(no subject)

[the_rck]

I got my hair cut today. I have a big ziploc full of what was cut off because I'm probably going to donate it. The lady who cut my hair did five or six chunks, each with a small rubberband at the top. She suggested a Michigan specific charity that does wigs for kids. I had started looking online a couple of days ago, but I'd backed away when I realized that I was still dithering about getting it cut to begin with. Deciding what to do with it after seemed premature.

I think I may need to get it cut shorter than where it is now. It's too short to put back, and, really, I can't manage putting anything back any more, anyway, so growing it out won't help. At the current length, just below my ears, it's still long enough to blow across my eyes in a way that makes it very hard for me to see. I can't use barrettes because every type I've ever tried just slides right out.

What do those of you with hair this length do when your hands are full and you need to cross a street?

I walked part of the way to the mall where I got my hair cut. I ended up making a couple of side trips that I didn't plan on and that left me more tired than I'd hoped to be. It's a bad thing to realize that one's on the edge of overdoing when in the middle of a large park that's a very long way from the nearest bus stop (I had to walk another 20 minutes to reach a road that had bus service). I think I kept diverting onto trails I'd never tried because I didn't really want to get to the mall to begin with.

I'm not sure Scott and Cordelia believed that I would do it, but it's done. It needed doing. I just feel weird and not really myself now. I'll get used to it, but long hair has been part of how I view myself for as long as I can remember, and I've always loved my hair, so it's... complicated.

Comments

[lunabee34]

Hugs. A haircut can be disconcerting.

[wendelah1]

My hair is a little longer than yours, I think. Chin length. Straight. Fine. I use scrunchies but maybe my hands are better? When it was too short for a ponytail, I made two ponytails, one on top of the other and kind of pulled them together. Barrettes fall out of my hair, too, but bobby pins work. In cool weather, if I'm going to be out walking when it's windy, I'll tie a scarf over my hair. It's pretty unfashionable but it works. Eighties hairbands are back in style, too. Google "headbands short hair" for ideas. I need a couple of those now that it's warming up.

[chelseagirl]

Cut bangs? My (very fine) hair tends to vary from chin-length bob to just below shoulder length -- and I'm a dedicated pedestrian, and I have never had a hair-blows-in-my-eyes issue at all . . .

[evalerie]

Last time I did the reading on hair donations, the word was to *avoid* Locks of Love, because they charge a lot of money to the families that the wigs go to. Instead we've donated hair to wigs4kids, which is located here in Michigan and gives away the wigs to kids for free.

[the_rck]

The lady at Great Clips recommended wigs4kids too. I’ll probably go with them.

[adrian_turtle]

What do you do with hair this length when your hands are full and you need to cross a street?

Hats. I wear hats a LOT, because the brims protect me from strobes and flicker, but they're also great for holding back hair.

Scrunchies. If your hair is straight and fine enough that most scrunchies will slide off, the textured ones are likely to work better. Either velvety all over, or lined with a strip of something. (There are some in bright colors where the package says "playground tested.")

Big contour barettes. Little ones slide out of my hair, but the big ones with 3 prongs work a lot better for me.

French braids. Consider this when you have somebody who can stand behind you and start the braid up high.

[adrian_turtle]

I'm sorry. When I commented yesterday I forgot about how hard it is for you to use your hands at the back of your head. Even if a scrunchie would hold your hair ok when somebody else put your hair up, that's not what you're looking for.

When I suggested "big contour barettes," I meant these:
https://www.amazon.com/DCNL-Hair-Accessories-Snap-Metal/dp/B003N8SLW0?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffnt-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B003N8SLW0
I'm not sure it's actually called a contour barette, when it has the 3 prongs to hold it in place like a comb. I just use one on the side away from the part, but you'd want one over each ear.