Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair (or at least loan a girl some hair extensions)...

You would think I would have learned my lesson by now-alas, I have not and every few years remember the consequences too late. What you might ask is this mistake I continue to make and each time fail to learn from? Cutting off my (very) thick, long hair. Beginning the summer during my eighteenth year, I cut off my very, very long hair for the first time-don‘t get me wrong, I‘d had haircuts before but never had I actually cut my hair short. During that time period the fashionable trend was to cut off your hair (at the very least to chin length) prior to going away for college. Perhaps cutting off our long locks in some way symbolized leaving behind our childhood and embracing our impending adulthood. Regardless of our reasons, the summer I was eighteen I cut my hair (which at that time was nearly elbow length) to chin length then chopped it off further to ear lobe length. I loved it for about 24 hours and quickly realized that with hair as thick as mine it actually took A LOT more work and time to "fix" when cut short (ironic I know). One would assume that the painfully slow fourteen months it took to grow it out to a decent length would have prevented me from ever cutting my hair short again, however , that would be assuming wrong. Fast forward four and half years to my pregnancy with Caleb. At that time my hair was very, very long-unfortunately, pregnancy did not agree with my hair-my once thick, straight, luxurious hair became limp, wavy, and flat. The solution-chop it off. This time I was much more conservative and ensured that my hair remained at least long enough to be able to secure my hair back into a (very small) ponytail. In retrospect I must say that cutting my hair at that time was a smart choice-I was hot, miserable and my new cut was cute and manageable (well at least considered cute as far as pregnancy haircuts go). Fast forward to early 2008: I knew that due to my significant weight loss, my hair was going to become frail and begin falling out. Because of my ultra thick head full of hair I wasn’t worried about my hair becoming too thin, however, I was worried about finding piles of long hair throughout the house (and more importantly in the bathtub drain). Again, I cut my very, very long hair several inches and was left with a painfully short do (which thankfully still allowed me to pull it back into a baby pony when needed). After my haircut in 2008, I spent the next twelve months growing my hair back out. After a year it was fairly long and by fifteen months post cut my hair was once again long and flowing. Fast forward to February 2010-I cut somewhere between 6-7 inches off of my hair (I wish I could say it was because I did something charitable such as donating to “Locks of Love“, however, 10 inches is the current quota for such donations and donating that much would have left me with a buzz cut). The truth is I was tired of my long hair and had forgotten (yet again) how much longer it takes to actually fix short hair. Yes, while it’s true that the time spent shampooing my hair as well as drying it was cut in half, styling and fixing my hair quadrupled once my hair was cut short. My hair currently grazes my shoulders and can be pulled back into a mini ponytail (an absolute staple as I sleep to the last possible minute each work day morning), however, I miss my long hair…to be honest I am actually grieving over it (shallow and vain I admit). My husband did an excellent job cutting my hair-the cut is great, but once again I had forgotten how thick my hair really is and how much thicker it becomes when cut short. Let this blog be a warning to my future self-do not cut your hair again- your best length is armpit length (any shorter is too short and any longer will result in frustration which then leads to chopping it off and resuming the viscious cycle). Do not delude yourself into thinking that a cute short do will be fun and simple. This blog will serve as my mantra as my hair grows out over the next twelve to fifteen months. God speed.