Photo Story Friday & The Many Phases of Hair

I have a bit of an obsession with my hair. You see, I have had long hair for quite awhile now.

I grew my hair long in the late 80's, with bangs, left the curls. Oh, I have naturally curly hair and I used to just go with it.

When Friends came out, I got the Rachel cut, just like everyone else. I learned how to blow dry my hair, to straighten my hair and used a curling iron to make it even straighter. This was before flat irons were sold on every counter! I liked my hair straight, but didn't like it short. So, I grew it out, but continued to straighten it.

When I met my husband, my hair was in the process of growing out my hair from a freak out period where I let my hairdresser cut my long hair. I HATED IT SHORT!! I almost cried daily for two straight months over my short hair. By short, I mean I had it cut above my ears. It was cute, but I felt naked, and like a boy!

I continued to let my hair grow and grow and grow. When we married, my hair was just past my bra strap. A defining moment in hair! I can't ever seem to get my hair any longer. No matter how long I wait or what I do, it just will not grow any longer than that length.

I get pregnant and oh, the lucsiousness of my hair. Hair is beautiful when you are pregnant. At least mine is! It is shiny and thick, something that I don't normally have as my hair is very fine.

I have my beautiful baby boy, start nursing, hair still gorgeous and long. About 9 months into the nursing business, my hair starts to fall out, in massive clumps. Quite literally in a span of three months, I lost about half the volume of my hair. I was devasted. Hairdresser told me I had clumps of hair missing on my head. I had to cut it.

Fortunately, I got pregnant again and the luxurious thickness started to return. Second baby is born and I nurse this baby as well. My hair did not take 9 months to fall out, but started to fall out almost immediately! Again, I had to cut, and cut and cut. By the time my daughter was one year, my hair was once again - short. And damaged by this time from years of coloring, highlighting, blow drying & flat ironing. It was a thin mess!

My hairdresser told me to give my hair a rest and no more color or bleach or anything. I thought I might try curls again, but I just don't like curls on me anymore. Plus, straight hair is so much easier to maintain. I can just pop it in a pony and be done. So for a full 2 years (2005-2006) I did not, I repeat, DID NOT, color or highlight my hair once! ARGH!! Double ARGH!!!! Living in China in 2005, my hair really didn't have any recovery period because the water out of the faucets is not filtered. So all the dirt, sand and grime that is in water, is in your hair (and everything else for that matter). At the end of 2005 I was pregnant again, and very happy for my hair. HAIR would grow again!!!! And it did, slowly, oh so slowly.

I am happy to say that today my hair is just past my bra strap again. I do color my hair, but I will never highlight again (I think I'm too old for highlights now anyway). Unfortunately, my hair will never be lustrous again because over half (YES-OVER HALF) of the hair on my head is grey! Sad, but true. I don't really have time to keep up with this coloring business either with three small children running about at my feet. But I hate the greys more than I can ever put into words.

My favorite thing right now is my long hair. I will never cut it short again!! Although I really need a hair cut right now. I have had the same hairdresser since I was 19 years old. Unfortunately, she only works Friday mornings right now and I can never get an appointment with her to coordinate with my schedule. Someone recommended a gal at the place where I get my hair colored (I had to find someone else for this- I was desperate for color). Well, I told her a trim, but get all the split ends. I don't know if she cut my hair, because it certainly didn't look like it, it didn't feel like it and I still had numerous split ends AND it STILL cost me $55!! Need less to say, I won't be returning to her! I want to go to my hairdresser, but the issue I have with her is that when I say a trim, she really trims me. NEVER no less than three inches! Then it take me six months to grow back the hair that she chopped off and I see her again and she chops off the same three inches again, or more! SO, I really am afraid to go back to her! I have been snipping the ends myself for the past year, but my hair is very unruly right now and needs a good trim.

Another issue I have right now is the weather wrecks havoc on my perfectly straighten hair. I step out in this humidity and I just feel my hair expanding again! But never curly, just frizzy! And, don't recommend any hair products, because the landfills can't take anymore of my rejected tries!

See, I'm obsessed with my hair!