In college I was known as “you know, the dancer with reaaaaaaaaally long, blonde hair.” My hair has always been my “thing”. As long as I’ve had a choice, I’ve had long hair (I always tell people I must be overcompensating for not having any until I was nearly two). I’ve have varied the style through the years, though. I’ve had bangs, I’ve had layers, I even had a perm (with bangs) once. But it was always long. The shortest I’ve ever had it was in 8th grade when I cut it to just below my shoulder.
After graduating college and moving to Oklahoma, I started donating my hair. Every year at Christmas time I would go home and have the required 10 inches chopped off and donated to Locks of Love. Then I would spend the next year growing it out to cut and donate again.
The last time I donated was when I was pregnant with Honeybun. Since then, my hair has not grown, at all. I’ve been trimming it once or twice a year and that’s all it’s needed (I’m sure it NEEDED more but that’s all I’ve taken the time for!)
FINALLY, six years and three kiddos later, it got long enough to donate again! I made an appointment for myself and the girls (who also needed trims with my hairdresser friend who I’ve known since Honeybun was a baby (I used to care for her daughter who is the same age as Honeybun) and she did the honors of making the cut.
BEFORE:
Over 12 inches! I had planned on doing the minimum 8 (which is required by Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program that donates wigs, cost free, to women with cancer) but it ended up being a bit more since the ends were kind of scraggly and we wanted to make sure it was enough.
The final trim-up took off a bit more and the final product is shorter than I had prepared myself for but it doesn’t look bad, it’s just not what I’m used to! This is the shortest I’ve had my hair since middle school and it will definitely take some getting used to, but I’m so glad that I am able to donate to a woman in need and either I’ll learn to love my new-do or it will grow back eventually!
AFTER:
