A Hairy Decision

Hair.  Grow it or cut it?  I face this decision several times every year.  Today is one of those days. 

I got out of the shower and decided my hair needed a really good combing (I hadn't combed it in over a week since I was wearing it curly), so I headed outside with the comb like we used to do with the cats when we had them.  You see, I just knew it was going to be quite the feat to get all of the loose hair out of my head and didn't want to have a mound of hair to clean up off the bathroom floor.  It was WAY worse than I ever could have imagined.

I have very thick hair and have always been a major shedder, but add the post-partum hair loss to it, and I could have made a wig for another person today - no lie!!  First of all, my comb broke in half as I was trying to get the first curl out..awesome!  This is the 3rd comb I've had break on me this year alone.  I even buy heavy duty combs made for thick hair.  Then, after about 2 minutes of painful combing, I look at the comb and see that it is completely covered in hair..ugh!  I clean out the comb and go at it again....10 minutes later I was finally able to get the comb through my hair without it being covered in loose hairs.  I had a giant pile of hair on the ground that I really think could have been made into a wig for a small child.  I was disgusted by it.  What's worse though is that no one would even notice that I lost so much hair, because I have that much of it!! 

My least favorite thing about having so much hair is how long it takes to dry, and having to run the straightener through it every day to make it look nice.  In the summer it's too hot to blow dry and use the super-hot iron on my hair...I always feel like I need another shower when I'm done.  And in the winter, my hair is full of static when I'm done.  It's a lot of work, really, and I'm not so sure that it's worth it most days. 

I had long hair most of my life until my senior year in college.  I completely chopped it off.  I LOVED getting ready when I had short hair.  It was so amazing to just get out of the shower, dry my hair for 1 minute and have it looking great with no other grooming needed.  Sometimes, I would take a shower just because it was entertaining to me to see that I could have my hair done in such little time :)  I also got hit on way more when I had short hair in college (that's super important, right?), which leads me to believe short hair must be the appropriate style for my face shape.  My brother also told me I don't look good with long hair, and his opinion should be at the top of the list too right??

I know some people don't think girls should have short hair, but I don't believe that at all.  I think a person's face should be the thing that stands out, not your hair.  So a person's hair style should be whatever shows off their face best, in my opinion.  I'm thinking of Kelli Pickler and Halle Berry right now -- both much cuter with their super short hair -- you can see their beautiful faces as it isn't hidden behind long hair. 

I don't want to do the "mom" thing and cut my hair off just because it's more convenient now that I have limited time to get ready, but having it in a ponytail nearly everyday just isn't exciting either (anybody else find riding in the car with a ponytail super uncomfortable??).

I have been growing my hair out for 2 years and vowed not to cut it (other than the necessary trim) until it got to the longest point that it has been since I met James 7.5 years ago.  Well, it's to that point, and I'm proud of myself for making it this far, but I think it's coming to an end soon.  I just wasn't blessed with beautiful hair. 

P.S.  Is it okay to be really super jealous of my 2 year old daughter's hair???  Because I totally am!!  Oh, and speaking of my daughter...I asked her yesterday if I should cut my hair or keep it long.  I don't remember her answer, but today we were sitting at the table and I was staring into space thinking about cutting my hair, when out of nowhere she says, "should you cut it, or keep it long??"  SCARY!!!  She knew what I was thinking!!!  I couldn't help but smile really big and giggle a little...I told her, "How did you know I was thinking about that?!?!"  She laughed her super cute little laugh :)