Weird urge for radically short hair, what?!

[Lippytoes]

I've been growing my hair long (again - I had hip-length hair as a teenager) for almost three years now, from a chin-length bob. Now my hair's almost at waist, and I love it more and more the longer it gets. I feel like I'm going back to myself again, somehow. I'm a longhair at my core.

Which is why it's extremely odd that I just got this urge to cut off all my hair sometime - as in, total buzzcut - and then grow it to TBL (or some similar goal) from "scratch", so to say.

My hair at the moment is really healthy, I'm not growing out damage or dye or anything. I've only just reached the point where I feel like I have long hair again. So it's like, what, self? Why would you want to go through all the awkward stages of shorter hair?

But I've never had hair shorter than chin, and there's a part of me that is utterly fascinated by the thought of going as short as possible just once in my life, to see what it's like. I've absolutely no doubt that I'd grow my hair long again after a buzzcut - short hair just doesn't seem to be for me - but just. It's really weird that I'm getting this urge.

I was (extremely theoretically, mind you) thinking that one option would be to grow my hair to my goal length now (reachable by summer next year, perhaps), enjoy that for a while - and then go crazy and buzz it all off, and start growing again.

I guess I just wanted to know if anyone else has had similar "urges", or possibly even experiences. Is it incredibly stupid to cut off hip-length healthy hair merely in order to experience über-short hair and to grow it all long again?

[Becky9679]

Maybe it's not the goal that motivates you but the journey you take to get there!

I've also had urges to completely shave my head in the past and I have once had hip length hair that I cut to my shoulders. All I'd say is make very very sure that it's the right decision before you actually do it, I regretted my cut very quickly indeed.

[trillian]

If you want to do it - Go for it. Use the two week rule, for definite though. Shrug - it's your hair. I've had really short hair before, and didn't like it at all - also growing it out was a pain in my rear, not to mention I looked like a 12 year old boy when I had my short hair.

Let me ask you this. How do you look with your hair plastered back to your head? Because truthfully, that's pretty much what you're going to look like with a buzz cut. Well - not exactly obviously, but close. Why don't you try slicking everything back with some gel or something first, and put it in a severe bun behind your head so you can't see the bump from the front, and giving yourself a hard look in the mirror.

[jojo]

A few members have had this urge too, cannot explain why. Just don't do something on impulse that you may later regret.

[IanB]

Invoke the two week rule before deciding!

[spidermom]

Let me ask you this. How do you look with your hair plastered back to your head? Because truthfully, that's pretty much what you're going to look like with a buzz cut. Well - not exactly obviously, but close. Why don't you try slicking everything back with some gel or something first, and put it in a severe bun behind your head so you can't see the bump from the front, and giving yourself a hard look in the mirror.

That's what I was thinking.

[Emmental]

I've had the urge, myself. If I could go back in time, I would have done it in college. :) Since I can't go back in time, I will probably aim to do this when I hit "mid-life" since I will probably maintain shoulder-length hair at that time.

As others have said, you do have to do what you want with your hair. I don't think it's stupid at all, but as others suggested, definitely give it a few weeks before you do it. :)

[BroadwayBeauty]

I had this urge, and it was a disaster.

I'm an actress and I was involved in a show 2 1/2 years ago where I was contractually obligated to not cut or change my hair in any way for 5-6 months. After the show and contracted ended, I had the urge to dye it and chop it off shorter than I've ever had it--shoulder--because I wanted my hair to be my choice. Yeah... two months later I was seriously regretting and have been growing out my hair ever since, although I'm still trimming out dye damage.

But hey, for two months it was really liberating! If you want it, go for it, and we'll be here for your journey :D

[Lippytoes]

Thanks so much for the replies, everyone! :flower: It felt really good to vent here when I was going through the weird moments of my very first cut-it-all-off urges!



Let me ask you this. How do you look with your hair plastered back to your head? Because truthfully, that's pretty much what you're going to look like with a buzz cut. Well - not exactly obviously, but close. Why don't you try slicking everything back with some gel or something first, and put it in a severe bun behind your head so you can't see the bump from the front, and giving yourself a hard look in the mirror.

This is a really good point. I tried this, and well, I definitely prefer the way I look when I have hair around my face, but I don't think that a buzzcut would look entirely disastrous. I reckon I'd feel really naked though. :D



If you want it, go for it, and we'll be here for your journey :D

Aww, that is so sweetly said! :)


I've been thinking about this now, and really, I doubt that I'll actually go for the cut anytime soon. I think this really was just a momentary urge. :p But maybe next time I contemplate a more major cut of any sort, I'll just go for the whole chop...

But for now: well, I've been thinking about what my hair means to me (cheesy :D), and discovered that it really is important to me. Also: I just tried a new updo (fake-ish crown braid), and am thrilled by it, and reminded of the fact that hey, stuff like this would NOT be possible if I had no hair/short hair!


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g31/darthsnoo/hair/fakecrownforlhc.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g31/darthsnoo/hair/croppedbackcrownforlhc.jpg


Yeah. So in reality, I don't think I'm going to buzz my hair off in the near future. :) But posting about it here helped me think this through - thanks, LHC, you take these things seriously!

[Slinks]

^^^^^^^

lol - good :-) glad you reached inside and found yourself ..

[Mesmerise]

I sometimes get weird urges like that too. However, I have decided that when I go "natural" and grow out the henna I will get a buzz cut (cause errm... it's probably the only way my hair is NOT going to look awful and two toned...as I'm only going to do it when I have way too much gray hair... and honestly gray roots and red lengths is just - to me - NOT a good look).

So I am restraining all urges until then!

[HairFaerie]

I got a mohawk two years ago in the summer. It was the perfect opportunity for me to do. I have always wanted one my whole life. Even though I am a 42 year old female, I said "Screw it!" and got one! It was the "real" shaved on both sides one too, not a "faux hawk".

I am 100% glad I did and I will never, ever regret it!

[McFearless]

I've always had the urge to shave my head. I'm very impulsive. Right now I just want to cut to shoulder to get rid of all this damage. Taking care of damaged hair is wasting my money.

[Phiona]

i have the same urge alot but i dont think i have the guts

[alyanna]

I'm thinking of cutting of the bottom half of my hair to get rid of blonde (now brassy copperish) highlights.

[jujube]

I have this urge almost daily. My hair hasn't looked really good since I started growing it out, and nothing tells me it'll look good past shoulder length. I'm going to wait till APL to decide if I was actually meant to be a shorthair all along.

[Ermine]

I can totally see myself doing this after I get to my length goal and keep it for a while. I like how I look with short hair and long hair, so why not? I tend to go for extremes in length. Short or long, with little in between.

[sugar&nutmeg]

I'm glad you decided against such a drastic cut (for now ;). The two-week rule is invaluable.

The 'fake-ish' crown braid looks amazing on you!

But, if you do decide to cut (buzz) your hair after careful consideration and major soul-searching, I'd say 24 y.o. would be the time to do it.

At 57, I just don't have as much time to enjoy my long hair (especially if I kept having to re-grow it!!).

[Lippytoes]

I'm glad you decided against such a drastic cut (for now ;). The two-week rule is invaluable.

The 'fake-ish' crown braid looks amazing on you!

Yeah, the two-week rule really is important. And aww, thanks! I'm really pleased with how the crown braid thing worked out - it's actually become one of my staple hairstyles now.



But, if you do decide to cut (buzz) your hair after careful consideration and major soul-searching, I'd say 24 y.o. would be the time to do it.

At 57, I just don't have as much time to enjoy my long hair (especially if I kept having to re-grow it!!).


This is true! I do think that if I buzz my hair, it'll definitely be before my 30s.