What I thought would be a year long experiment capped off by a donation to Locks of Love, quickly turned into 3 years and a more than mild attachment to my new long haired identity.
While I was able to make it to the three year mark, it was somewhere between year 1 and 3 when I really started questioning if I wanted to keep the hair long or just cut it short. It didn’t help that my friends, girlfriend, and family kept asking too.
By now you’re probably asking yourself the same question, and chances are you don’t know anyone who can offer advice from their own experience. Well fear not, I’m here to share my personal experience to “guide” you in deciding whether or not to chop off your lettuce.
SPOILER ALERT: I think you should cut your long hair!
MY TOP 4 DON’TS…
1. Don’t Cut Your Hair For Someone Else
This one should go without saying, but don’t cut your hair to try to please anyone else.
I don’t care if it’s your girlfriend/boyfriend, your mother, your grandmother or your employer – you’re the one who grew out your hair, so you’re the one who gets to ultimately decide what to do with it.
As long as you’re confident with it (and you bathe regularly) you should be able to wear your hair however it makes you feel comfortable. This is ultimately your decision so own it!
2. Don’t Get An Undercut
For the love of God, whatever you do, DO NOT get an undercut!!! I cannot stress this one enough.
I know it sounds tempting; what’s not to love about cleaning up your neckline, taking some weight off the back and making it look more “professional”?
I promise you….
One of the best parts about having long hair is not having to worry about getting a haircut every 3 – 6 weeks.
As soon as you get an undercut (or even low fade) you lose that convenience. Your hair will go from ‘easy to maintain’ to ‘high maintenance’ from 0-100 real quick.
Cleaning up the neck line totally fine, but once you go above the neckline you’ll regret it. Trying to grow your undercut back out to the same length as the rest of your hair is a disgustingly frustrating process and annoying.
3. Don’t Shave It All Off
You’ve spent months, if not years, growing out a gorgeous head of hair that any stylist would love to have a field day with. When the time comes to part ways with it, walk into a salon and get a proper haircut.
Stick with scissor cuts and stay away from clippers.