A Wild Hair

My hair and I have a love-hate relationship. I am not gonna lie… I think I generally have pretty good hair. Can I say that without sounding like a terribly snobbish person? Well, it’s my blog so I’m gonna… I have pretty good hair. Which honestly, has to have been a complete surprise to my father who couldn’t handle how unruly it behaved when I was a young whippersnapper. And also, very surprising given the fact that I had to have my hometown hairstylist/sewing guru/dance costume maker cut a round brush out of my hair once in 8thish grade following my attempts to style it, leaving me with a bald spot near my crown. So the fact that, as a grown woman, I can celebrate my hair is darn near miraculous. But it’s still hair. And no one loves their hair all the time. And you kinda always want what you don’t have.

I’ve blogged about this topic before but I was born a blonde. Flaxen hair. Blue eyes. Swiss miss kinda coloring. And that haircut was the result of me cutting it on my own a couple times before the age of 5. And because I got my start as a golden gal, it’s sort of my scene. *The scrape on my face was a battle wound from my first attempt at the coveted Line Leader position in Kindergarten. And I know what you’re thinking and I agree, I haven’t changed a bit.

It remained fairly blonde and realllly poofy. Because yes, if you are 21 and reading this, there was a time in which hair straighteners were not yet in existence. I have a LOT of hair. It’s fine hair. But there’s a fair amount of it. So volume and curl really take a liking to its natural texture. *I love this photo from a surprise party my parents threw me when I turned 13. And yes… I was that shocked. And yes, my hair is everything in this picture. I sort of love it.

Over time, it {the hair} started to be less blonde. And sorta less poofy. And then, more blonde — with assistance {ahem} so even though my rootsie tootsies aren’t exactly their natural hue anymore, I still consider myself to be a blonde. Does that make sense?

I’ve been kind of all over the place with the style. It’s been shorter and choppy.

Shorter and straight.

Realllllly short. {That’s my sister with me. Isn’t she adorable? I love her}

And then, longer and straight.

Browner and curly. {Look at those cuuuuute babies.}

Reallllly dark and long. More cuuuuute babes.

And then, blonder again. {With H dogg in the oven}

And most recently… sort of longish.curlyish.dirty blondish.

But I have kinda been itching for a change again. I was pinning haircuts for a few months. Because I have some rules about haircuts and one is that I don’t do anything drastic while I am boobs deep in breastfeeding. I am a crazy woman while I am really into breastfeeding {if not also at other times} and so I just can’t do anything rash. So I waited a bit. And each time I thought of hacking it off, I got a little attached to the locks I’ve grown. I kinda sorta haven’t wanted to mess with the ease of throwing my hair up in a half pony like I do most every day. But I also just want to do something with a little more of a style. I like not having to go get my hair cut or colored very often. But the greys are starting to shimmer through {I seriously had to wrestle a wirey silvery alfafa-style hair recently and I felt as though I’d won my division when all was said and done} and light up my dark roots, which means that in the winter months, I will likely “maintain” more often. I like how easy long hair is and how there’s just kind of something about long hair. And the fact that I wash it, maaaayyybe 3 times a week. But short hair takes no time to dry. And of course, I have a fear of getting a helmet cut. It’s quite the quandary. Why oh why do we get so attached to our locks? It’s just hair, right?

So to cut or not to cut? That was the question.

I’d given it a lot of consideration. I’ve been mulling it over since the end of summer. I showed my hairstylist picture upon picture of what I would like and what I wouldn’t like. We talked about the texture of my hair, the pros and cons, the price of tea in China, and decided the answer was…

to cut.

I didn’t hack it off completely… but it’s quite a bit shorter. A ponytail will no longer be my go-to. No sirreee.

Especially with the length of the back.

So will it stay short? The jury’s still out on that but I’m good with a change for a bit. I’m only two days in so I’m still adjusting. I don’t think it’s been this short since I had the middlest but the last 5 years are a little foggy so I could be wrong. Either way, it is great to have my head feel lighter. And to feel like even if it was cold as balls today, my hair felt a little springy. And if, in a couple of weeks, I am over it or it’s too much maintenance, my rock star hairdresser and I discussed that my hair grows like a weed so in a few months, it could be long again. Only time will tell!

Do you ever get a wild hair and hack it all off or color it a different hue or are you pretty steady with your style? If you are a mom, has motherhood changed how you wear your hair?

If you want to catch up on my recent ramblings, here they are! Happy weekend, friends!

The weight of the scale – My thoughts on bagging on our bodies.

Thirty-Three – I’ve made it another year!

I think it’s time for you to leave – Blech. Winter. Go.

The therapy of girlfriends – Women need girlfriends. My thoughts on why.