This Week's Mane Event

I've been pinning haircuts and hairstyles to my Pinterst boards for several months now.  If there were subcategories for my hairstyle boards, they'd be entitled "Now," "Later," and "Much Later."  Those falling under "much later" are mostly very short cuts that I'd like to try at some point in my 60's.  I'm just not bold enough to give up my length.  I'd probably love the short cut for a while, but I'd end up missing my length -- which actually serves as a shield of armor to my insecurities.  We all have them.  No explanation needed.  Just a vulnerability that I'll admit to (eyes cast downward).

I see those short, sassy, sexy cuts all the time -- in magazines, on the street, on TV, and I feel SO very tempted.  Such a chic, bold statement -- emphasis on bold.  For those women who have the courage to let go of their locks and rock a drastically shorter look, I admire them.  Bravo.  Work it, girlfriends!  And yes, I envy all of you a little bit -- that's a lie.  I envy you a lot.

But I'm not saying "never."  I never say never.  Never, ever ever say never.

When I went in for my scheduled trim on Tuesday, I took along the cut I posted in my blog (here) and asked my girl what she thought...

What do you think?

Would my hair lay like that?

What are the pros?  The cons?

What if we start with a longer version first?  Can that be done?

As we talked, she asked me if I realized that we'd be taking off quite a bit of length, and even with the "longer" version at least three inches.  Yep.  Got that.   I told her I was ready for a change, ready to let go of the length, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all the way yet.  Let's stick with foreplay.  (giggle)

And then she began ... snip, snip, snip....and I see long locks of hair falling left and right all around me.  I didn't even flinch.  But I knew that to get a good read on the end result, I'd have to go home and wash/style it myself.  I always like the way I style my hair better than the way most hairdressers style my hair.  I can't even think of one exception.  She coached me a little as I was leaving on some product options -- there are SO MANY products out there, and they all have different purposes.  I knew from experience that my hair would need to be flat ironed, and I would need to use Morccan Oil, Sealed Ends, and a little bit of texturizer for the finish to piece it out and give it texture, either a wax or a heavy gel.  My husband being in this industry and having an entire warehouse of products to choose from, my wish was his command.  Perks!

The result?  I'm happy with the shorter length and the extra layers.  It feels lighter and fresh and easy.  I only wish I'd had her take a little more off the length.  I can still easily pull it back in a ponytail for the gym.  I hadn't realized it had gotten so long.  This DO was way OVERdo.

I'll be going back in April to get my color redone again (blondes and copper), and I plan to have her take an extra inch or two off the length.

As I was leaving for work today, taking one last glance in the mirror before turning off the light, I thought to myself:  Yes, this may be the longest my hair will ever be again.

New beginnings.  Let's keep life interesting, shall we?  Bring on the bold.