start again". Of course, once I felt better, I highlighted again :rolleyes: :D

Fencai
October 27th, 2008, 09:05 AM
i had one major bout of cutting about8 years ago.
I had never had short hair, and wondered what it felt like.

my bf at the time hated short hair so I never cut it.

then I met (now) DH and he likes short hair on women because he likes the backs of their necks.
So, I got an A-line cut, and just kept chopping from there until I had a pixie.
Now im growing it out. (Although I did like it on me! It was a pain to keep up with! I was getting cuts about every 3 weeks. I also took a lot of flack from Male Hairdressers when I would say take the clippers to the back of my head.)

and although DH likes short, he says that he likes the long on me too.
He's happy as long as Im happy. (Lucky Me!)

vidgrl007
October 27th, 2008, 10:06 AM
I used to listen to my dear sis she always told me "You look better with short hair"and would always lop it off.Now my hair is longer than its been in a long time(almost apl) and am sooo happy.

I would also listen to my mom who has short hair btw,say"How can you stand all that hair on your neck?"

So now I listen to myself and not buy all the hype.

Now ironically my sis likes short hair and I'm going long lol.

LuXious
October 27th, 2008, 10:10 AM
Boredom, needing a change, damage from all the changes already made during states of boredom, falling in love with a short style as someone else has mentioned, feeling punky, thinking you're about to overhaul your personality and the hair is symbolic, etc, etc, ....

Monsterkitti
October 27th, 2008, 11:03 AM
Ive cut many times, mainly because if frustration, thinking I couldnt grow any further than APL (entirely due to bad haircare)

Also I had to cutback because of a bad at home fullhead bleach and once after bleaching and dying the end 3-4inches various very pretty colours for over a year, very frazzled ends, they had to go.

Bubbleguppy
October 27th, 2008, 01:27 PM
My main reason for cutting my hair was always because I got bored, and felt like I needed a change. I would go through a cycle pretty much every year that I would grow my hair out all fall and winter and in the spring I would chop it all off (usually to shoulder length or shorter). The last time was march of '07, and I cut it to my chin, and I'm determined to never cut it again (other than trims) :)

dor3girl
October 27th, 2008, 01:49 PM
These are the top reasons that I have cut my hair off drastically in the past:

Depression
Weight gain
Life Changes (puberty, birth of a baby, graduation, marriage, yadda yadda)
Hair loss (after having a baby)
Damage to hair (perms, colors, higlights, splits)
Wanting to look like someone else

dor3girl
October 27th, 2008, 01:56 PM
Oh yeah, just a wee anecdote: the most major hair cut I got was after I found out I was pregnant for the 3rd time in 3 years (not planned, obviously). I took my golden almost-waist length hair to a salon & cut it to my shoulders. It was NOT pretty & the color looked darker.

Another time, (when I was pregnant with my first) I was going through a difficult pregnancy & had bad acne. For some reason (the hormones) I thought that I would look/feel better as a blonde. So, I colored it at home, and ended up with this weird brassy blonde color that was wrong on so many levels. I ended up covering it with a red-brown shade that I fell in love with.

Euphony
October 27th, 2008, 02:07 PM
Depression, needing a change. Wanting a dramatic change because I wasn't happy with how I looked. I'm in one of those moods now - generally the first thing that would go would be my hair (it's easy) but nope, I'm hanging on to my hair now.

The other reason I'd cut my hair is because it'd get to bsl and not grow any further than that. I caused myself false terminal length due to mainly the nasty brush and the blow dryer. I was determined at one point to grow my hair longer and didn't cut for 2 years...my hair was in some sad shape and probably didn't do anything to the length except make it shorter due to breakage.

sedonia
October 27th, 2008, 02:23 PM
because short hair styles can be really cute and flattering and fun.

because long hair can become damaged and not look very good.

because some women like to follow trends in hairstyles occasionally.

because some women just like to change the way they look.

LaurelSpring
October 27th, 2008, 02:34 PM
I have cut mine when I was feeling frumpy and needed a change. The thing is, after about a week I realize I cant do anything interesting with it and regret it.

Before LHC I cut it because I didnt know how to deal with it at longer length or put it in updos. I am totally prepared this time and loving it.

dubon
October 27th, 2008, 02:36 PM
in the case of my wife - sudden dislike of the ends, general need for a change, wrinkle on face (and the hope that shorter hair will fall on face/forehead and cover them), insecurity, the belief that shorter hair is more trendy, shorter hair is "what all women over 40 have", "it is not pretty", higher than ususal level of shed, you name it :)

Butterflylady
October 27th, 2008, 06:26 PM
Last time I cut it really short was because I finished school and got a "real" job. It was a huge mistake.

In the past I would bleach it and then after a couple of months I'd chop it all off because I hate the damage bleach causes.

I still get tempted to bleach it sometimes, but I know better now.:poot:

Robbi Dehlinger
October 28th, 2008, 12:40 PM
Gee! These replies are "all over the place!"

I could not imagine not growing it longer now, ven though it is only shoulder length?

The thought of being a "Old lady" with ultra long hair is something (at least for now) am very much looking forward to!

But I am also encouraged (If that is a proper way of expressing it?) at the number of ladies who HAD long hair, cut it and wanted it back!

:)

RocketDog
October 28th, 2008, 03:08 PM
The first time I had a drastic cut done, it was because I had sustained a crippling injury to my left hand and couldn't care for my waist-length hair one-handed.

Fast-forward two years, and I shaved my head because I had hopelessly damaged hair due to bleach/dye/heat, grew it out to chin-length, repeated the bleach/dye/abuse cycle for another two years, then I shaved it again to 'start fresh' by getting rid of all the damaged-beyond-hope stuff. I colored and cut and heat-styled my hair just for fun. I accepted the damage as part of the game, and shaving my head didn't bother me - it was, after all, 'just hair' and would grow back ;)

I've never cut my hair due to depression, although I know plenty of women who have. My fiance cut his waist-length hair due to male pattern thinning/balding back in '06.

shaybabe8604
April 13th, 2009, 12:25 AM
I cut my hair off because it was chemically processed and i wanted to start over healthy.
In the past I have cut it a few times, mostly due to damage and/or bad coloring

Margeaux
April 13th, 2009, 01:52 AM
As a child I simply never wore it long. Before the summer I'd have it cut back to a bob; during winter it would grow out to my shoulders. And repeat. My parents considered this the most practical thing for a little girl to do, and I didn't challenge them. Because of this I never had long hair.In high school I grew my hair to just above APL before getting bored and getting a nice cut - again back to a bob, but an A-line. Ever since I'd been maintaining it around that length, straightening its lots because I believed I was a cool kid (the precursor to a scene kid, oh those times...) and really didn't think cool kids had curly hair.
I've been trying to go longer now for about three years, but incessant straightening and dyeing have asked its toll. The first two years I was only occupied with maintaining the length while getting rid of the old damage and was forced to cut; over the past year doing so finally paid off and I've noticed some great growth. Now at full APL in its dry and curly state, it's the longest I've ever worn it! No clue about my terminal length, no idea how to manage it when it gets longer...but we'll see. I've never really had long hair because of various reasons, but am no longer planning to cut it.

ravenreed
April 13th, 2009, 02:51 AM
While in high school, I lost a bit of hair to damage, and just went really short for fun. I kept it that way for several years so I must have liked it. After that, whenever I needed a change, I would do something to my hair, change a color or cut it a different style. I finally settled on one color in my early twenties and have been happy with it ever since. I stopped coloring for a few year and felt so drab I went back to coloring again.

Sometimes now I get the itch to cut it short again. I often feel constricted by the long hair, having to be so gentle with it. Today was the first time in a long time that I had it down while driving and once AGAIN it got sucked up in the seat belt. When my hair was bsl, this was never a problem! I am going to stick to my goal of hitting tb, and then evaluate how I feel about that length. It may be that I am happier with my hair shorter. I don't know.

Flynn
April 13th, 2009, 03:19 AM
Because it's fun, you don't have to put the hours of maintenance in that long hair requires -- if you fry it, ruin it, colour it wrong, you know that it'll have grown out completely in a month or two, and some people just look better with short hair than long, just like some people look better wearing red than yellow.



I'm... vaguely offended by the implication that you'd only cut off your hair because of low self-esteem or depression. I went for the pixie cut in high school, and got called a "****" for it, but kept it short anyway. After that, a couple of other girls got up the guts to do the same. It's a bit like implying that I must be depressed because I choose to wear ankle-length skirts, and don't show off my feet. Come on.

rach
April 13th, 2009, 05:44 AM
tantrum and depression over split ends but now i'm on here i'm sure my new routine and my own scissors (not hairdressing scissors) will help my get through it and will finally get to a decent length. just need patience and seeing peoples hair on here have made it look possible to get there. i adore the idea of having long hair, suits me much better the longer it is.

SHELIAANN1969
April 13th, 2009, 05:53 AM
I always had short hair, so I always cut it when I *thought* it was too long or scraggly. :rolleyes:

I also seem to be able to find the Edward Scissorhands in every salon and many a time starting at 8 years old, have had awful, hideous haircuts.

I also got drunk and cut my bangs before. :rolleyes:

And I have had friends trim my hair and hack my bangs off as well.

There are many reasons. Most of them for me were just plain lame. :D

Peregrine
April 13th, 2009, 07:00 AM
When I was depressed I would cut it because I knew I needed to change. Since I could not figure out how to change the inside I would change the outside.

Other than that my mother cut my hair into a bob through elementary school until I told her I wanted to let my hair grow. Then before high school my sisters would help me "trim" my hair and off would go 4 inches.

In college I started shampooing my hair daily like you were suppose to do and my BSL hair turned (from gold:p) into straw. So I cut it to within a half inch of my skull to both start over and see what short hair was like.

marajade
April 13th, 2009, 07:56 AM
I kept chopping my hair because I didnt know what to "do" with it except ponytail it.



This was ALWAYS the reason I chopped my hair off. I also had no idea how to care for or style long hair. So it got to certain length and I would chop half of it off! My hair is too thick according to stylists and they always wanted to give me something "breezy". There is something to be said for NOT trying to fix something that ain't broke!!! There were many times I came home from the salon with crazy layered cuts because I didn't really know how to express to them what I wanted.

losgan
April 13th, 2009, 07:59 AM
I have to admit, I do LOVE the attention when I cut it off. The "Wow!" and "Oh you look so cute!" is hard to pass up. And it is kinda fun to shock people - I often don't even warn people that I'm planning to do it.

I think the biggest thing in September that caused me to do it though, I was wearing a sleeveless shirt while working out, and my hair got in my armpit somehow - and it just totally made me gag.

When it gets that long, I'm gonna have to put it up in a nice arrangement and forget about it when I'm wearing sleeveless!

peachrose
April 13th, 2009, 08:31 AM
I used to cut mine as a teen because I was bored and wanted to change something. I didn't want short hair but that seemed like the the faster and easiest way to change my look.

Later on when I wanted long hair I would still get it cut because it felt so fried and I was convinved that it was trimming that it needed. Now I know there are many other ways to nourish my hair.

desertgirl
April 13th, 2009, 08:42 AM
For most of my life I have been an emotional hair-cutter. When I was sick of my hair, it got cut, and I usually regretted it later. After sticking it out to it's longest length (BSL) in my life, I then chopped it to it's shortest (about 3 inches off the scalp), donating to help make a wig for cancer patients. Since then I have vowed not to be an emotional hair-cutter.

learnthenLive!
April 13th, 2009, 08:48 AM
I think some women cut their hair when they break up from a relationship because they think he must have not liked my look so I'm going to get a new look. And it wasn't that at all.

JamieLeigh
April 13th, 2009, 09:56 AM
I've only had 2 major chops in my life. One was when I was ten, and my mom had given me a home perm that didn't really end up looking like the box photo (try French poodle!! Grrr....:mad:). I got a ginormous tangle and had to have it cut just below shoulder. Then my mom decided she'd learned her lesson and just left it alone, no trimming or anything, and by the time I was 17 or so, it was nearly knee-length. Then I got it chopped to just below BSL. Partially because of my band scholarship requirements (unless it was due to religion, hair could NOT touch the collar of your marching band uniform at all - and there was no way to alter my helmet to fit all of it up inside. yes, this was 12 years ago - WAY before I found LHC and learned updos other than a basic bee-butt or braid), and partially because I was just getting tired of it. I also played volleyball and my bee-butt buns would fall while the game was going, and my hair would get me into trouble with Coach Mayes. :rolleyes:

So sometimes, it's a style accident that makes women cut, and sometimes just for pure convenience's sake. Not always because of depression or being a fashion-sheep. :)

earthdancer
April 13th, 2009, 10:06 AM
I've cut my hair off for a number of reasons:
1) I thought it would look cute (I ended up looking like a boy)
2) I had a baby and couldn't deal with 2-hour drying times
3) I was really mad at my man (seems to be a common reason, but I'd love to know the psychology)
4) I got a bad perm and it made my hair split in the middle of the shaft
5) My hair looked awful in the in-between stages and I was embarrassed to be seen at work. After I began working at home full time, I was able to outlast the awkward stages.

Norai
April 13th, 2009, 11:05 AM
I used to cut mine when I took horrible care of it and convinced myself that the only way to get rid of all my split ends was to cut 8" off... did that more than once. :(

funnybunny668
April 13th, 2009, 05:07 PM
For myself, I wanted a cute hairstyle. I cut it short, liked it, cut it shorter, liked it, cut it shorter still. One good thing about going so short is that I got rid of the chemical haircolor that I'd been waffling back & forth on growing out.

Jeep Girl
April 13th, 2009, 05:15 PM
Because for me anyways, ultra short hair is as easy to maintain on a day-to-day basis as my long hair is now. (I am totally not including the maintenance haircuts required) I was in a punk phase what can I say? Now that I am old and chubby, short hair would look like cr@p on me.

charlotte meve
April 13th, 2009, 05:59 PM
I cut my hair out of defense. To protect myself. But now I want to grow it really long, because now I equate short hair with sadness and a time I don't want to go back to,(will never go back to).

zen_oven
April 13th, 2009, 08:06 PM
I got pixie when I was 18 because I wanted to try something different. It was cute, but not really me. Most of the time that has been why I've cut my hair off--I wanted to try something different. Thing is, usually most short styles all looked the same on me, so that was a lesson in trying the same thing over and over to the same result. And you know what they say about that. . . :D

I almost shaved my head once because my mom was going through chemo and lost hers--I didn't want her to feel alone. She got wind of what I was up to, though, and threatened my life, so I didn't end up doing that. ;)

goodluckcharm
April 13th, 2009, 08:41 PM
I've cut my hair short for several reasons:

1) it was really hot one summer and i was in an impulsive mood. whack! off with the ponytail.
2) I had some major damage I wanted to get rid of
3) I thought bobs were cute
4) A guy a liked (how dumb was I?) told me that my long hair was disgusting.

babbleball
April 13th, 2009, 10:04 PM
Because I live in a sea of long haired blondes and I could walk into a room with my short naturally black hair be the one who turned heads in a good way. I seriously live in the bsl to waist bleach blonde capital of the world.

If not it certainly seems that way.

Almost everyone my ageish has long hair. Plus I looked totally hot.

vindo
April 13th, 2009, 10:17 PM
I had several reasons:

I was always critized and even bullied for my long hair, told it is ugly and thin, no haircut..the usual.

When I finally had it short and wanted to grow out again I was told:

You don't have the kind of hair to wear it long, it will never even grow long and break at your shoulders, it is too thin/fine/fragile to have it long.

dearladydisdain
April 14th, 2009, 05:21 AM
Because it's easier to take care of.

So it looks more "stylish."

Because they LIKE IT! We always defend our love of long hair. There are women out there who defend their love of short hair. It's not impossible.

Loviatar
April 14th, 2009, 09:13 AM
Can't speak for others, but I've cut because:

I was bored of my previous style
I wanted to see what it would look like
I wanted to look like someone else (Winona Ryder's pixie cut comes to mind)
I wanted to get rid of old dye/damage (I once went from almost TB to a pixie to cut off black dye)
It was in fashion at the time (school - everyone had bobs)
It was summer (I used to chop when it got too hot to deal with longish hair that wouldnt go up)
I was miserable with myself and took it out on my hair
I was offered a part in a play if I cut my hair (see the TB-to-pixie cut, it was the same time and I combined the two - AND then I didnt get the part, grrrr)

That's the ones I can think of.

Iylivarae
April 14th, 2009, 09:20 AM
I had troubles with my scalp, it was so greasy I had to wash like 3x a day (hormonal problems), and thus the hair was really damaged and it was just impossible to do that with long (about BSL at that time) hair.

KajiKodomo
April 14th, 2009, 09:22 AM
I cut mine because of low self-esteem (sabatoge maybe? since I prefer my hair long), because I just wanted to, because of damage, and because my mom always told me that I looked so much better with it short.

Most of the time I've chopped it all off, though, was because of low self-esteem and depression.

Spike
April 14th, 2009, 11:45 AM
Hmmm . . . I've been a longhair (inside if not out) my whole life. Here are the exceptions:

Birth to about five--Mom kept it short, recalling her mother's efforts to keep a tomgirl in curls on the prairie. (Uhm, riiiiiight. Can we say "chasing your kid around with a hairbrush"???) Mother told me that once **I** was ready to wash and comb it, I could grow it out.

So I did. Then when I was ten I cut it back to shoulder length to fit in. Hey, I was TEN. And yes, I regretted it about a week later when the newness/"I can manipulate you" wore off and the Queen Bees went right back to the way they had been--except I didn't have my TBL hair anymore.

When I was 17, a dear friend of mine died. It felt like a piece of me died along with her. Whacking my hair off to pixie/buzz felt like a good way to express how everything thah had gone before was . . . gone. And hair will grow back, eventually.

A year later, I started growing back from the buzz cut, and inked in a mourning tattoo to mark the end of grieving.

Left it long (from waist to hip) for years, until I bought my convertible. I didn't know any updos besides pony and french braid, plus I was frustrated at how thin it looked, so I lopped it all off to pixie/buzz again. Where were you all when I needed you?? < grin >

I kept it short for five years, and am now growing back out. I believe I'll hit APL by the end of this year, and plan to start wearing it up in all sorts of ways that hide the taper (which was what I **really** objected to the last time it was long).

I solved the convertible problem by learning scarf-based updos off http://tznius.com. No tangles, and bonus! no sun damage.

enfys
April 14th, 2009, 12:21 PM
I can't say I've ever cut my hair short, but I cut it shorter significantly because I was fed up with not being able to wear it down, or not *feeling* able to wear it down, when I went out. As a crazy 18 year old I liked going to rock clubs and gigs several times a week.

Also, I wanted to create authentic 40s styles for WWII re-enactment, but I still didn't have the guts to cut it short enough (guts to risk looking stupid for ages), so I was still more Veronica Lake than most.

Now I give up on all that tosh. Long hair is pretty and dammit I want to be Princess Leia again.

heidi w.
April 14th, 2009, 03:32 PM
My hair was cut short in response to rape many years ago. (I'm fine now, folks!)

There are all manner of reasons....which is the same for those who want long(er) hair, too.

All kinds of reasons.

You'd be amazed at the variety.

heidi w.

LadyLongLocks
April 14th, 2009, 04:15 PM
Three reasons I cut my hair short in the past.

1. I was 13 and my mom made me go to a salon...I got the worst cut of my life!

2. I got very ill when I was 18 and I was so sick I lost half of my waist length hair. I decided to cut it so it would look thicker.

3. Small children. I had 3 kids and two were under 2. I cut my classic length hair to below shoulders since I had no time to wash it etc.

I never cut my hair to have it "short". there was always a good reason. And Now I have it long again. :)

ungratefulgirl
April 15th, 2009, 04:45 PM
Many reasons: to "shock" myself (a super jolt of reality, maybe?), to cut off damaged hair from styling (I don't even style my hair anymore, because of it), nervousness, angst, freedom because I had long hair my WHOLE childhood and teenage years, punk, to experiment, to see my face (I didn't know enough about updos), and because at hair school they tried to make me think long hair didn't suit me (it totally does), because I loved the bob nearly as much as long hair, because most people told me I looked cuter that way.

My reason for growing my hair is only that I love long hair. I feel more comfortable when my hair is long.

brok3nwings
April 15th, 2009, 06:33 PM
the first time i cut my hair short (not considering childhood) it was because i went into a hairdresser to have a trim and he did cut some inches but he also thinned my hair with a scissor from the roots! well, next day i went for a very short cut, i grew it for one year, then cut it myself infront of the mirror like a maniac... i think i really got depressed about it the first time so i continued to "fix it" with cuts and colour... it took me 3 and half years to finally find LHC :) i actually looked nice with short hair but i love long hair and i will make anything to make it look good with my face!

Fairlight63
April 15th, 2009, 07:12 PM
The reason that I have cut my hair in the past was:

1. When I was about 12 I had hair down to the middle of my back. I was shedding so much that I thought that I was going to go bald & I got scared, so cut it short.
2. I thought that I looked better in short hair.
3. I would see short hair styles & would want to copy it.
4. My husband likes short hair.
5. Thought that I was too old for long hair
6. Thinking that grey hair looked better short
7. Wanting to cover the grey & long hair is hard to color myself
8. Thinking that short hair is easier to take care of

whiteisle
April 15th, 2009, 07:30 PM
The reason that I have cut my hair in the past was:

1. When I was about 12 I had hair down to the middle of my back. I was shedding so much that I thought that I was going to go bald & I got scared, so cut it short.
2. I thought that I looked better in short hair.
3. I would see short hair styles & would want to copy it.
4. My husband likes short hair.
5. Thought that I was too old for long hair
6. Thinking that grey hair looked better short
7. Wanting to cover the grey & long hair is hard to color myself
8. Thinking that short hair is easier to take care of

I am a victim of:
#2
#3
#4
#5 and
#8 (dumb me has made that mistake several times)

in addition to:
~ trying to "start over" after a break-up or big life change
~ thinking I'd feel better about myself with shorter hair :rolleyes:
~ being suckered in by my stylist that it "fit" me better
~ and in general getting bored and frustrated with trying to grow long

but I'm hanging on this time! :D

Flynn
April 15th, 2009, 08:48 PM
Thing is, for me #8 was actually true with the way I wore my hair. I had it super-short for my last few years of high school, and where before I spent 10-15 minutes brushing and styling a "school-acceptable" style (we had very strict uniform rules, though fortunately nothing was explicitly stated about super-short hair, though it turned out to be frowned upon, hahahaha), with it really short, I just had to rub some styling wax on my hands and scrunch it through my hair, and I was right to go. It dried in minutes, not hours, and never needed any more combing than a hand run through the back once or twice.

Flynn
April 15th, 2009, 08:50 PM
Sorry for the double post, but I can't edit yet. I wanted to clarify: "#8 was actually true with the way I wore my hair", meaning specifically for that style in my hair, worn the way I wore it.

dulce-de-leche
April 15th, 2009, 08:53 PM
I cut my waist length hair once because I was so mad because I had,had a bad hair weekend so I got revenge on my hair and chopped off to my shoulders.Well I guess my hair got back at met because then because I hated it and was depressed because it was too short to do anything with.

leahrachelle
April 15th, 2009, 09:48 PM
I cut my hair for change. My hair had just always been long and blah. It doesn't curl for anything and because my natural color is very dark, I could never change the color around much, and I didn't want to bleach (while it was long). I saw a lot of girls cutting their hair into cute bobs, and I thought it was the change I was looking for. I was very, very wrong.

losgan
April 15th, 2009, 09:48 PM
~ trying to "start over" after a break-up or big life change

He he - this was me after my divorce. My ex said once that my hair was his favorite thing about me - so after all was said and done I chopped it off.

Actually - my mom thinks it is fear of my hair attracting a guy (my being afraid he just wants me for my hair, ha ha) that has had me keeping it short. Funny how what people have been thinking comes out when you tell them you decided to grow it long again :)

NebraskaChick84
April 16th, 2009, 01:05 AM
I cut mine because babies have a very strong grip and I was afraid he'd pull my hair out! for baby #2, I thought it would bring on labor (it didn't) and for baby #3 I was growing out color and it had finally gotten past my shoulders :)

Fethenwen
April 16th, 2009, 05:50 AM
Some women do look good with short hair, especially those who don't want to take care of their hair.

I cut my hair again for about, hmm last year, and had a few trims. The last cut was made about this autumn. And now I am growing it out again. I have had short hair many times, but always get back to long.

Last time I cut it because I thought I would look good in a pixie like cut :rolleyes:, because I thought that my face is too long for long hair and short hair would also disguise my chin. I ended up looking like a troll. My hair is too wavy for short styles, so I had to flat iron it a lot. ARRGGh. And I also ended up putting it in a pathetic little pony tail.

So I'd rather look like a troll with long hair :) I have also always got so many compliments on my hair during the times it was long, I do miss the attention ^_^ And I also miss to fuzzle with my hair, hair care is my hobby, short hair doesn't really give that much of a challenge.

charlotte meve
April 16th, 2009, 11:46 PM
My hair was cut short in response to rape many years ago. (I'm fine now, folks!)

There are all manner of reasons....which is the same for those who want long(er) hair, too.

All kinds of reasons.

You'd be amazed at the variety.

heidi w.

I'm fine now too!

blondecat
April 17th, 2009, 10:15 AM
I cut because I went to salons and they always hacked off any growth I'd had. As a former bleach addict, my hair never seemed to want to grow long - the ends would get scraggly at about APL, then I'd feel selfconscious and go to the salon, where they would promptly say "let's get rid of those old ends" and cut back to shoulder.

I've wanted long hair for over ten years, but the bleach meant too much damage to get it long, and the salons removed any growth I would have had.

Also, when everyone tells you your hair is too fine/thin to grow, and you can't seem to get it longer, it is hard to have the courage to grow.

I have the same reasons [and the same fine hair lol]


Hairdressers [mother kept my hair short when a child, she couldn't do a thing with my fine hair, without it matting into felt]

And then hairdressers kept up the "your hair is fine, it's Never grow] And I beleived them.

Once I got my hair past BSL, my hair calmed down and is now manageable [mostly]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a125/reddog1964/DSCF1675.jpg

LuXious
April 18th, 2009, 09:10 AM
To get rid of dye and damage and start over. :D

Feye
April 18th, 2009, 09:37 AM
Hair "anorexia"? I.e. thinking that the hair isn't pretty/thick/shiny/wavy/straight enough, even if it is very beautiful to anyone else viewing it.

Other reasons would be influences from fashion. If you see gorgeous models/actresses with shorter hair everywhere, it will be tempting to try to bring in body, wave, color, or whatever look they have.

Forever_Sophie
April 18th, 2009, 12:27 PM
I've done it a few times just because I liked the hairstyle, once for a role (Sophie in Mamma Mia), medical reasons (thinning).

Jules diamond
April 18th, 2009, 02:44 PM
My hair's been short for a long time, since it used to grow very slow. I've cut it off for a lot of the reasons I've seen on this thread, personal things, nasty comments that made me feel bad about it, and hot and humid weather. One of the reasons I'd cut it was because of styles that looked very cute on me that were short. Only I'd keep forgetting that I didn't have straight hair and after they dried it would look completely different.

Nefcerka
March 12th, 2024, 06:00 AM
Bumping this thread, because I was thinking of starting something like this very topic, but then I thought it must already have been discussed and I found and read this thread from first till last page (*guilty*).

Obviously, the title should say Why do PEOPLE cut their hair off.

All the reasons for doing so may have been already mentioned in this thread, but this thread was active 15 years ago and we have so many new people here that I would really like to hear the thoughts and perspective of currently active members (if they are inclined to share them).

My thought is - I almost always cut my hair in the past from about WL to shoulder (or shorter) because I was tired of dealing with it, I didnīt know any hairstyle except a braid or pony and I also disliked the look of my thin, scraggly ends. (And Iīm again getting to the point when I really canīt stand thinking of my thin, scraggly ends and that leads me to reading threads such as this one).

Neoma
March 12th, 2024, 11:52 AM
At its longest, my hair was hip length.

I cut my hair to a bob because of the following:

* I had several Great Sheds due to aging and medications. My hair is now only 1/2 to 1/3 as thick as it used to be. (My hair is baby-fine, but I used to have a lot of it.)

* When I cut it several years ago, it was so thin that my updos no longer looked good. Since I always wore it up, it was time to cut.

* I cut it into a bob and discovered that the face-framing style looks good on me.

I sold most of my hair toys but kept my favorites. I've toyed with growing it out again, but I don't think I'll ever do it.

Priska
March 12th, 2024, 01:58 PM
I believe that if the hair type is prone to tangles it might take big effort to take care of that kind of hair when it's super long. Or that's the reason why i constantly keep thinking if i should cut my hair shorter. Especially if you live in a country where women and mothers are very busy all the time, the effort might feel too big.
But sure for many women it's also question about fashion and some kind of group pressure. In my country almost all grandmothers have same kind of hairstyle, short and curly.

Hairy-Fairy
March 12th, 2024, 02:55 PM
I've only cut my hair short once and that was because I thought it I cut off all my layers that my hair would have blunt ends forever and always. Ha!

Lady Winchester
March 12th, 2024, 05:59 PM
I don't, since I'll end up hating it! No breakup would cause me to chop my hair off! I didn't even do that when my grandmother died a few years ago. Instead, I went on Etsy to find a memorial with a picture that I could give to all of the grandkids (I was finally able to give my two cousins theirs. I have four altogether and one cousin once removed, since my youngest cousin has a three year old daughter named Zoey). I once chopped my hair off to be more like the Hobbits when the Lord of the Rings movies first came out. I hated it! Even though I'm more into the Dwarves (who have long hair anyway) from the Hobbit trilogy (especially Thorin), I'm way too bashful to style my hair in the same way (since I pull it out from embarrassment each time, so nope, I'll stick with my low ponytails, thank you very much).

lapushka
March 12th, 2024, 07:03 PM
Well... necessity, for me, in my case. My life is such right now that longer lengths are not doable right now. I am APL/BSL, have been for a couple years now, and I quite like it. Thickness is almost regained and it's going well for me. My hair had thinned out mid-lengths 75%, no joke; protective styling, you guys? Be veeery careful that you don't put your hair up too tightly, because I thought I was bunning comfortably and not tightly (and my goodness, no, at least... I thought) and there you go. :shrug: It happened!

vanillacake
March 12th, 2024, 07:19 PM
Pressure, family said I looked better with short hair and long hair didn't suit me. Preference, short hair is easy to wash and ready to go and it is a way to stand out against common hair trends. My last and recent chop was to donate my hair (only to find that nowadays, synthetic hair is preferred and fewer places take real hair anymore).

nate
March 12th, 2024, 07:26 PM
Bumping this thread, because I was thinking of starting something like this very topic, but then I thought it must already have been discussed and I found and read this thread from first till last page (*guilty*).

Obviously, the title should say Why do PEOPLE cut their hair off. I suspect this is one topic where men will give a fairly different array of answers from women.

I cut mine because I was going bald. My "me-with-long-hair" vision involved a full head of long hair, not a ring of long hair around a bald patch. Short hair was not (and still isn't) my first choice, but given my genetics, this is how I look best and feel best.

I never got to my final length goal, but I at least got to try. It could be worse. My brother was half bald by age 18 and fully bald by about 22. I know he wanted to try long hair too, but he never got the chance.

ETJ CURLS
March 12th, 2024, 07:50 PM
Well I cut my bangs last year because I was bored. I do love them, but the growing out process feels like it's taking forever, due to shrinkage, so I'm not doing that again at this point in time.

I had to do a pretty major chop (though I took it in stages between 2021-2022 so as not to shock myself too badly) from TBL to MBL to remove a horrendous amount of damage. I'm not keen on cutting my length for any other reason.

Kat
March 12th, 2024, 08:56 PM
Because they want to? Same reason some people (like us) grow theirs long. People have the length of hair they want.

embee
March 13th, 2024, 06:23 AM
I suspect if I were a guy, I'd be liike nate above as male pattern baldness runs in my family.

Several women I know who suddenly cut their hair short were going through a change in life somehow. I remember a song from my childhood "Gonna wash that man right out of my hair" - and think that is part of the reason... cut out a part of your life, new start, new beginning. When my marriage failed I cut my hair to a boy cut, and *immediately* began growing it out to "terminal". Not sure what I gained from that! :D

evernia
March 16th, 2024, 06:53 AM
i loved going to the men's hairdresser - it was unbelievable, you go there, tell the lady to cut the sides short and the top a bit longer, she doesn't make small talk and after 20 minutes you have the best haircut ever and pay 5 €. not much maintenance, styling and no hair in your face.

if i could just switch between that and how my hair is currently, without the years of waiting for it to grow, i'd absolutely do that.

Dark40
March 16th, 2024, 10:21 AM
The reason that I have cut my hair in the past was:

1. When I was about 12 I had hair down to the middle of my back. I was shedding so much that I thought that I was going to go bald & I got scared, so cut it short.
2. I thought that I looked better in short hair.
3. I would see short hair styles & would want to copy it.
4. My husband likes short hair.
5. Thought that I was too old for long hair
6. Thinking that grey hair looked better short
7. Wanting to cover the grey & long hair is hard to color myself
8. Thinking that short hair is easier to take care of

Hi, I really love your signature photo! That looks like, "Jane Seymour!" She is my all time favorite actress/designer/artist!
Yeah, I would also cut my hair in the past because of depression, and maybe because I would see someone else on the street with a cute bob, and that's what made me want to cut mine in a bob. Then, later on I regret it.

LongLocke
March 16th, 2024, 11:48 AM
I suspect this is one topic where men will give a fairly different array of answers from women.

I cut mine because I was going bald. My "me-with-long-hair" vision involved a full head of long hair, not a ring of long hair around a bald patch. Short hair was not (and still isn't) my first choice, but given my genetics, this is how I look best and feel best.

I never got to my final length goal, but I at least got to try. It could be worse. My brother was half bald by age 18 and fully bald by about 22. I know he wanted to try long hair too, but he never got the chance.

I feel this. I’ve held that same mental image: long hair ring around a bald patch is not what I would want. So far, my genetics seem to be geared to keeping a full head of hair as I’m 42 now and it’s as thick as it was when I was in my teens

There’s also weird social pressures and self imaging as well. Last week, I was hanging out with friends I hadn’t seen in months. Every single one of them had short cropped hair and skin fades. The intrusive thoughts had me thinking about cutting it all off, but I eventually reminded my conscious self that I was never happy with short hair, so why would I subject myself to that again?

Bat
March 16th, 2024, 05:16 PM
Boredom, Impatience, over bleaching and hating my waves have been the main causes of me buzzing it off all the time

momof3mary
March 16th, 2024, 06:39 PM
The first time it was because a man told me I wasn't allowed to, so I went to a hairdresser and had my waist length hair cut into a pixie. I've grown it out a few times and then in the 2010's the in between growth stages really started bugging me, so I usually end up buzzed. But this time I shall persevere. I really miss longer hair.

Vintagerapunzel
March 21st, 2024, 03:17 PM
I chopped off 16 inches when I was 4 months postpartum. I started to shed and was feeling weighed down by my hair. I like to think of my drastic cut as my transformation from maiden to mother. My cut was probably more of an emotional decision than philosophical though lol. My shoulder length hair felt free and fun the first 24hrs then the regret sat in as I was holding my baby and rocking him to sleep. I missed my long ponytail swishing back and forth as I sang and danced him to sleep. Postpartum hormones are wild. I learned my lesson to put off anything drastic and just wait. Those moments of hair frustrations are just moments. Years of growth and maintenance is a long journey. I've done a few chops like this in the past and donated my hair to a "good" cause. The other times I was frustrated with my frizz and wanted to do something good. I've satisfied that urge to do a short chop and donate. So now I'm on a journey back to tailbone length and hopefully beyond.if anything I may donate when I hit knee or ankle length. I've only ever been classic so I'm excited to see my hair grow.

Messyhair
March 21st, 2024, 06:53 PM
I'm grown and cut so many times... It's usually due to boredom with my hair at the time. I love ultra long and ultra short hair, but I can't style my hair well when long.

Also, it looks like momof3mary and I have hair around the same length right now, so we're growing together! :D

mallorykay13
March 25th, 2024, 01:56 PM
My big chop was due to a breakup.