The long and short of it, with reference to your hairstyle. Hint: Resist impulsivity, when you're wanting to make a change.
Long hair is marvelous, but if it doesn't flatter your face, it's time for a style change. I've been wrestling with cutting mine considerably shorter for some weeks now, but I didn't wanna risk being impulsive about it.
The past 6 months have been stressful as I've communicated, and every time I saw my mirror reflection, I looked about 90 years old. I sensed I needed a re-style, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to approach that task, or there's a chance I might get scissor-happy, and lop off more than I'd intended.
The difference between a Bad haircut and a Good one, is about 3 weeks. Reminding myself that hair (if you're reasonably healthy) always grows back about 1/2 inch per month, gave me a little extra courage to tackle my saggy, draggy locks. Hey, it's a lot cheaper than plastic surgery, folks.
I first went for a Blythe Danner, A-frame kinda look. Been there, done that~ and yet, as I kept cutting, it just wasn't working for me. I'd quit last night with a short version of that style, but awoke this morning knowing it wasn't gonna give me the lift I wanted.
So, I cut the rest off. Haven't worn my hair this short in years, but after shampooing and blowing it out, it looks pretty great~ AND more youthful, oddly enough. Ya gotta think of your hair like a frame surrounding a painting. If the frame is cheap or doesn't look right, it detracts from the art.
Your face is the ART! At various times in your life, you might feel the need for a re-frame, and that's fine! I'll tell ya one thing, it's a lot less scary to put my head in my own hands for this transformation, than someone else's!
Here's what took me so long to decide on this change:
During the decades I spent in the beauty business, women would occasionally come in wanting a radically different hairstyle. I wasn't the kind of stylist that instantly gave ya what ya asked for, if I didn't think it would flatter you.
I'd sit with these gals, and ask em what their life had recently been feeling like. Were their personal and professional sphere's feeling contented and copacetic, or were they feeling a bit out of control? Were they feeling bored or trapped, or in some way stuck?
Ya see, when a woman feels a strong need to alter her life conditions, she typically takes it out on her hair (et tu, Jada?). Consciously, we CRAVE change, but may subconsciously feel too scared or unempowered to create it. And there's the dilemma.
"Haircut Therapy" as I've coined it, has been utilized by millions of women when they've sensed a powerful NEED for change, but felt blocked, in terms of bringing it about. I was as responsible with my clients as possible, in terms of making them examine the REAL reasons behind wanting to initiate a radical change in their appearance.
"Give it a day or two and think about it," I'd always urge. This way, there was much less chance they'd hate themselves a few days later, after making an impulsive and less-than flattering decision they could HARDLY WAIT to have grow out.
And yes dear readers, I confronted myself with these same questions for a couple of weeks, before picking up my comb and sheers, and sculpting a new and more flattering look for myself.