I've proven myself

[WelshLocks]

I have finally proven myself... to myself. In 2008, I gave myself a challenge: grow my hair to "waist". (my waist has changed since then and I've hit that point I wanted to hit)

My hair is now about two inches from waist,red,straight on the canopy and curly/wavy underneath, tons of layers. I live in a humid and hot climate; I've never had my hair this long before.

There are two reasons why i wanted to grow my hair long. The first one was patience. I am a very impulsive person and I wanted to challenge myself and grow my hair out for as long as i could. Actually, I had wanted my hair to be right at my sternum. Guess where I am? My sternum exactly. I've basically proved myself to myself? :) I don't want my hair to be much longer than it is right now anyway. (too hot for that) If I don't cut it, I will be maintaining the length I have.

The second reason I wanted to grow my hair long was the updos. I wanted to be able to do braids, updos, and basically have Little Mermaid hair. As I've grown my hair out, I've been able to do braids, but they fall out almost immediately because of the layers. I've not been able to do any updos because of my layers. It's extremely aggravating and disheartening because this was the main reason I wanted long hair. It's only May, and it's 92 degrees outside. I can't do any cool updos and my hair is really thick.

I think I might cut my hair to collar bone length and start over.(that's where my shortest layer is) I think if I start over at collar bone I can start over with no layers and healthier hair.(The oldest hair at the ends has been through a lot of dye and henna)

I want to encourage my waves and curls and hopefully my hair will grow back curlier.

Here's a reference picture:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL152/9001157/20763659/381151977.jpg


This is what my hair looks like at around the length I want to be at again( with a ridiculous amount of layers):

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL152/9001157/20763659/360646504.jpg

Any tips or hints on cutting it/ growing it out again?

I really appreciate this group of people. You all have been such an inspiration to me. Thank you.

[jane53]

Beautiful, Welshlocks! Congratulations! Your hair is a beautiful color.

[ptnicole]

Your hair is beautiful! The layers are not very noticeable in your picture. It looks so healthy and nice. A big cut would definitely get rid of the layers, but wow...it looks great as it is!

[ericthegreat]

You have wondrous hair Welshlocks. :blossom:

Your natural red color is so shiny and vibrant, plus the waves give your hair such a lovely texture.

[Pixna]

Your hair is stunning!! I would encourage you NOT to cut it!! Your layers aren't visible. Perhaps if you do a small trim (maybe an inch or two) you would notice a significant difference in the health of your hair and your ability to do updos. I cut my hair (pixified it, actually) three years ago for a sad variety of reasons, one of them being my inability to tolerate the heat (silly me, I could have done updos, but I was going through a midlife crisis and couldn't think clearly) and the deluded thought that my hair would be curlier if it was shorter and that it would grow in curlier. My hair is 2b/2c (curlier than yours) and it did NOT curl more. Having it short was a nightmare for me, and growing it long again is taking forever (years, in fact!).

Take it from one who has been there and back, it's not worth it. Frequent (every three months) small trims, or even an initial slightly larger trim following by small trims is, IMHO, a safer way to go to get rid of the layers and improve your hair's health, with fewer regrets. Once it's gone, it's gone, and it will take a whole lot longer to grow back than you might think.

[WelshLocks]

Ack! Advice from people I trust! I'm not dead-set on cutting it, and if I do, I will do it myself.

btw, I've been mulling this over in my brain for about a week. It's not spur of the moment. I won't be doing anything until next week when I get back from a trip.

Eric, thank you.(I really admire your hair so your compliment means a lot to me) It's not quite as wavy as the pictures. The top is a lot straighter and as my hair has gotten longer, the underneath has gotten less curly. :(

Pixna, really? Having shorter hair doesn't make it curlier? I was hoping it would...
I was only thinking of taking off about 6 inches.(an inch below collar bone) I just really want to get rid of these layers. I want my waves to be more pronounced and I want it to not be so hot. (Ok enough whining) Do you think maybe I should just trim it two to three inches?


Thank you so much for the compliments. The top picture is before I dyed my hair dark brown a few weeks ago. It has faded to a dark red. I'll henna it again soon. :)

[little_acorn]

I think your hair is lovely as it is. I also have similar length hair and layers, but I find I can generally manage to wrangle it up with the help of a little oil on the length. Could you maintain at the length you are and cut an inch every month or two until you get rid of some of your layers? Or you could cut back to APL and get rid of quite a few.

[Pixna]

I really do think you should go very, very slowly, WelshLocks. When my hair was short, what happened is I cut off all the curls!!! So, I had short, frizzy hair that took tons of product to style and was a pain in the rear (well, I guess it was more a pain in the head than the rear, but ya know what I mean). Yes, some hair gets curlier the longer it is, and from looking at your photos, I think that is true of your hair. Also, if you go that short, you won't be able to put it up at all!! I discovered that I couldn't do updos at all until my hair was just past SL. If you go to collarbone, I think you will seriously regret it.

How high do your layers go? Honestly, they aren't visible. I think you'll have more versatility with keeping it as long as possible. Plus, if your hair is too short, it will be MUCH harder to put up. Hair becomes much more amenable to updos the more length you have, especially with our thickness.

[StarryNight]

I also have tons of layers I am growing out, and I wear my hair in a twisty, lazy bun type thing almost every day now. It has saved me from getting discouraged so many times. I love it. This video is pretty similar to how I do mine, but I start on the bottom, and put the sick in vertically.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Meh8Swh38

hope it helps!

[spidermom]

Congratulations on reaching your goals, and your hair looks lovely. I'd advise against a major cut, too. You'll lose even more up-do-ability.

[Peter]

Your hair looks awesome; I really like the waves. About cutting it... follow the 2-week rule. I don't have much else to say... just be certain of your decision before you go through with it. :)

[Sissy]

I think your hair is lovely as it is. I also have similar length hair and layers, but I find I can generally manage to wrangle it up with the help of a little oil on the length. Could you maintain at the length you are and cut an inch every month or two until you get rid of some of your layers?

I think this is good measure. I would cut an inch at a time and not rush it. I think your hair is beautiful as is. You might want to make a post asking for updo ideas for people with layers as there is probably a way to do it :) I would probably try posting and asking LHC members about that before cutting such beautiful hair.

[melikai]

Your hair looks really lovely. I wouldn't cut off more than 2", as if you cut it to the length you want you won't be able to do much with it besides braids and ponytails. Thick hair that is cut blunt without layers like that can be very difficult to put into updos! I think it would be better at this point to keep growing, and in another couple of inches you'll be able to put it up much more easily. Until that point, maybe search through the articles for styles you can do with your layers, at this length. :)

[ravensinger13]

It's beautiful the way it is! With summer upon us where I live, I understand the whole heat/humidity thing, it sucks. I wouldn't reccomend cutting all 6 inches, try out a trim first. Keeping a little more length might help with updos.

[Loreley]

Your hair is beautiful! I wouldn't cut it, but it's your hair...
Actually, I don't think it would be curlier if you got rid of the layers. My hair is layered due to old dye demage and I started to trim it every month. My ends are getting thicker but my hair less curly. I think it's because of the weigth of it. :confused:

[Sara_1987]

Your hair is so beautiful!

I am wondering what you do with your hair after washing? I want waves like you have but I don't know how to encourage them and instead always smooth and straighten my hair with my hands as it is drying.

I would like to know what you do with your hair when it's wet. Do you plop? Or twist it around your fingers?
thanks for your reply!

[FrannyG]

Your hair truly is lovely. If you cut it to an inch below collarbone, your updos will be limited and you really need that hair off your neck in the summer.

Why don't you consider a one or two inch trim, and then maintain until your layers have grown out?

I understand the allure of wanting to cut out your layers, but since your hair is so beautiful as it is, I really don't see the need.

However, if you really need the change, then do what you need to do in order to be happy with your hair.

It's your hair and your decision. At the same time, I just hope you don't do something you regret after all of this hard work and patience. And congratulations on reaching your goal! :blossom:

[emmabovary]

Congratulations on achieving your goal! I am growing my hair to prove my patience, too. :) As the others said, it looks lovely, and I can't see your layers. I know they're annoying, though. If you cut to an inch below collarbone, would you still be able to put your hair up? If you don't mind losing the length I say go for it. If you don't want to lose a lot of length, trimming the layers off slowly sounds like a good plan :)

ETA: oh, and my hair is way less curly when shorter, too. But I think that varies between the different hair types.

[LoveMyMutt]

Well, if you really want to cut it, it's your hair...

BUT I would caution you that I cut my hair from just above BSL to shoulder length last fall, in the hopes that the back would curl better if it were shorter (my front/sides are 2c/3a, and my back is 2a/b). It did not help, and in fact looked awful because the back bits got STRAIGHTER not curlier. It seems I don't get good ringlets til it is well past shoulder length.

Also getting rid of layers probably won't make it curl more. In my experience, not having any layers usually led to the triange head phenomenon.

Maybe just trim the longest layers a LITTLE, and see if that helps? You can always take more off ... but it takes a looong time to grow back if you take too much.

[LaurelSpring]

I will have to agree with the rest. Your hair looks great. Its definately long enough to do alot of updos. You can do a peacock twist or lots of other things at your length.

[Arctic_Mama]

I'm going to have to echo everyone else, cutting back will not make your hair easier to manage, and likely not make it curlier, either. Trim a few inches and see how you like that, but if you cant do updos at this length, it will only be worse when it is shorter!