hair history

i've been thinking...

it seems to me that everyone on this board (and pretty much everyone in general) has a different "life story" concerning their hair.  a cycle of different cuts, colors, routines etc.   and yet we've all ended up here, on the quest for long hair.

my hair's story goes like this: i had waist-tailbone length, thick, light brown hair for most of my life.  then, one sleepless sunday night about five years ago (around june 2000) i decided on a whim that i didn't want it anymore.  that week, i cut it to my shoulders.  in six months it had grown to BSL, and i cut it again to my shoulders.  over the next year, i cut it to my chin twice and my new year's resolution for 2002 was to grow it out again. it reached about 3 inches from BSL by october 2003, and that's when, ignorant of the damage it would do, i made the big mistake to start dying it.  i colored it about once a month for 14 months- from bright red to burgundy to auburn to bleach blonde to platinum blonde to dark brown and finally back to my original light brown- and i suffered extreme damage.  from my first dye-job to my last on december 7th 2004, my hair had been auto-trimming itself from the breakage and was only about an inch longer.   and that's when i made the decision to stop coloring and take better care of it.  then i found this wonderful message board and since then, my hair has improved and is well on its way to how it used to be! 

i'd love to hear all of your hair stories and find out how you all arrived at the decision to grow your hair long.  it'll be interesting to see everyone's various hair background!

much love,
katja

Growing up, long hair was when it covered my ears.  Since I was subject to punishment haircuts, it was rarely that long.  Adulthood came along with conservative work environments and conservative haircuts.  About 5 years ago I became my own boss, and it took me about 3 years to get up the guts to let it grow. 

I am pretty happy with the length in back (a couple inches past my shoulders), but I'm waiting for the front to catch up.  I am thinking that pretty soon I might cut the back to the length of the next set of layers (around shoulder length), the first significant haircut since I started letting it grow.

Every time I think of doing it, I am torn between fear-of-haircut and the exciting idea that even if I do leave one of those dreaded piles of hair on the floor I will still walk out with long hair (by my own standards if not those of this board)!

Yep, maturity and strength are not to be discounted.

Cool new signature picture, Viktoria.  Your hair has gotten quite long

I wanted long hair since I was a wee little kid, but family didn't like it long because they were the ones that had to take care of it and I complained too much when they brushed it (starting from the roots and yanking downwards of course).  I spent half my youth being mistaken for a boy .  After I was old enough to take care of it myself, I continued to let family members keep convincing me to cut it short because they said that was better (then after I did it I would figure out I just looked like a wimpy version of my brother).  Let it grow in high school and started messing with the color with household products because I wasn't allowed to dye it.  Wormed my way into dying it for real at the end of high school and it never would get very long after that because it was a dried out mess.  It didn't ever look bad, I kept it smooth and shiny, but it split bad so I couldn't let it grow.  Then I had a little problem with henna (which is on by website so I won't go into that again).  My current starting point was an ear length bob in June of 2003, its natural color, and I should be bsl again in about 6 months (yippee!)

I have had long hair the majority of the time,  although have had short hair sometimes and wanted my long hair back again.  So I am keeping it long for good now.

That's a great story, Elyce. 

I'm glad we've been able to help you in your quest for long hair.  You say that your hair really started growing in 2003... is that when you started lurking here, by chance?  Looks like you've become an expert in that time...

I agree with you, SPP.  Lots of great stories being shared here.  My hair is below knee-length, though the last foot or two of that is quite thin.

Elyce wrote: Kept it shoulder length for a few years, but a couple years ago, it suddenly just started growing!  I have no idea why -- totally unexpected, but what a nice surprise! My last cut was 2003, about shoulder length.  Since then it just keeps growing!!  I finally have the hair I have always wanted, really can't explain it, but it is a joy to me.  Pic below was taken this morning, I guess it's about 3 inches past my waist now.  Unbelievable!

That really is unbelievable, Elyce.  Your hair looks great! 

Welcome, Elyce

Your hair is very impressive- very reminiscent of Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan.

ETA forgot to reply to the actual topic because I got distracted by Elyce's beautiful tresses. I had a chin length bob from age 3-11, had it cut it into a boxie (a pixiebob), kept that all through high school and first two years of college, then started growing two summers ago when I met my Bear. It was kind of a bet/dare. I'm at waist length right now and the longest it's ever been.

Anais 

Edited by AnaisSatin

Looking forward to seeing the new pics this summer, Viktoria 

Great new avatar, Anais!  Your hair grew from pixiebob to waist in just two years?!   Just amazing...

I can definitely relate to Susan's tale of family-enforced haircuts! When I was growing up, every couple years I decided to grow my bangs out, but my mom always pressured me into cutting them short again. I always wanted to grow my hair long, but I didn't get it much past bsl until high school. Now, I have hair that requires a lot of blow-drying, and this really wore me out when i was 15 and 16. I got tired of spending half an hour on styling every two days and cut it to a more average length. When I was 17, I cut it to my chin. It was a great haircut which got a lot of compliments, but I immediately started growing it out. I haven't had a trim more than 1 1/2" since (I'm 20 now). My hair is somewhere between 27 and 28" and I absolutely love it. It still takes a lot of effort to style, but it's worth it.