Finally Cutting My Hair After 21 Years: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It, Too!

At the ripe, old age of twenty-one and three-quarters, I harbored a boastful pride at the fact that I had never sought out major changes to my hair before (aside from the Middle School Bangs Disaster of 2013, but we do not speak of that). No significant cuts or color dyes, not even a few highlights. 

Do you want to know the secret to my lifelong relationship of love with my hair? Alright, here it is: There isn’t one. I didn’t love, let alone like, my hair. 

Alas, even though I loved to talk about the staggering length of my locks, I couldn’t help but hyper-focus on the nagging insecurities that went along with it. The ends were stringy and unhealthy, the color was dreary at best and it just looked…plain. I didn’t feel beautiful, which probably meant it was time for a change; yet, I couldn’t bear to part with the hairstyle I’d known my whole life. What if I hated the new do? What if I instantly regretted permitting the tiniest of changes? Those unanswerable questions plagued my thoughts for years until I finally decided enough was enough. 

Last Wednesday I finally did it. I cut, colored and styled my hair in a completely new way. Spoiler alert: I LOVED IT. If you’re thinking about changing your own lifelong style but can’t seem to garner enough courage, here are some tips to get you through the painstaking process. Trust me, if I can do it, you definitely can do it, too.

Before: Making The Decision

There are no words to make up for the embarrassment I feel at how terrified I was to utter a mere verbal commitment to changing my hair. Yes, you read that right, I started shaking at the thought of saying it out loud. No appointment was booked, no style chosen — I was simply afraid to accept the fact that change was in my future. But here are some key pointers to keep in mind when teasing out thoughts of a major hair change (hairstyling pun = 100% success). 

• Better to regret the things you’ve done, rather than the things you didn’t. Cringy, middle school me wants desperately to shout YOLO at you, but I’ll settle for saying that you are still young. Change it up, make mistakes — enjoy finding out who you really are! 
• This was the hardest bite for me to chew on, but was a huge help nonetheless: Hair grows back and can always be fixed. Hate your new short hair? Get extensions until it grows back out in a few months. Hate the new color or highlights? Dye it back to the old color or try out another new one! At the end of the day, hair is just hair.  
• Shut out all of those intrusive thoughts with positive ones: Instead of saying, “What if I hate it?” Try asking yourself, “What if I absolutely love it?”

Going To The Appointment: Do NOT Back Out!

Full transparency, I had a cancellation text typed out to my hairdresser the night before our appointment — there was no way I could go through with it. Yet, somehow I did. 

My only two tips here are, 1) If you are experiencing doubt, seek reassurance from family and friends (make them hold you accountable!), and 2) Force yourself to do it in spite of the fears eating away at you. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable, this is your chance to create a new you!

During: Just Breathe, You Can Do This!

The moment before the first snip was made, I looked like the next murder victim in a Blumhouse horror movie. My hands were trembling, sweat trickled down my back and my eyes were clamped permanently shut. Sheer willpower alone kept me sitting in that chair. You will want to say no, you will want to run out of that hair salon, but DON’T DO IT. Face your fears, you are strong!

After: Give It A Chance, Change It If You Must

My fingers are tightly crossed that you will love your hair when all is said and done (no one is more shocked than me that I had no complaints afterwards — trust me, I am the world’s #1 Complainer and Pessimist), but if you don’t… don’t panic. REMAIN CALM. As I said before, hair can be changed, but it can also be changed back. Get extensions, a new color, different cuts or styles; there is no endpoint to the possibilities. 

Side Note: Always give your hair a week long grace-period before making any more major decisions. If you don’t like it at first, you may be surprised to see how it “grows on you as time passes” (still killing it over here with the haircut puns).

According to family legend, my maternal grandmother used to say, “Your hair is your crowning glory,”— a fact that I have certainly taken to heart at the start of this new year. That being said, I would like to attribute all of my courage to my grandma. I hope she’s smiling down on me as I enjoy my new/short/blonde(ish) hair.

Don’t let fear dictate how you live your life. If you’re considering making a big change in your hairstyle, cut or color, I say go for it! Life’s too short, so don’t waste another moment.

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