Chop Chop, Snip Snip!
Cut off the hair today. All of it. It was halfway down my back and was starting to give me headaches, so it had to go. I was trying to grow it out for Locks of Love, and apparently, according to my stylist, I just managed it. My hair is really curly, so it looks shorter than it is. But when he stretched it out along the ruler, the longest layer was just at ten inches, which is LOL’s minimum.
I’m glad. I really wanted to do this, and my stylist was very excited about it, too. He raves about my “virgin hair.” See, I don’t use “product” on my hair; I don’t blow dry, iron, or curl my hair, and I don’t colour, highlight, or perm it. I use a high-quality shampoo (well, two actually: daily wash is with Pureology’s Nanoworks, and twice a week I use Bumble and Bumble’s Sunday Shampoo) and no conditioner. Actually, I do use conditioner very lightly if I’ve been in swimming at a chlorinated pool. But other than that, no product. So my stylist says my hair is “special.” Sure, okay.
So now my hair is jus a bit shorter than chin-length — kind of between my earlobes and my chin. A little shorter in back than in front. It’s fun — swingy and bouncy. My kids are going to freak out. They were with their dad this weekend, and I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit of a surprise for them. My coworkers, too. They keep talking about how long my hair is getting. So it will probably be a surprise when I show up shorn on Monday.
I’m going to do it again. Give it a few months of trims, and then start again on donation-length hair. It’s not like it’s particularly onerous, and it helps some kids who really need a bit of a lift. And I’ll know when to cut it — when it starts to give me headaches, it’s long enough. LOL!
I do think it’s funny that the IRS classifies hair as a “body part” and so it’s not deductible, though the mileage to get it cut and the mileage to donate are. The IRS is a funny lot.