Hair Woes & Opinions

[Dogmama]

OK, so this isn't earth shattering, but it is a symptom of stuff I deal with...

I had straight, fine, dark (OK, a little gray) hair. I had to beat the crap out of it every morning to get just a little bend in it. By noon, I was looking like a drowned rat - unless I used gobs of hairspray. Not good.

Went to hairstylist I've seen for 15 years. In the salon, saw older women with long straight hair - looked like a bunch of old hippies. Says I: "I do NOT want to be an old hippie! Dark, flat hair, begone!"

So, now I have a multi-colored (mainly blondish-red with dark undertones) short multilayered cut. Think Meg Ryan in her younger days. I think it looks good - but a HUGE change for me. It covers my wrinkley forehead and the lighter color seems to have lifted my face a bit. I don't know if I'll go to this extreme again, but I for now it's OK.

My friends & acquaintances have gone from really liking it to telling me they like it. Here I am, seeking approval. I even emailed my stylist & asked her if maybe I shouldn't go a little less blonde/red. DH is saying that it will take some getting used to. He's not a "long hair fanatic" guy, and actually likes my hair short. It's the color that he's having trouble with.

Have you ever made a huge change & had trouble accepting people's reactions? Why the h*ll do I even care?? Except I seem to care otherwise I wouldn't be posting this.

<Needing to grow some b*lls, obviously!>

[NJBikeGal]

I recently cut my hair from below shoulder length to a VERY short, but very feminine cut. I always had short hair in high school, but that was mainly because I was a terribly huge tom-boy! Now, I cut it short for a change and because I always liked it that way. Anywho...when my friends saw me, they all loved it, one even told me, "We've decided that you are not allowed to have long hair ever again." When I went in for a "trim", I accidently made the decision to do a different type of cut...more pixie like. I don't like it and am trying to get it back to the first cut (a bit of growing time involved). The moral of the story is...hair grows back! Great thing, eh? Which means, try out a few cuts, see what you like...same with the color. You can always change it!

[bcipam]

I think the line "who the h*ll really cares..." says it all.

Nothing wrong with making a change with your hair: 1) hair grows back so if you don't like the change, be patient, it will grow back and 2) change of any kind is nice once in a while - it keeps us from getting stale.

Because I was having surgery and would have a prolong hospital stay, I cut my normally middle of my back length hair to a short bob. I did it at the last minute and was so glad not to have all that kong hair to deal with.

Now out of the hospital and returning to work I am really glad I cut my hair and in fact, am going back to the salon to have to cut even shorter. My hair now takes half the time to style. Less styling means my hair will stay healthier looking. Also the cut makes me look younger. Yeah a real bonus. Sometimes an old style just dates us. Long straight hair can be beautiful but also can make us look old.

Enjoy the new cut. They say when a woman makes a drastic change of her hair she's looking for change in her life as well. Maybe it's time for you to display some confidence, not worry what others think. Enjoy the new hair. It sounds fun.

[Dogmama]

Enjoy the new cut. They say when a woman makes a drastic change of her hair she's looking for change in her life as well. Maybe it's time for you to display some confidence, not worry what others think. Enjoy the new hair. It sounds fun.

Hmmm, very interesting because I am on the brink of changes.

I really like short hair - I always turn to look at a nice, short haircut on women. I do think that short can be very feminine & sexy.

And, as I get older (ahem...) I notice that gravity is winning in my face. A shorter style seems to have lifted everything up. And without the facelift!

[pooks]

Dogmama -- have FUN with your hair! If there's one thing to learn from the "youngers" it's that hair is FUN. I mean, look at all the wild colors people dye their hair. Blue, purple, orange!

I was a blond child and have dishwater brown hair now -- or would if I hadn't kept it various shades of red most of my adult life. I have gone to extreme burgundy and bright red. Every time my hair would fade out my sister would stress how much she LOVED it. At a time when I'd be ready to refresh the color. I told her she was showing her age -- she's so worried about looking "natural" that she actually looks drab. She doesn't want to look like she's coloring her hair because that might make her look "old" when the truth is, if she stopped worrying about it, and just went for the color that looked best with her skin instead of trying to keep the same color for years, she'd look younger.

Right now I'm doing something kind of weird with my hair. I cut it off when I started cycling in June, not caring what it looked like as long as it was short and easy. Surprise, surprise, it looks good. As the roots started showing (brown roots, red hair) I started getting highlights and lowlights. The highlights are blond and the lowlights are burgundy, mixed with the brown roots and red hair. LOL. Thing is, it looks like "tortoiseshell" which is really kind of cool and I get all kinds of compliments on my hair. I'm going to have highlights and lowlights again soon, maybe slightly different shades, but I'll be keeping the reds for SURE. Mainly, I'm having fun with it (which is a little easier when it's short).

So my advice is, pretend it's shoes and have fun. If you don't like something, change it. It's just hair!

Oh yeah, forgot to say -- having highlights or at least two shades of hair makes the cut show up more. My hair is fine and straight, too -- just like you say. Impossible to curl! So even short it's still fine and straight, but the highlights emphasize the cut. I sometimes just reach up with my fingers and tousle it and it goes from boring to pretty.

[CyclChyk]

I've always found my longer hair to be somewhat of a security blanket. As well, without it, due to the shape of my face, I look like a boy with boobs if I were to cut it short. I've always envied those who could pull short hair off because it LOOKS as tho it would be so much easier to maintain and always seems to look good wet or dry whereas mine tends to look stringy no matter what I do. Ponytail usually ends up the winner.

I've had short hair (think Pat Benetar - yes it was in the 80's) but everytime I cut it I have major w/drawals for the long. And yeh it will grow back but it takes forever and then there is the "in between" stage......

If YOU like it without having to talk yourself into liking it, I say to heck with anyone elses opinion. Altho compliments always help. If you have to talk yourself into liking it maybe its not the style you want to stick with.....

PS your new baby's daddy is quite the stud!

[KnottedYet]

I went from short spikes to growing out my hair. Now it's just about to the corner of my jaw. (I want to get it chin length)

The only time my hair has ever had "body" is when it's been spiked, cuz it's baby fine and thin and very straight.

I'm finding the longer hair is easier to take care of (don't have to cut it as often) and softens my bony face. And it's fun to play with! Bandanas and clips and tucking it behind my ears and *almost* able to make a ponytail.

And I haven't been called "Sir" in months!

The only bit of outside opinion that I fret over is that I don't look d*key anymore. Grrls used to notice me a little, now I feel invisible. But I like my hair.

[Trek420]

KnottedYet "The only bit of outside opinion that I fret over is that I don't look d*key anymore. Grrls used to notice me a little, now I feel invisible. But I like my hair"

IMHO wear your hair the way you like, it's your hair You can always get the jersey that says "nobody knows I'm g*y"