No More Implusive Hair Cuts After Midnight

[Lady.Pirate]

I've been resisting the urge to cut my hair for a while now (finally reached BSL stretched) and had worked out a routine that gave me nice soft ringlets. But even with protein and deep conditioning, I could feel the damage left from harsh dye (over bleached streaks and a different dye, each with less than a month between). The ends were a snarly tangle fest and felt terrible wet.

So last night (at two thirty in the morning, a good time for bad ideas) I decided to trim off a couple of inches. That looked a bit better, but I still felt crunchy ends. So off came another inch in the front, and the back, and suddenly my hair was short again. I went from this -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/artvixn/5910067472/in/set-72157627008698427 (sorry for the silly pic and icky brushed out curls, only recent one I could find) to barely touching my shoulders with no curls. After getting it shaped, I'm right back where I started- growing out a fluffy, impossible to manage, jaw-length mess. I'm quite upset with myself right now and can only hope that this will be the last time I cut my hair short. The icing on the cake of sadness is that I'm heading off to college in less than a month and now I'm feeling pretty awful about my appearance. :( I hadn't realized how much my self-image relies on my hair.

Other than the pity part (and I am sorry to be such a downer, but LHC seemed like the best place to vent about this), I was wondering if anyone knows a method to encourage curls in short hair? Plopping doesn't work for me until I'm past shoulder length and I'm already seriously missing my curls.

[Vani1902]

Just take into consideration that months go by quickly. Back in February, I trimmed my hair. I felt a bit awful about it. But I had to do it since I also have some dye damage from my past. It's already July and I regained what I had trimmed. Don't feel so bad. It will grow back (I know its easier said than done lol). In the meanwhile, you can maybe focus on hair accessories that you really like. That is what has helped me. I have become so obsessed with accessories that I have forgotten about the fact that I am growing my hair out.
In regards to curls...Maybe you can try the Curly Girl method. Some women have had success with it.
You can also go to tightlycurly.com and try that method. That method is more geared towards my type of curl (really tight ones lol) but it might work for you. You never know. It's all a matter of experimenting.
This website could be helpful in finding more info: http://www.naturallycurly.com/
I hope that this can serve of any help to you. :)

[whitestiletto]

Ok, deep breath! *hugs*

I used to be an impulsive hair cutter as well, excuses about cutting out dye, but buying hair cutting scissors for myself was a really really bad decision because I trimmed my hair constantly for a whole year while I was trying to grow it out from a pixie. Yeah, it took a really. long. time. Because I constantly cut it. (If you think it might happen again, give your scissors to a friend or family member for safe keeping. I wish I had.)

As for making curls in short hair.. I have just the thing for you! When your hair is wet, put your styling item of choice in it... It can be a leave-in conditioner, a mousse, or whatnot. Then divide your hair into sections. You probably need four because your hair is so short. One section in front of each ears, and then two sections in the back. Like four-square viewed from the top.

Then as the hair dries, carefully twist each section into a tight sausage roll. Make sure each hair is smooth in the spiral. I use my thumb and first finger. (I kinda push up with my thumb to make the spiral wider rather than long and thin, as you practice you will understand how to do this). They will loosen up over time so retwist them every so often, like 20-30 mins or if they fall apart, until the hair is dry. Once it's fully dry you can carefully separate each curled chunk into a 3-4 pieces, and ta-da, it's in beautiful ringlets!

Please note: I've been doing this method on my hair for several years. I combine it with wearing my hair up in a tightly, smoothly twisted cinnabun. Importantly, I always twist the hair in the same direction (clockwise). This has trained my hair to spiral in this direction. The more I do it, the better it works.

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108677

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108676

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108675

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108679

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108680

[Friesiangirl]

I did the same thing. Good luck with it, and I decided over and over to give up trimming and dying yet I run back to it (especially when stressed)

You can do this! <3

Hayley

[UltraBella]

LadyPirate, I can't get past the adorableness of you dress to even comment on your hair..... I really love that dress !!!!!

[whitestiletto]

I'd like to add, manually smoothing the hair while wet into the spirals really cut down on the dye crunchiness for me. It actually made my hair softer to smooth it along the cuticle while wet.

[Lady.Pirate]

Vani1902: I love Tightly Curly! I've been using her methods for about six months, they work so well for my hair (the longer my hair is the curlier, I was 3b/3c before I chopped it). But even using my favorite never-fail conditioner to refresh my curls, nothing. Just halfheartedly-wavy fluff, but I'm going to keep trying. Hair accessories are a wonderful suggestion, I hope I can focus on them like you did. I've managed to track down a couple headbands and big flower clips I haven't used in ages to start playing with.

whitestiletto: Oh, that sounds like it could be just the thing I was looking for! My hair's twisted now, and even if it won't hold the curls this should take the poof out of it. (My hair cutting scissors are now out of the house, and are most definitely not coming with me to my dorm.)

Friesiangirl: Thank you! It's definitely a stress thing for me too, I hope it gets easier to resist for both of us!

UltraBella: Aw, thank you so much. It was a last minute outfit for a convention I went to recently, I just love to use that skirt whenever I can as it took me the better part of a week to sew.

[Arya]

Ok, deep breath! *hugs*

I used to be an impulsive hair cutter as well, excuses about cutting out dye, but buying hair cutting scissors for myself was a really really bad decision because I trimmed my hair constantly for a whole year while I was trying to grow it out from a pixie. Yeah, it took a really. long. time. Because I constantly cut it. (If you think it might happen again, give your scissors to a friend or family member for safe keeping. I wish I had.)

As for making curls in short hair.. I have just the thing for you! When your hair is wet, put your styling item of choice in it... It can be a leave-in conditioner, a mousse, or whatnot. Then divide your hair into sections. You probably need four because your hair is so short. One section in front of each ears, and then two sections in the back. Like four-square viewed from the top.

Then as the hair dries, carefully twist each section into a tight sausage roll. Make sure each hair is smooth in the spiral. I use my thumb and first finger. (I kinda push up with my thumb to make the spiral wider rather than long and thin, as you practice you will understand how to do this). They will loosen up over time so retwist them every so often, like 20-30 mins or if they fall apart, until the hair is dry. Once it's fully dry you can carefully separate each curled chunk into a 3-4 pieces, and ta-da, it's in beautiful ringlets!

Please note: I've been doing this method on my hair for several years. I combine it with wearing my hair up in a tightly, smoothly twisted cinnabun. Importantly, I always twist the hair in the same direction (clockwise). This has trained my hair to spiral in this direction. The more I do it, the better it works.

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108677

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108676

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108675

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108679

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=8177&pictureid=108680


I'm currently between WL and Hip, type 1b and this works for me too! I get spiral curls at my ends with this method, but only using one curl (a bun!) I just take it down and put it up repeatedly during the drying process, and make sure it's twisted well at the ends.

[spidermom]

I used to do the twist thing described by whitestiletto. It worked really well most of the time, but not anymore (length does have its disadvantages).

I think you should get rid of the scissors or lock them up.

[SoulOfTheSea]

I used to put my hair into a ponytail when it was wet and then take some moisturizing cream, and twist my ponytail into one big spiral... and kept doing this til it was dry.... but then it damaged my hair from doing it too much... I bet the alcohol in the leave-in conditioner helped TONS :rolleyes:

[aliceinmadness]

Yep. I totally do the twisting thing too. That's how I dry it...on its own, it's frizzy and irregular, and blowdrying is a general disaster for me. Works great!

[Mesmerise]

Wow, I will try that twisting thing! My hair is so irregularly blerk when I dry it naturally... that might actually help??!

And for the OP... on the upside, the hair you DID cut had damage on it, so you can be reassured by the knowledge that the hair you cut off needed cutting off. Yes, that's small comfort now, I know... but it's hair that would have to come off eventually anyway.

I think it's helpful to really plan your trims and decide how frequently you'll allow yourself near scissors!! Now you've cut so much off, though, you can probably safely wait a few months.

Earlier this month I chopped off 2.5" so my length is now depressing as I've gone back to last year's length :( but my ends aren't so bad anymore, so that's one good thing! I know with patience my hair WILL get there, but I do have lots of damaged hair to deal with first.

[AnqeIicDemise]

The one thing I can attest about people in this board when it comes to hair is that at one point or another, we've all something incredibly dumb to it. We can ALL empathize.

I can name about six different instances where I've done something stupid to it. And one of those instances, does include a mini-panic attack at 3 am after one week of very little sleep and a pair of scissors. I went from a very, very lovely WSL hair, to some super, ridiculously choppy SL hair with crappy bangs and terrible layers.

Chances are, however, is that people won't think you went crazy at some ungodly hour and chopped your hair, BUT that you went to a salon to purposefully get that look. I'm serious! I'm willing to bet someone's going to think your hair is very pretty, has amazing texture and ask 'hey, were'd you get that hair cut at?'.

The great thing about hair is that it grows back. Its very little solace at the moment, but trust me, a year form now you'll look back at this post and wonder wtf happened.

In the meantime, take a deep breath. Cry if you must, and invest in hair pins, barretes, scarves and other accessories to rock out your new do. Look at the positive side of it now, hun... you have some VERY healthy hair to grow out with. Baby it from now on and you'll have even better hair than what you started off.

[Lady.Pirate]

That technique is pretty magical, I'm back to neat ringlets with no poofy mess and it's dried in a reasonable amount of time instead of the usual day-and-a-half. Feeling much better about my hair now that it's been wrangled, so thankful to have learned the wonders of the twisty thing!

Mesmerise: That's a very nice way to look at it, the damaged bits certainly would've continued to bother and get worse until trimmed off. I'm going to try writing down a trim schedule!

AnqeIicDemise: Very much a comfort to know I'm not alone in the early morning scissor frenzy! Growing out healthy, undamaged hair is amazing to think of, I've had bleach and heat damage to varying degrees since I was twelve. That is indeed a very positive side of things!

[naereid]

Sometimes it's hard to stop even when you're the one doing the trimming. :grouphug: But focus on the good part: you got rid of the most damaged part of your hair! Next time your hair gets to the length it was, it'll be a shade healthier. And with every next cut it'll get even better and better. Cuts hurt, but just keep thinking of it this way: you're one step closer to obliterating all traces of that bleach damage.

To control my trimming urges I use the waxing Moon method. There are actually a couple of these methods, ranging from the Moroccan method, to only cutting when the Moon is waxing, to only cutting on the day of a full Moon. I don't know if any of them work, but I do know is that it helps to create some limits. Good luck!

A bit off topic, but your flickr full of steampunky goodness is making me as giddy as a kid in a candy store. :inlove: And I'd never guess your outfit was a last-minute thing, it's just gorgeous!

Whitestiletto's technique looks really good, add me to the pile of the people who are going to try it. :grnbiggri

[AnqeIicDemise]

Sometimes it's hard to stop even when you're the one doing the trimming. :grouphug: But focus on the good part: you got rid of the most damaged part of your hair! Next time your hair gets to the length it was, it'll be a shade healthier. And with every next cut it'll get even better and better. Cuts hurt, but just keep thinking of it this way: you're one step closer to obliterating all traces of that bleach damage.

To control my trimming urges I use the waxing Moon method. There are actually a couple of these methods, ranging from the Moroccan method, to only cutting when the Moon is waxing, to only cutting on the day of a full Moon. I don't know if any of them work, but I do know is that it helps to create some limits. Good luck!

A bit off topic, but your flickr full of steampunky goodness is making me as giddy as a kid in a candy store. :inlove: And I'd never guess your outfit was a last-minute thing, it's just gorgeous!

Whitestiletto's technique looks really good, add me to the pile of the people who are going to try it. :grnbiggri


I already tried it today too. My hair was more than halfway done when I read it, turned around, spritzed it and....

I'm now torn with the results. -bawl-

One one hand, I have GORGEOUS, even waves I always dreamed of.

On the other hand, I had serious shrinkage. Here, I'd been living on the fact that I was about an inch away from WSL... and now I'm back up to three. -whine-

[naereid]

I already tried it today too. My hair was more than halfway done when I read it, turned around, spritzed it and....

I'm now torn with the results. -bawl-

One one hand, I have GORGEOUS, even waves I always dreamed of.

On the other hand, I had serious shrinkage. Here, I'd been living on the fact that I was about an inch away from WSL... and now I'm back up to three. -whine-
I know what you mean! Unfortunately, with curls it's always one or the other. :laugh:

[Lady.Pirate]

My hair is still looking quite presentably curly after waking up and running around for a while, and it's too short right now to notice any shrinkage. Definitely going to continue on with Whitestiletto's method.

naereid: Oh how neat! I'm going to look into hair trims and lunar phases, sounds very interesting. (Though as I get terrible insomnia around the full moon, I should probably avoid trimming then. Scissors + sleep deprivation, yikes.) And thank you, I'm very much into historical costuming but steampunk is just so much fun!

[embee]

I have no advice for you and your curls, but I have much sympathy.

It was late at night when I chopped 8 inches off my hair.... just "whack", into the trash. Within 24 hours I found LHC, as I was by that time frantic to figure out what on earth to do with the hair I had left...

That twist method sounds interesting, and certainly worth the effort, it's free and it's easy! Two very important helpful characteristics. :)

Rest assured, you hair will grow again. Mine finally did but it took a while to get back to where it had been. Lesson learned... I hope!

[Kherome]

I've been resisting the urge to cut my hair for a while now (finally reached BSL stretched) and had worked out a routine that gave me nice soft ringlets. But even with protein and deep conditioning, I could feel the damage left from harsh dye (over bleached streaks and a different dye, each with less than a month between). The ends were a snarly tangle fest and felt terrible wet.

So last night (at two thirty in the morning, a good time for bad ideas) I decided to trim off a couple of inches. That looked a bit better, but I still felt crunchy ends. So off came another inch in the front, and the back, and suddenly my hair was short again. I went from this -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/artvixn/5910067472/in/set-72157627008698427 (sorry for the silly pic and icky brushed out curls, only recent one I could find) to barely touching my shoulders with no curls. After getting it shaped, I'm right back where I started- growing out a fluffy, impossible to manage, jaw-length mess. I'm quite upset with myself right now and can only hope that this will be the last time I cut my hair short. The icing on the cake of sadness is that I'm heading off to college in less than a month and now I'm feeling pretty awful about my appearance. :( I hadn't realized how much my self-image relies on my hair.

Other than the pity part (and I am sorry to be such a downer, but LHC seemed like the best place to vent about this), I was wondering if anyone knows a method to encourage curls in short hair? Plopping doesn't work for me until I'm past shoulder length and I'm already seriously missing my curls.


And here is your problem. Hair is just hair. It's a lovely fun accessory and has NOTHING at all to do with beauty, value, femininity, or desireability. It's all about the person, not the appearance.:)

[KatiSasha]

I think you already have wonderful ideas how to cope with growing your hair out, but here's one on coping with your scissor habit:

Since you've dona a major chop and will be babying your hair for a while, you will not need your scissors any time soon. Rather than giving them to a friend or throwing them out, you may do what I did with my credit cards in college. I froze them... in a huge ziplock bag filled with water. Your scissors may rust if you do that directly to them, so put them into a ziploc bag first, zip it, wrap in a bunch of paper towels, put in another bag, zip it and then put in a huge one filled half with water, half with ice cubes (for faster freezing.) Place in your freezer. If you REALLY need your scissors you may have them once they're thawed. Just don't microwave, they are made of metal afterall :)

Written a bit tongue-in-cheek, YMMV, but it helped me tons.

[sun-kissed]

I totally feel for you, Lady.Pirate, I also am a impulsive cutter in the early mornings. A few months ago month ago at about 2am I suddenly decided to give myself a little trim, and ended up taking 1.5 inches off. Last month it was 1/2 an inch. Two weeks later I decided to give myself long bangs, which turned out a lot shorter than intended. Then last week another dusting, about 0.25cm. and the same this week. Ughh. My hair is damaged (I hate it, it hasn't had a good cut in years) for the last three-five inches, but I need to get rid of these scissors or I might take it all off during one of my late-nights!

Hang in there, it will grow back.. I think KatiSasha's idea is great, though. I might just give it a try.