Cutting it (the hair)

**Dogmama** · 10-09-2013, 06:28 AM

Today is the day.

The past several months have seen my below shoulder length hair get very thin. Found out that my thyroid (T3) was very low and my estrogen was non-existent. I'm correcting both of those but the hair is still sad. For me at age 59, I just don't think long hair is attractive anymore. It's very straight and pulls down my face. Gravity is doing a nice job of that, thank you, I don't need help.

So - today is the day that I go short again. I say "again" because I've been growing it for the past five years. Previously, I always had short to super short (matchstick length) hair. My hair is naturally straight and very fine. Long hair does not hold any curl and just separates into long stringy strands.

I guess I'm just fishing for confirmation. I know that lots of women on this board have been where I'm at & love their short hair. It just seems like a rite of passage, somehow, to give up long hair at a certain age. I know some women my age can wear long hair but I see many others who really need to reconsider (like me.)

I'm rambling. I think I'll go ride my bike.

**Pax** · 10-09-2013, 06:55 AM

I'm a big fan of "do whatever you like, whenever you like"... but think it's a rare woman who can pull off long hair as we age, most that I know just wear ponytails or wind it up into a bun or braids.

**OakLeaf** · 10-09-2013, 08:42 AM

I was 27 when I cut my hair from hip length to chin length. I'd just got my first white hair and I was d*mned if I was going to have any more that were three feet long. Before that, it had been 18 years since I'd had more than a trim. That was pretty intense. Going from chin length to short was more of a relief, because it was going from incredible hassle, to wash, towel, run my fingers through it and walk out the door.

**lph** · 10-09-2013, 09:12 AM

I wonder if the link between hair length and age is stronger in the US, I've never thought about it much or heard it mentioned here. Young Norwegian girls do tend to have longer hair than adult women, but I reckoned it was mostly a fashion thing among teenagers, and that they were the only ones that had the time to tend to waist-length hair :-) Certainly among young adults it's quite common to not have very long hair.

I have several friends who have cut their long hair and look gorgeous, it can be very flattering. I know it's tough to cut it, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it!

**GLC1968** · 10-09-2013, 10:14 AM

Just do it!

I'm of the belief that it is just hair. I've had mine super short, really long and everywhere in between. I've dyed it, bleached it, highlighted it, and now I'm completely natural and very white for someone who is 45 (though my underlying color is dark brown). I also wear it both ridiculously curly and super straight. Depends on my mood (and how much time I have).

I'm growing it out now but we'll see how long I can stand it. The 'in-between stage' can be rough. Right now, it's still a couple of inches from my shoulders, so I've got a long way to go before anyone can call it long even though it feels long to me. I've still got at least 6 months before I can even consider making any kind of 'tail' out of it!

Personally, I love the 'shock' of going from longer to super short. It's always such fun to me! I bet you'll get a huge kick out it once it's done.

**Eden** · 10-09-2013, 10:16 AM

I have curly hair and have it long right now. I'm pretty sure that as I get more white, I'm going to have to cut it or end up looking like one of the old wiches in Macbeth...... My white ones (so far) are thicker and wilder than the rest.

**ny biker** · 10-09-2013, 10:36 AM

One of my neighbors had very very long hair. I never realized it because she always had it in a bun, but apparently she had not cut it in decades. She had also never colored it. A few months ago she got it cut to shoulder length and donated the sheared-off part to Locks of Love. Now she's enjoying the different hairstyle choices that her shorter hair allows.

I've never been able to have really long hair, because mine is just thick enough to go triangular as it gets longer (like Alice in the Dilbert cartoon), and I don't want to be bothered to use an iron to thin it out. And a few years ago, when I was "growing it out" to be below chin length, I looked at some old photos and realized that even that is too long for my face. Now I keep it around 6-8 inches long, chin-length or less but not super short.

I'm actually past due for a haircut right now, but I can only make it to the salon on Saturdays, and I have long bike rides planned for every Saturday between now and the end of October. And just yesterday I saw that a very nice man in our cycling club has scheduled a 72-mile ride on the first Saturday in November to celebrate his 72nd birthday, so I'll want to do that. I may actually have to take vacation time to get a haircut on a weekday...

**Pax** · 10-09-2013, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by GLC1968

Just do it!

I'm of the belief that it is just hair. I've had mine super short, really long and everywhere in between. I've dyed it, bleached it, highlighted it, and now I'm completely natural and very white for someone who is 45 (though my underlying color is dark brown). I also wear it both ridiculously curly and super straight. Depends on my mood (and how much time I have).

I'm growing it out now but we'll see how long I can stand it. The 'in-between stage' can be rough. Right now, it's still a couple of inches from my shoulders, so I've got a long way to go before anyone can call it long even though it feels long to me. I've still got at least 6 months before I can even consider making any kind of 'tail' out of it!

Personally, I love the 'shock' of going from longer to super short. It's always such fun to me! I bet you'll get a huge kick out it once it's done.

Love this!

I'm growing mine out right now from about 1.5" long to maybe 3" or 4" for my nieces wedding, thought it might be nice to not have the spiky punk 'do for the pictures.

**shootingstar** · 10-09-2013, 11:19 AM

Dogmama, I have straight hair but lots of fine hair. In photo, just 4 yrs. younger than now: http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/about/ I did not curl my hair in that photo at all.

I had my hair cut short (from past my shoulder blades) when I was 19yrs. Short hair since then.
I'm 54 with a few more grey hairs, some lines of tiredness beneath my eyes. Definitely long hair on older women as no. 1 criteria: should still lift her visage to make her look lively. Otherwise it's not flattering to her.

What type of hair cut options are you considering? Naturally straight hair is a challenge. I tried perms for about 4 years in my 20's and gave up since it required extra care from drying out my hair, etc.

**kermit** · 10-09-2013, 12:04 PM

My hair is super thin as well and I just went to shoulder length. I just need to be able to have a ponytail. I am not a "product" person for hair. I usually wash and go but I want to recommend Nioxin shampoo. Great for thinning hair and it helped my husbands bald spot fill back in.

**Crankin** · 10-09-2013, 01:09 PM

I've had short hair for about 12 years. I have let the spikey top grow out, as I do look better with some length on the top and side bangs. I am totally indebted to my products and a flat iron for this, as I have the most horrible, frizzy, twisty, bendy, but not curly hair. Since it's short, it really doesn't take me long. So no more wash and wear, but it's worth it.
I do not think long hair is flattering at all on most people over 45, but, too each her own. I've dealt with difficult hair all of my life, and that's why I got perms for like 20 years.

**PamNY** · 10-09-2013, 02:04 PM

I hope both the bike ride and the haircut went well.

For some reason I got the desire to grow longer hair at 62. Still undecided about whether I like it.

**ACG** · 10-09-2013, 02:41 PM

I love the idea of a bike ride, to put yourself in perspective.

IMO, it is your hair and wear what makes you feel comfortable.

I had hair down to my waste until I was about 35, (I'm 52 now) then cut it to shoulder length. Have been there ever since. My hair is very wavy and when I had it short, it always felt like it looked like I rolled out of bed.

I'm on the fence on what to do with it now.

**Dogmama** · 10-09-2013, 02:46 PM

Haircut is fabulous. Went to a totally new person (gulp) but I'd seen her work on some of my friends' hair and it was very nice. She LISTENED TO ME - how nice! My last hairstylist was good but I got so tired of arguing about hair color with him. For what I was paying, he should have bowed and just done it.

She did a wedge cut on the back, slightly tapered the sides, put in low lights to calm down the blonde highlights and showed me how use some styling spray to add in texture. It is amazing how it lightened up my face. I think having longer hair dragged my face down. I have a gorgeous (not) zipper scar on my throat from my cervical fusion, so that doesn't help with the wrinkles. She said shorter hair draws the eye up. Since I don't have a lot of wrinkles around my eyes that's a good thing.

Here's the exciting part - I actually have a little bit of wave! My formerly stick straight hair must have gotten shocked from the hot flashes & started to bend a little. Of course, cutting off about 10 inches helped - but I've NEVER had wave in my hair.

Now the part comes where people see the "new me" and I'm always a little reticent about that. I hate having a fuss made over me & really prefer to just blend in.

**OakLeaf** · 10-09-2013, 03:16 PM

This thread is worthless without pictures.

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