Belated 2 Year Anniv & Long Hair Identity Crisis

I missed my anniversary!! So here I am 2 years into the long hair growing:
http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/...psa51767fa.jpg

I'm happy enough with the growth I've gotten (considering I had a bob up until 2010) and have only trimmed since then.
Some highlights:
-I quit heat styling. I'll flat iron once in a blue moon, like once every couple months. It's a decision to not use heat and laziness. I've learned to embrace the texture (well, mostly) and not want the shampoo commercial stick straight hair.
-Im half heartedly no cone/no sulfate. This comes and goes. I aim for it.
-Protective styles: I did really good for like the last 18 months. I've got a ridiculous collection of hair toys and put it up and leave it up. Here's where the identity crisis comes in, I'm getting "over" the every day updos. I just don't feel cute. But here's the conundrum, I've had my hair in a long peacock twist the last couple days and was loving it. My ends, however didn't.
-Stretching washes: I lazied into it, I can go 3-4 days without looking terrible

Here's some questions I have:
What are your favorite styles for passing waist? I'm starting sectioned buns.
How do you keep your styles fresh and interesting? I feel like I do a skinned back bun every day. My bangs are chin length now and I don't really want to cut them back in.

I feel like I'm becoming this girl with the really unflattering hair, but I'm not cutting it. It's like a catch 22.

Thanks for reading all this!

Also- wanted to add that while my mom trimmed a smidgen off today she was acting appalled at my splits and frizz and said it looked really damaged. It's crazy humid today, but does it look damaged to your trained eyes? Mostly the ends and bottom couple inches. But that the section that was dyed, bleached and flat ironed daily pre-THLC so its had a rougher go. I plan to slowly trim that off as it grows.
This was my first "your hair is damaged" comment. I was slightly taken aback.

Congratulations on your two year anniversary. Your color is very pretty. Sorry about the damage comments. I think people with longer hair are under closer scrutiny. I hope you can find a style that suits you and gives you some more hair energy. Best of luck, and keep going. Just remember, do what makes YOU happy with your hair.

Not at all unflattering, your hair is beautiful and glad you are not cutting!!

Thanks! I really think she didn't mean anything by it; mom stresses horribly about her own hair. She is very insecure about it. But she did trim my ends and take some length pics for me! She's an excellent trimmer!

I loved the lazy wrap bun at your length. It was easy and elegant. Sock buns were also pretty fun. Play around with different styles and even placement of the bun for a different look. I have bangs again because I felt like the severity of pulling my hair into a bun was not really doing anything for me. Bangs softened the look quite a bit. Maybe reconsider them?

And of of course, Happy Anniversary! :cake:

Great length and great anniversary. It looks fine - as it gets longer, you are bound to get a number of damaged hairs, but S+D can get rid of them. How about a braid or just a simple ponytail as an alternative to a bun?

Happy Anniversary! You have beautiful hair!

I suggest you try out different buns! Have you thought about braids? Also, half-ups and even wearing your hair down occasionally? It won't kill ya ;)

Congrats. You cant reverse the damage from the heat you've used even if its just once in a couple of months and yes you can see it but you can baby it a bit and give it some oil. Sorry im very tired and im finding it hard to think. .. I use coconut oil when my hair gets a bit dry but I have never heat styled so I don't have to deal with that kind of damage.

To me it doesn't look like damage as much as it looks like you tried to brush your curly hair strait and ended up a bit frizzy. I think it's beautiful and I would just microtrim to slowly keep growing but also slowly take care of damage. My hair looks the same when I brush out my curls. I think your hair is lovely :-). For being bored try to vary styles, I get stuck in a lazy wrap bun rut and that's all I do to my hair for weeks, I don't have bangs but have tons of flyaway a so when I first do my hair I look like an evil boarding school teacher, but then the humidy and wind kick in and I have a halo of little frizzy curly ends sticking up all over my head, I love my hair, but the buns nor the halo head make me feel very pretty with it.