(Because all of my profile pictures seem to feature a fraction of my face surrounded by a hoodie or a cat, I’ve decided to reveal myself by telling you a terribly dull story about growing out my hair, and then asking you to make comments about it.)
At the end of the summer of 2004 I decided to let my very short hair grow. I had attempted a “growing out” experiment earlier that spring, but only because my friend MJ said I couldn’t do it, and I’m sorry to say she was right. By the end of the school year I had caved and my hair was back to its spiky short cut. But in August I decided on my own that I was ready for a change. I was about to turn 30, I was entertaining the idea of motherhood, and I was up for the ridiculously annoying task of letting my hair grow.
If you’ve ever let your hair grow you know of which I speak. There are good stages–times when you are sure you’re doing the right thing–and bad stages, when you ask your neighbor to come over and hide all your scissors. My hair is very fine, but I have an enormous amount of it, so during most of the growing out stage I felt like I had a live animal sleeping on my head. But I persevered, and by summer of 2005 all of my hair was the same length. I had managed to reach my goal, but I didn’t know what to do with the end result. It was too short for a ponytail, and too long for much of anything else. I also had an annoying flip/curl thing on one side, and the only way to get rid of it was to use a flat iron on my entire head. This was fine in the summer when I could wear a bandana every day, or hold my bangs back with sunglasses, but the day school started and I had to get ready for work I knew I was in trouble.
I don’t have any pictures of myself between June 2005 and January 2006, but basically I worked my way backward. Every month it got a little shorter until I finally caved and told my stylist to cut it all off, and now I am back to square one. The truth is, I like my hair short, but I also liked it when it was all one length. It is also true that thanks to prenatal vitamins, it grows like a weed, and were I to shave it off today it would be back to it’s current state within a very short time. So now, yet again, just a week after getting it cut short, I am considering letting it grow again.
Please feel free to give me your two cents on this matter.
Phase I: November 2004 (photo by Megan)
Phase II, or What am I supposed to do with my bangs?: March 2005 (I’m in the middle)
Phase III, or Ah..I’ll just put them here behind my sunglasses!: June 2005 (I’m on the far right)
Back to Square 1: January 2006 (I don’t know why, but I often make that face when being photographed)
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January 18, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Trista
hmmm, well my favorite look is the Nov 2004 one, though the short spiky look is also cute.
I also have very fine hair very densely packed on my head. I find it works best for me not to have bangs at all. They go flat and get in my eyes and then get oily looking from me pushing them out of my face all the time. Though, yes, growing out bangs is an exercise in ingenuity. Every time my stylist gets a little too short in the front I clip them to the side with a little clip-like thing (it looks cuter than it sounds, or at least I HOPE it looks cuter than it sounds).
But yeah, I really love the Nov 2004 pic (did I say that already?) I think you look very sophisticated. Not that you don’t look good now. (are you asking the photographer to check to see if there’s broccoli in your teeth? — I don’t make that face, but another very similar in effect) How do you get your hair to have volume? DON’T tell me you blow it dry. I would rather sleep with my head upside down over the side of the bed than blow my hair dry every morning.
So, um, my opinion, since you asked, is to grow out to the Nov length and then move into a holding pattern (unless that hair is too hard to maintain, in which case stick with what you’ve got. Or go shorter so it’s wash-n-wear professional (think Kate Clinton) cause when you get an active 4 year old you’re not going to have time for extensive hair maintenence.)
I think this is more than 2 cents, more like 2 dollars.
January 18, 2006 at 6:42 pm
hd
It just HAS volume, I don’t create the volume. I once used volumizing shampoo by accident…BIG mistake.
January 18, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Jen
Motherhood does not require long hair. In fact, long hair is a health hazard in motherhood. And it can be a maintenance challenge, as Trista said.
There are only 2 arguments for long hair as a mom:
1) if it’s long enough for a ponytail, that’s the ultimate low maintenance hairstyle — unless you’re me. In that case, your hair will break off so that you have a ponytail and lots of bits that are too long to be bangs but too short to go in the tail and they always fall in your face and drive you crazy.
2) short hair requires frequent haircuts to look good, which take time and money, both of which are in shorter supply in parenthood
Anyway, I guess I have been as clear as mud here, but I like your short hair the best.
January 18, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Crystal
Wow. How the hell have I missed you? I just spent a while perusing your stuff (and the post about Harry hurt my heart) and you are a fantastic writer.
Additionally, that haircut is damned hard to pull off and look good. you have to have the right nose, face shape, eyes and general build and it looks really good on you.
And I hate you for being 31 and being that damned edible. Slut.
January 19, 2006 at 1:32 am
megan
i like the first photo (not just because i took it, but because your hair looks reallllly good like that).
i also like your hair now, circa 2006, it fits you!
January 19, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Faith
I love the November ‘04 look–it’s sophisticated and smart. And I like the one you’ve got now–it’s cute. And I’m sympathetic re the whole growing out the hair bit, as I’m going through it right now. And no, my husband didn’t hide my scissors, and yes, I did cut my bangs last Saturday.
April 25, 2008 at 2:34 pm
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