Whelp, we’re officially in the 3rd trimester of my hair baby (8 months strong!), and I must say, I’m pretty impressed; (mainly with my will power – you should have seen the cute haircut this chick was rocking next to me over the weekend – must…resist)!
On our anniversary trip to Palm Springs last October, I decided it was time. Time to stop being flaky on my Rapunzel-sized commitment and just grow the dang stuff out. For years (no exaggeration there) I’d been envious of lustrous length. But since I looked great with short hair, who was to say I should try anything different?
Opinions aside, I knew it was time for a change. My short hair had been around since mid-high school all the way through college; and though I managed to grow it past my shoulders for our wedding, I’m going BIG this time. That’s right. MERMAID HAIR.
Luckily for me, the journey thus far has been quite enjoyable. In fact, I really don’t pay attention to my hair at all. That’s not to say I don’t go in for the occasional trim every 4 months or so, but here’s my philosophy: no matter how many vitamins you take, or how often you exercise, or what type of miraculous shampoo you use; your hair is going to grow at the rate your body wants it to naturally. My biggest advancement lies in resisting the urge to wash/blowdry/iron/style it every single day.
Case in point: while snagging a Father’s Day gift this weekend, a girl at the counter kindly (and surprisingly) said “I love your hair! I’ve been thinking about cutting mine”, to which I admitted my length was actually long for me. “Really? I can’t grow mine out any more than this. It’s too damaged.” Being that there was a hefty line of people behind me, I saved the chat for later and left with the thought still in my head.
In the same way people prune plants when its leaves start to die, hair needs to be “pruned” too; especially before you take the plunge into growing it out. Obviously, this isn’t an option for all women, but it really helped me. My “dedication day” to hair growth actually began with chopping most of it off – I needed a clean slate. No layers. No split ends. No damage to drag around. From that cut on, I shampooed it less frequently (as few washes as I could stand), wore it air-dried to bed, then touched up any kinks in the morning for work; wearing it up in a clip and not fussing with it throughout the day.
And while the journey’s long ahead, I’m confident things will keep going just fine (and promise to keep you updated along the way)!
What’s your hair philosophy? How do you feel about your hair care regimen?
