Many of us are still in “Lockdown” due to COVID-19 and are adapting to a new way of life. As all non-essential businesses are not opened and we are more than two months in,my hair has been driving me crazy! If you follow my Instagram then you most likely know that recently I decided to give myself a haircut
The last time I decided to cut my own hair was about 8 years ago when I had a meltdown over my bangs. I thought I did an okay job too until my visit to the hairdresser two weeks later when I was sternly advised to NEVER, ever do that again.
Point taken.
Like nearly every woman out there, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. For many, many years (okay, decades) my hair was, what I thought, made me look better. So much of my appearance was defined by my hair. It was long (mid-back length), curly and thick. One time a client asked if my hair “was real” and then reached out and yanked on it. I was completely shocked. Another time I cut off about 6 inches before my sisters wedding and she almost had a meltdown because she had envisioned it in a particular style for her bridal party. Oops. Apparently my hair was a big deal to other people too.
There was a tragedy of sorts in the late 70’s when my Mom marched us girls up to the local butcher…ummmm I meant hair salon, to have our hair cut. It was too late before I realized what was happening and before I knew it I had a lopsided Mushroom cut. The hairstyle of the 70 and early 80’s people.
I cried and screamed the whole way home. Gone were my long curly locks and it was replaced by a…a…a Mushroom!!! Oh and did I forget to mention this new cut exposed a GIANT cowlick over my forehead? Turns out my Mom just didn’t want to “fight” with my hair anymore because it was a hard process to wash, dry and brush it with it being so thick and all.
I must of had that stupid haircut for 3 years until I begged to be able to do my own hair. Enter Grade 7. The first time in my life I ever had my hair short. I can’t recall the how or why it was decided I would go short but what a mess! I didn’t know how to blow-dry it so that the cowlick wasn’t the only thing people saw. The hairdresser obviously didn’t know how to cut hair because it was choppy and well….just odd looking. It could have been weird because I was adamant that while the cut was short it had to cover my ears.
Why would you want to cover your ears, you ask? Because I had a hearing aid and my Mother had been keeping my hair over my ears all my life. Why she felt I had to hide the fact that I was hearing-impaired is beyond me, but that “secret” was imprinted into the very fiber of my being. NO ONE was to see my Hearing Aid. This is a story for another time.
Ok, 5 years ago while working out, the elastic that held my thick, damp and extremely heavy hair up out of my face broke. It wasn’t the first time this happened but this time would be the last. I marched to the salon and had 10″ cut off and it felt amazing! It was even cut above my ears! Hearing Aids (yep, I now wear two) be damned. I didn’t care if anyone saw them anymore. This moment was literally a life-defining moment for me. Not only had I shed the heavy hair, my identity, now I was telling everyone around me just who I was. Disability and all.
This time round I knew just how to style my hair and it was a fun undercut with a tossled look. I loved it and it was almost no work! 4 minutes to dry, style and boom- done!
The downside?
The constant trips to the hairstylist for upkeep. Like every 4-5 weeks. Oh well, that became a part of life.
Until recently that is…
Now my hair was unruly. Unkempt. UN-maintained. I absolutely hated it. I hated waking up in the morning and getting a fright when I saw the hair in the mirror.
So, I decided to cut it.
No, not cut. Shave it.
Completely.
Note: It was so thick that I had to cut it first and let me just say it was like cutting through a rope! Ouch!
I have to admit that I surprised myself by actually following through with this and I like it. It’s not for everyone but I’m okay with that. Stay tuned for my follow up post on what to expect AFTER you buzz your hair off.
The Blind Thistle 
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