I had thick, waist length hair for years and was super proud of it. When other people would coo about how I had such pretty, long hair I would lap up the compliments.
Even though having such thick, long hair did require some work and effort to help manage it and it was always getting tangled, the thought of cutting it off never occurred to me. I loved it, my boyfriend loved it and so did my family. But after 8 years of rocking the same long locks, I made an impulsive decision in the stylist’s chair while getting a haircut one day.
With the craze of bobs and lobs going strong, I had thought about trading in my hairstyle for a chic, shorter do a few times, but never really thought that I would actually go through with it. When my hairstylist was asking me what I wanted, I started asking her what she thought about me going shorter and how it would suit my hair. She assured me that it would definitely suit my face and she would give me layers to help manage my thickness. That’s all it took for me to give her the go-ahead.
I was, shockingly enough, pretty cool about this life-changing decision as I watched my precious locks being snipped off, surprising even myself. I was excited and definitely felt more than ready for a stylish change. When she was done, I couldn’t stop staring at myself – I looked great! When I reached to touch my hair, I did feel a little naked since the sheer volume of my mane was nothing compared to before. It took less than a day to get used to, though, and I felt lighter and somehow liberated.
My family and friends were pretty shocked when they saw me for the first time but they couldn’t stop gushing about how fantastic my hair looked. Not one person made me regret my decision of cutting it all off. Even my boyfriend, who always preferred long-haired girls, thought I looked pretty great with my new shoulder-grazing do. My friends kept telling me how fresh my style looked and that I looked so much younger like I was in college, which is pretty cool to hear when you’re 25!
Oh, and let’s not forget how much easier my mane-tenance became. Styling time was cut down by half and I was using a third of the how much shampoo and other products I would otherwise use. My thick, frizz-prone hair became a breeze to handle with my shorter crop. It really did change my life! I’ve cut my hair twice since. I do miss my long hair at times, but have never regretted changing it up for a chic, sleek style.
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