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Raise your hand if you majorly changed your hairstyle in a fever post-baby, post-college, post-breakup, post-bad day at work. I have done almost all of the above and I am so happy to partner with Herbal Essences and Popsugar today and tell you all about it.
If you know me from college then you remember I was a proud member of the “change my hair” club. If I broke up with a guy…. changing my hair. If I was feeling good about myself… changing my hair. And I’m not talking about wearing it straight or pulling it back I’m talking dying it brown, dark brown, bleach blonde, etc. I guess I’m just one of those people who naturally expresses changes in their life by changing up their hair. It’s one of the reasons I can resonate so well with this video by Herbal Essences.
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Herbal Essences isn’t just the “brand that smells really good” from when you were younger. They have a whole host of products including this dry shampoo that I love a little too much. Not only are their products something I can get on board with but I am loving how their brand is supporting women and encouraging them to embrace changes in their lives – big or small. If you are a female then you know that hair is important. It marks stages of your life, good memories, bad memories, you name it. I am definitely a card carrying member of the “wear my emotions in my hair” club.
For instance, a year ago I chopped 8 inches off of my hair. The last time I chopped my hair I was a senior in college and wanting a fresh change as I stepped out into the world of independent adulthood a.k.a moving to Charleston during the height of recession and going to the beach every day while “looking for a job”. I loved my short hair because it made me feel sassy and sophisticated. It was super blonde and I paid way too much money to get it cut and colored at a salon on King Street but it has remained one of my favorite hair styles to date. The other reason I liked it? I was in killer shape. Like best shape of my life shape so not only did I feel great but I felt confident without my “security mane”.
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Fast-forward to 2016 and I was once again chopping my hair but by no means was I in “the best shape of my life”. I had a “newborn” a.k.a a one year old and I was still about 20lbs from my pre-baby weight. My hair was long and weak from stopping breastfeeding and when it wasn’t falling out, it was getting in a tangled mess or getting caught in the straps of my diaper bag. Long story short I had one of those new mom moments where I told my hair dresser to just “cut this crap off”. She fought me for 2 appointments because she knew I loved my long tresses until I finally convinced her that I was ready to take the plunge and was serious about it.
I decided to cut it for a few reasons.
First of all it was just in bad shape. Long hair is only pretty if it’s healthy (in my opinion) and it was dry and breaking and dull. More than wanting long hair I wanted healthy hair again and I decided it was just time to embrace my new-mom-self and take a step towards growing back long, healthy locks.
Another reason I went ahead and cut it was because I felt like it was very much a safety net for me and was holding me back from achieving my fitness goals. Before you laugh or hit me with the eye-roll emoji, let me explain. When you have super long hair you can camouflage your arms, your body and just so much about your general frame. It’s basically like wearing a turtle neck and a vest 24-7 and I was finding myself relying on using my hair to take the attention away from my post-baby body. Make fun of me or say I’m conceited if you want but it’s the honest truth! I was finally ready to get rid of that excuse and not have something to hide behind.
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While I was committed to getting healthy hair, I was definitely nervous. I did love my super-short hair but I have always hated the “in-between” stage. I don’t consider myself to have an edgy look that favors a lob and shoulder-length hair has just historically made me feel frumpy. I didn’t spend too much time fretting over it though because when you have a dear friend shaving her head to fight breast cancer any silly fears you have about looking frumpy are ridiculous in comparison. So I went to the hair salon and said to chop it off and I wasn’t going to spend any more time debating or obsessing over it. I was going to embrace the fact that I was a mom and if that meant getting my “mom hair cut” then so be it.
What happened was actually great. I learned to stop relying on my hair to hide myself, used it as motivation to finally get my butt in gear at the gym and spent a whole lot more time loving my girls and a whole lot less time trying to bring my damaged tresses back to life. Now my hair is finally getting “long” again and is healthier than ever. It’s low maintenance and I can actually let it air dry without some of the strands being naturally wavy, others being stick straight and still others falling out every time I move. And one day soon I’ll be back to waterfall braids and shoulderblade-length hair and I won’t have regretted a day of it.
So I guess I wrote all of this to say don’t be afraid to chop off or you hair or dye your hair or try something new. It’s just hair. You can dye it, cut it, curl it or straiten it and it grows back just the same.
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This post was sponsored by Herbal Essences and POPSUGAR. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! Photos by Katheryn Blythe.
I am the EXACT SAME WAY; long hair is sooooo my security blanket! I made the mistake last year of chopping mine off into a lob when I was like 8 weeks pregnant (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!) and immediately regretted it — feeling insecure about looking “burrito baby belly” the whole first trimester was not helped by my sudden loss of 8 inches of hair that I’d grown to love so much in a Rapunzel-y way. Esp since I hadn’t had long hair before since high school!!! I’m still not sure what my best length is (I veered way towards “sister wives long” at a year postpartum with my first baby), but I’m hesitant to cut it again anytime in the near future.
Sister wives long lol. So funny!
I totally get the whole long hair = security! I was there too – I chopped off my hair 2 years ago and I keep letting it grow and then chop it again. I think your hair is currently at the perfect length! And thank you for giving Herbal Essences some props – I LOVE their dry shampoo and use it religiously – it smells amazing!
I am currently at the keep or chop moment – I have a hair appointment soon and I can’t decide. I think I might do a slight cut, and keep it where it is, until I feel the bravery to CHOP again! ox
Haha yes their dry shampoo is amazing!!
I totally have the long hair is my security thing. I’ve had long hair ( mostly) since the 7th grade. It’s been super long ( below my waist, middle of the back, shoulder blade, shoulder length and for a brief 2 years in an I-have-no-Idea-what-possessed- me-to-do-it moment a chin length bob. Currently it’s a little above shoulder blade length. I don’t chop it all off but I go through the deep bangs, wispy bangs, angles bangs, angled sides, long layers dance about every 2 years. I get something done, love it for a while, decide I hate it and grow it to all one length again. Repeat cycle endlessly. Currently it’s wispy bangs with long side layers.
At the moment I am working on embracing the fact the my hair is going silver/ white, I’ve been touching it up for a few years, but It’s time to be real. I no longer have the red hair I’m “famous” for. So I had to come to grips with who am I if I’m not the redhead. My amazing stylist has a genius plan for transitioning — lots of platinum white streaks around my face (where the white is) with bright red low lights. Highly artificial “party hair” but surprisingly it suits me. I debuted it at a dinner party with friends who all loved it. So I’m echoing this — cut it, grow it, dye it, embrace the silver — no matter what you do, just own it. You’ll look amazing.