Cutting it off! Need support...

You came to the wrong board, Pals. I think you look amazingly beautiful both with your hair down *and* with the topknot. I am sure you'll look fine with short hair, but your long hair looks so elegant and majestic on you. No short cut could possibly look better. I hope you came to this board because you really wanted encouragement to keep it long. All I can say is that right now, your hair would cause my jaw to drop to my knees. Whatever you decide, good luck, and I hope it makes you happy.
BTW, I don't think that women can procure much money for their ponytails today unless they are extremely long. Too much hair on the market. And LoL is a deceitful, secretive group which uses at *most* 3% of the hair they receive for wigs. The rest is discarded or sold. Hugs, Bob

I suggest you go out to your garage or basement and find a hammer. Now place your hand on a firm surface. Are we good? Now take the hammer and slam it into your finger. Does it hurt? Good do it again? Still hurt? Try the other hand. Now repeat the process again. Now Remember that feeling of pain... It will be long gone and forgotten before you recover from a short haircut (years). I have seen your picture..You look great!!! Don't let fleeting emotions cause you long time regret. Just remember the grass is always grenner over the septic tank. It is damp and may collapse.

I just came across this...

But any ho,
I saw your pics and yes, everyone is right your hair is
gorgeous.

This is not an attempt to deferr you from making the big cut

just a little insight.

First If you cut your long hair short (like pixi short like I did ) do not expect it to be easy to style.

It becomes a huge pain in the REAR!!!
all of the styling products with the gals w/ the cute short hair
yeah it's b/c they need it!!

then when you start letting it grow out again
it's really hard to keep it. You'll get in to these transitional phases that turn in to a BLACH!! let me just cut it to look normal again.

I have enjoyed lots of the different lengths and styles over the past few years .

But even short hair gets old...

my natural hair is a drk. drk honey color a little wavy.
It was really easy to care for when it was long, wash twist and pin up to dry in nice waves.

Then about 4 years back I cut it shorter than short.
Am holey moley! was it ever a pain to style!!!
if you go short invest in gell and clippies.
Any ways I got tired of it and colored it mahogony brown.

I really like the color

and now it's about shoulder length
I really like it and I'm not sure tht I'll ever grow it back as long as it once was.

other suggestions.
If you don't already have a regular salon
find a moderatly priced place to get it done
not some where so cheep that they will indefinatly screw it up

but also not any where that will make you feel foolish for paying a lot for a cut you hate.In case you hate

also ask people with cuts you like where they got their hair done and if it's hard to style.

also If you go short I'd do it on a weekend. like a friday night home or some day that will give you enough time to play with it and figgure it out.
Also see if your sylest wikll show you some techniques to syle it.
If you go sort and have wavey hair invest in a good blow dryer w/ attachments and a round brush.
also to tame waves try redkien glass 19$ at the outlet malls ( head to toe beauty) in San Marcos...the lrge size shoud last about a year or try frizz ease.

If you go med length with one of the cute fringgy cuts and your hair is wavy invest in a CHI flat Iron they cost about 100-150$
Holy ba Geez I thought But I love mine!! you might find one cheeper on e- bay

Moral of the story short hair is not easy to deal with unless it's is really curly or really straight and then it's still not easy.
but it does allow you to change things up a bit.
And even thought it takes a long time...
It does grow back.


P.S. Im a big fan of locks of love- I would see shat you could get just to see( it probably wont be as much as you would think ,nothing personal hair's just not wort as much as people would think ) but then donate it.

In your first post, I got the impression that you were ambivalent, why else would you want a "glamour shot" before the cut? And seriously: great hair, a beautiful face, wonderful colour - and I am a big fan of buns, why does it have to be messy? Making a neat bun will not be more of a hassle than styling a short hair, more like the opposite. The only hasslefree shorter hairstyle is "page"-hair, don´t know what that style is called in english. It´s not really a bob, just straight cut below the jaw. It would look great on you, but the thing about it, it always looks the same, rain or shine.

Think about it, will you? Explore the alternatives. Then cut it, if you must.

I only have one more thing to say, Emma. I wish I could see thousands of such "hideous" looking topknots in my neighborhood every day. How great would that be!
I haven't convinced *you*, but at least my wife is keeping her hair long (for life, I hope!). She isn't skinny, by any means, but as her hair has gotten longer (3" above waist now), she's been getting hit on again. And she's 44 now! In one ten block daytime walk last week, two guys asked her if she needed a ride! And no, I'm not jealous; they should be jealous of me now! (lol) Bob

Emma,

I for one will give you support, but I have to warn you that I have gone back and forth from bra strap length to shoulder length (or shorter) several times over the past 10 years. I also have the (exact) same face shape and nose as you. I have found that my best style is shoulder length with the sides slightly tapered, and with (not too heavy) bangs. My hubby really loves long hair, and I did growing up (I even vowed to never cut my hair and grow to be a gray-haired granny with a bun, but that only lasted until I was 16!). But it just doesn't look that great once it gets to bra-strap length. It also doesn't look great in short layers, which I've done a couple of times, too, because my face looks too big! I also have 3 children, and it did grow fast during pregnancy and for a couple of years afterwards while still breast-feeding and on those vitamins!

So, anyway, with that knowledge of where I'm coming from, I say go for it, but not too short, unless you really want to experience that for a change. Have fun, with the Glamour Shots thing and anything else you can think of. Maybe your hubby would want to help with the cut. And, like you say, you can always grow it again, especially if you do have another child. (My most recent long hair was at age 42, and now I'm halfway between shoulder-length and bra-strap length again, at 44).

Hope this doesn't offend the other posters, but you did say you wanted support!

Love to all!
Katherine

arch94: Boooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erinlynn wrote: The paigeboy cut...if I am thinking along the same lines as you in the states ive heard it called the paigeboy cut. And in spite of the "boy" part its ment for girls.

Hmm...paigeboy. That rings a bell. Is it possibly an Old English phrase for a boy of sort of Medieval times or something? I'm not too great at History, but it's possibly from the male hairstyles that were fashionable then.

I know, I know...off topic.
Sorry

Hi Emma - I also have a face shape like yours. I am the mother of 4 kids, ages 2, 4, 6 and 8. My hair is currently about 22 long from crown to back with layers throughout that start at the chin.
For the last 10 years I have had my hair from long pixie to waist length and I agree with you, each length has it's good and had points. When it's short, you have to style it, and if it grows out from the cut it looks like crap until you go to get it cut again.
When it's long ( for me that's as soon as it is long enough to pull back ) it's up in a pony or messy knot all of the time....24/7...only on week-ends if we are going out and it's not too hot is it down.

I have cut it off for this reason so many times. Just because I was tired of wearing it up.
But the fact of the matter is, I am not going to go down that road again becasue when it is short, I simply do not look or feel sexy at all...nor do I feel pretty.

So, make sure that if you do cut it, that the style will make you feel like yourself. Especially if you have small children and or are pregnant...Being at home with kids all day has a tendancy to make me feel pretty unsexy. So I find that my long hair helps me to feel sexier.

Anyways, I ramble...If you want to look and some styles, thei website has alot of nice ones.

jacqui

Heh heh! Of course, I really DO think Emma came to the right place, for sure! But if she truly wants encouragement to cut her sensuous hair, it does seem a bit odd to ask long hair lovers for encouragement to do so. Bob