I haven’t really liked my hair in a long time. It had to have been at least before getting pregnant with Vivienne. During pregnancy, I kind of just let it go, and then afterward… well, I lost damn near all of it during postpartum shedding. It was so bad that I seriously had bald spots up near my face. Awful.
The other aspect to this whole this is that I’ve been “between” stylists. I had the same stylist from the time I was six years old, all the way through until a couple of years ago. He was really affordable; I think he gave me a price break since I had been with him for so long. But it got to a point where he was impossible to get an appointment with, I’d have to wait for months. And I don’t know, I’m not the kind of person to schedule a haircut many months in advance, or even on a regular basis—I like to be able to just call when I feel like I need it. So anyway, the last time I called him, the receptionist told me that there weren’t any appointments available for like 2-3 months, and that she’d have him call me back to see if he could squeeze me in. I never heard from him. After that, I was decided to be done.
Then, I started going to the same stylist my mom had switched to. I liked her, she was nice. But she always gave me really boring, straight cuts. And the last time I went to her, she cut my hair completely unevenly. It was enough that it was really obvious. I called her about it and she was apologetic, asking me to come in so she could fix it. I went in, she said she fixed it, and then when I got home and really washed it and dried it again, it was STILL uneven. So I decided I was done with her, too.
I went to a new stylist—recommended by a few women I know—this past spring and it was fine, really. But it was expensive, more than I have ever paid for a haircut. I didn’t even get any color! Sometime after that, I realized… why didn’t I go see my friend, Colleen? One of my suitemates from college became a stylist and I have never been to her because I couldn’t justify it when the stylist I was already seeing was so much cheaper. But now, I’m a real grown up and I suppose I can pay for a real grown up cut. :) And I’m sick of hunting around for a new stylist, so I’m going to see her on Saturday!
I’m long overdue for a change. So I’m getting the itch to do SOMETHING. Should I color? Should I chop? I’m not really sure. I’m leaning toward the latter, for sure, but I’m not sure if I’ll chicken out.
Here’s where I’m at. Pardon the awkward selfie.
At the very least, I need some fresh layers. But… any inspiration to send my way?
Right now, it’s feeling very “heavy,” so I’m tempted to take off a good chunk of length. But how much, and styled how? I need something that’s pretty low maintenance, too, as I have basically zero extra time to be fussing with my hair in the mornings.
I’ve taken to Pinterest and saved a few things, but I’m really hoping that Colleen will have some ideas and expertise to help, too!
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
I think you would look great with long layers and some blonde highlights around your face.
I felt the same way recently and have been depressed that I haven’t had a good hair day in years. I used to have soft, manageably curly hair. Then, something changed. I don’t know if it was hormones from being pregnant, the water, or as one stylist told me, MY AGE!?! Ugh… another thing to chalk up to getting older? Seriously? I have a few grays so I guess those hairs are coarser, but the rest of it? I refused coloring for so long because I liked my natural color. But when the grays got really obvious, I started coloring to match my natural color. This, also, has been depressing, because I don’t do permanent (I think – I always mix them up) so it grows out in 4-6 weeks. If I do permanent (again, I could be mixing these), they tell me it’s more obvious as it grows out and you have to maintain it every 6 weeks. Not in my budget. Two times ago, it was so dark that people could tell I got it colored – it was like Elvira black. I hated it. But it took a little longer for the grays to show again. Last time, I loved it – closer to my hair color, but saw the grays in 4 weeks. So why bother? I probably won’t do it again until bigger events like vacation and my birthday. My hair has been so dry and frizzy, I felt like I could be the poster child for frizzy hair – and the curls got so tight. I’ve experimented with all kinds of different products – no matter how expensive, they didn’t work. I, most recently, went in and told her I hated it so much I was thinking of chopping it off like Jennifer Lawrence short (not pixie, but to end of her neck). She talked me off that ledge a little and said what about something in between like collar bone? I always feel like I look better with longer hair anyway so this was a nice compromise. When she finished, it felt lighter and was actually smooth and silky – go figure! And she kept the layers long for now, but it felt so much lighter. I haven’t been able to duplicate exactly what she did and the next day when I washed it, I felt like I had no hair left. But today was an actual good hair day – just the right amount of curl and body and it doesn’t look short or long – feels pretty cute and trendy actually. So to make a long story short – why don’t you try something in between long and chopping it all off – take several inches off and go from there? I can see you in a do between collar and chest. Can’t wait to see it. Good luck!
I went through the same “break up” with my long-time stylist. She cut back her hours and always wanted appointments made in advance. I’m like you – when I feel like cutting my hair, I want it done NOW. :-) So I started going to Great Clips a couple years ago, and I haven’t looked back. I have a simple layered cut and it’s easy for even an amateur stylist to trim it up. $14 a cut!
For you, I have Jennifer Aniston’s “long layered” looks in mind. Take a few inches off and layer it up, especially around the face, but still keep long enough to pull back. Something like this –
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2837302/Jennifer-Aniston-takes-cake-little-plaid-dress-stylish-coat-screening-new-dark-comedy-NYC.html
Good luck! Can’t wait to see what you decide!