Today I’m grateful for new haircuts. I know several people right now who are crazed to get new “looks”. It must be the human equivalent to snakes shedding their skin for spring.
It’s never easy to decide on a new look. It’s hard to step out of the box and bravely go where only those with easy access to hair extensions tread. Go anyway. Nothing refreshes a woman’s spirit like a new haircut.
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A lot of men like to weigh in on this topic and it is certainly their right. It’s just not their choice. You can listen to them. You can listen to your friends. You can listen to your parents, your grandma, the dog groomer, the grocery store clerk, the bartender, the preacher, the mailman. . .but the ultimate decision rests with the person who is going under the scissors. . .you. Don’t be afraid. Be bold. Hair grows.
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When I was a hairdresser I worked with a girl who would let her hair grow for three years. It grew very fast and literally brushed the backs of her knees. It was thick and healthy and beautiful. My hair takes forever to grow past my shoulders so I was very envious. I looked like a pinhead, she looked like a rock star. She could tie that mane up in knots and then shake her head a certain way and her hair would shimmer and drop around her like a friggin’ Breck commercial! One day she asked me to cut her hair. I always cut it so it was no big deal. A half inch, maybe an inch and off she’d go, back to her own customers. Not this day. This day she said, “I want a pixie and I like how you cut pixies.” For anyone under 40. . .a pixie is SHORT, like spiked, but no viagra. Limp. I spent an hour trying to talk her out of it. No way. It’s what she wanted so I did it. A crowd gathered when they realized what was happening. They let out an audible gasp as I cut her ponytail off in one sweep and handed the yard-long swatch to her. “It’s what she wants!” I protested to the mutterings around me. She loved it. It was adorable. She kept it that way for 6 months, then let it grow again. I did the drastic cut three more times, but it was only on the first time that my heart skipped a few beats.
Courage. Muster yourself. Any change is difficult. Hair change is a commitment!
Here is Mary Mooney’s advice. . .
Wear full eye makeup the day you get it cut. You’ll be glad you did.
Bring pictures (different lengths and styles) but listen if your stylist says it will or will not work well for your hair. Be open to suggestions.
Be prepared to buy some “product”. New looks require different schmootzes.
Don’t just stroll in for a haircut and go home with it wet. You might not understand how to beat it into submission on your own. Get the works. Shampoo, cut and style.
Watch what the stylist is doing and get a feel for it. Ask her/him for advice on maintaining the look. Ask if you can get your hands into it. It’s your hair!
If you decide to highlight, less is more. Only go two to three shades lighter and sparingly, or you will look like an old golden retriever who is trying too hard to get a seat at the poker table.
If you want to completely change the color, be prepared for the maintenance and upkeep. Hair is organic and needs tending. It’s also fun! Have fun.
Before you leave the salon, make an appointment for six weeks to get it cut again. You have to give new haircuts a couple of chances. If you want to let it grow after that, go for it.
Go short enough. Don’t hang on to that extra three inches thinking it’s safer. It’s not. It’s stupid, because your hair won’t do what it’s supposed to do unless it’s the right length. In-between what you want is worse than not cutting at all.
Give yourself time to get used to it. Don’t bawl in the chair. Hairdressers hate that. We want you to be happy. It’s only hair. . .not a terminal illness. No tears.
If your hair is long and you want to go short, consider donating it to “Locks for Love”, which creates wigs for children with cancer. Now you can shed tears.
When people compliment you on your new look. . .believe them. Don’t say, “Really, do you think it’s okay?” They wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t. Not even your good friends like you enough to lie that blatantly.
If those near and dear you say they hate it, don’t buy it. What they hate is that you look hot and they feel threatened and confused by your bravery. You have just jumped out of the box they have created for you and they’re not at all sure their comfortable with that. You don’t need anyone’s approval. It’s YOUR hair.
New haircuts are great. I’m grateful I was able to help people make these kinds of changes for seventeen years. I only wish my hair was longer so I could chop it all off again! Post pictures of the new you. Inquiring minds want to know what you decide on.
