to chop or not to chop?
This was the first week with everyone a certain level and above going back into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and oof, it was a lot. I have been going in on Tuesdays and Thursdays for well over a year – the Mr thought I should get out of the house more and the change in scenery and ability to “leave” work did me good – but, this change of energy with so many people and so much noise and all the wild energy and feelings coming off everyone about the change was exhausting…
…and, then there’s my hair.
My hair washing schedule worked really well with my Tues / Thurs in office days. For context, I have curly hair down barely to my shoulders. I treat my curls with fear and respect. I try to only wash my hair 2-3 times a week as not to wash all the $$ I spend on dyeing it down the drain and not to dry out my curls. On days where I don’t wash it, half the time I end up spraying it down with water and recurling it (even though they don’t look amazing, it still looks like a choice) OR brushing it out in hopes that it looks like a blowout (but it usually ends up looking like a slightly unwashed, stringy mess).
Having to go in on consecutive days is not working well for me looking like a working professional. On Wednesday, it just looked worse and worse as the day went on and of course I saw SO MANY PEOPLE I haven’t seen in years. And, it will only get worse. But, I don’t feel like I should have to sacrifice my dye job just to look decent two days in a row. Gosh, how did I ever go in 5 days a week? How am I so flummoxed by this?!
And, of course, this week is ending with me having my hair appointment after lunch. When I was there in December, I had mentioned wanting to chop it all off but the wonderful woman who does my hair of course refused because apparently the “grief chop” is akin to the “breakup chop”. And, it’s not that I want to cut it ALL off – I just want it to have more of a style and have there be less of it in hopes that it will be easier to “do” on my off shampoo days. I’m thinking 2-3 inches off and a bunch of layers to make it look like a choice.
So, I’ve Pinterest-ed a bunch of reference pictures and did my best day 2 attempt to show her what I’m dealing / struggling with. I’ll report back next week to see if the mess was chopped or if she had a better solution.
Do you overthink hair like I do? Or, does yours behave? I feel like I am every meme about curly hair never looking the same one day to the next haha!
Hmmm! Well, my hair is fine and straight so I can't really empathize (but I will tell you I'd rather have curly hair!). My daughter seems to have a similar situation as yours. Very similar, actually. And she's thinking of cutting it too. I'll be very interested to find out what you decide to do! If you don't want to share a photo of yourself, could you share a pinterest photo of something similar? Good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteMine is fine, too! And my skin is sensitive so I don't really use product. I will figure out how to post some pics (my hair is usually so all over it hides my features haha).... hopefully, this lovely stylist can help the "situation".
DeleteWhat Jenny said - I have straight hair but I love curls. Except for the maintenance part, that would probably be a fail for me. For whatever reason I don't like getting my hair cut so I go way too long between trims.
ReplyDeleteYes how on earth did we cope with going to the office 5 days a week???? It's mind boggling to think of now.
I totally get that. I used to go oh so long between trims but it was making the ends of my hair curl differently than the tops which was a whole other thing, haha sigh.
Delete5 days. 5 outfits. 5 everything. I can't imagine anymore! I am barely doing 3.
I hate my hair. It's curly, but not nice curls - like wavy kinks that is so unruly. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI always love the feeling of freshly cut hair but after a month miss the length and being able to pull it back into a bun easily. So I definitely get the chop regret BUT still do it because I also get so tired of long hair. I shed A LOT and long hair is the worst for this.
I have no advice, but solidarity. If I never had to touch my hair again a day in my life it would make me VERY happy.
Solidarity is the name of the game, my friend. It's just always there and it's always a mess (even in a ponytail). I have spent my life hoping for THE cut or look that will let me just wash and go...
DeleteWashing my hair is the bane of my existence. I refuse to wash it every day. REFUSE. I have to go into the office five days a week, so it's always a game. I'd love to go three days without washing it, but my hair is fine, thin, and oily, so by day three it can sometimes look wet. It's so expensive (shampoo and conditioner cost so much money) and takes so much time to dry and put product in. Honestly, if I had to style it, I would LOSE MY MIND and would consider just being bald. So, yes, I think about my hair a lot, although probably not nearly as much as even a wavy-haired person does, let alone a curly-haired person!
ReplyDeleteI have fine hair, too. If I wash it too much, my roots show so much sooner. If I don't wash it enough, it gets oily and stringy. But I end up looking like a wind-swept poodle if I just let it air dry OR like I lost a fight with a hairdryer if I brush it out. There has to be a middle ground!
DeleteMy hair is half super wavy, half straight, so it is a wild ride to be my hair. In humidity, it just becomes super fuzzy and wavy. My hair is fine and also thinning - although better since I started Nutrafol a year plus ago. Anyhoo, I wash it every 2-3 days, depending, and if it starts looking limp I put it in a bun. I personally think it's less work to have longer hair because of the ability to put it up, but then, I don't have super curly hair so I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a bun just emphasizes how dirty my hair is when I get there, sigh. I have thin hair strands, just a lot of them - so the use of "fuzzy" as a descriptor made me feel very seen, Nicole!!
DeleteI try to not wash my hair every day, but a) I work out and sweat a lot and b) I'd have to wash it for office days. On WFH days I sometimes even just blow dry my sweaty hair (yup, confession) but I wouldn't do that on office days. I definitely feel you on your hair washing problem.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... The eternal question. I'd chop it - it's hair it'll grow back. My hair is thin and straight and now that I'm 42 it has greys. I do not dye it. I wash it every other day or every two days (shh)
ReplyDelete"Hair grows" has been one of my lifelong mottos haha!
DeleteI am ALWAYS living in this to chop or not to chop debate in my head. I have very fine, mostly straight hair and it usually behaves itself no matter if it's long or short, thankfully. But I do have to wash it every other day or else it's so oily, it can stand up on its own. (Gross, I know.) Even second-day hair is kinda gross to me because it starts getting that oil build-up so quickly. So annoying!
ReplyDeleteOh, I so feel this. I was raised to wash my hair every day and I'm still not used to the feeling of second (or third) day hair after all these years.
DeleteI have short hair, which I wash every day with cheap shampoo. Thus, I cannot help, at all. That said, I am intrigued by everyone who washes their hair so infrequently! I could NOT do that, not working out daily and having major bedhead when I get up. (I don't care for my workout but I do for work, even when it's "just" remote!)
ReplyDeleteI need to care more about work, haha! I think it would help my mood/motivation on remote days...
Delete