Grow Out or Fro Out

So I thought it would be a good idea to let my hair grow out a bit for a wedding I’m supposed to be in a few weeks.  I haven’t had a pixie maintenance cut since September (I think?).  If you don’t know me very well (i.e. have never seen pics of me before I banned my mother from cutting my bangs)  then you probably don’t know how curly my hair really is. 

No.  You can’t go by the lovely pic on my “ABOUT” page (which I’ll explain in a moment).

I’m talking Curly Sue, Shirley Temple, Orphan Annie, French Poodle, Cowardly Lion, finger in the light socket curly!  For most of my life I kept my hair super long to weigh those kinks down a bit.  Then I had twins.  So, the whole bun or a ponytail was getting old and I cut my hair to my shoulders which gave me an almost untameable, yet cute most days when I didn’t try and make a ridiculously small and stupid ponytail, bob.  Then baby boy #3 and Huricane Ike both landed in my lap during the same week and hair became an after thought.  As in, after I quit crying about the fact that me and my twins and my hubs and MY BRAND NEW BABY were homeless, and then almost a year later when we weren’t, I remembered I still had my hair in a bun. 

So I did the chop.  Didn’t cry a bit.

Why?

The strangest thing happened.   I cut my hair the shortest possible to combat my hairstyles worst enemy, me, but still look somewhat feminine…and the 2 inches left were…are you ready for this….STRAIGHT.  I know, me too! (you were shocked right?)  I loved it!  I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.  My head felt light (leave the blond jokes aside).  I could literally wash and go with a squirt of hair gel or mousse to tame the fly aways.  But absolutely NO HAIRDRYERS!  Hair dryers and curly hair are arch enemies.  My now short straighter hair still held a grudge.

My neck and face looked slimmer.  I no longer had to have that internal battle of whether or not I could rock a scrunchy in the new millenium.  My hair just sort of looked fixed already.  Yeah for scissors!  It was mod, chic, glamorous…(OK, that is for a diaper bag totin’ spit up covered, capri sun serving SAHM)  it was HOT!!!  And that “About” pic is just a bit longer than at the first chop, and it took wax and gel together to get that smooth looking wave, which actually was as stiff as a fire poker.

But as I was saying…I was going to grow some length for something to work with for a formal hair-do in the wedding.  I’m a bridesmaid so I was trying to blend with the rest of the long-haired, young, fresh skinned gals that will be flanking my wrinkles. 

PROBLEM!  The longer it gets the curlier it is getting.  Can you say FRO?  I use 3/4 cup of goo everyday just to fit through the door frames of our house.  I bought dinky little headbands to push the fuzz football helmet out of my eyes.  I hate it!!  I’ve gone insane trying to come up with ways to relax my mane and my next step was to head to the garage for some industrial strength epoxy or shellac to try and tame the beast above.

So, I chickened out, gave up, threw in the towel, gave up the ghost of my youth….and made an appointment for 12:30 pm tomorrow.  For the chop.

The fro before the chop for those who asked to see the horror!