Cut off a pound of hair

[LewisLegion]

No kidding. I weighed it. 12 inches and the most drastic haircut I've ever had.

My hair is incredibly thick and I usually have it very long, only cutting it up to my shoulders when it becomes too much of a pain for me to deal with. This time, it was to my waist and between the weight and the heat I was tired of it.

Did a bit more of a drastic cut this time, though, than I normally do. Still got most of it cut to my shoulders, but I ended up getting the backs and sides completely shaved while leaving enough long that when I wear it down (such as at work, or when I'm around my mother, you can't tell (I *think* it's called a Newsted?)

It's not shaved to the skin. I had them leave half an inch but after I went home and looked at it a bit, I think I want to go down to a quarter inch. My roomie is going to shave it down a bit more for me tonight.

Never had a cut like this before, was a spur of the moment thing, but so far I absolutely love it!

[artcurmudgeon]

What? No before and after pics?!?

[AccountingDrone]

When I was 15 I had never had my hair cut, it was almost to my knees and as thick as my wrist at the nape of my neck when braided. I was starting to work in a machine shop, and decided that I would rather get it cut than risk degloving my scalp. So I walked into a hair salon in Rochester NY and sat down and told the lady I needed to get my hair cut and she basically started the conversation assuming I just wanted the split ends trimmed. She was giving me some hassle going on all about womans beauty is in her hair and should never be cut and I was getting more and more pissed off, so I grabbed a pair of scissors, my braid and started sawing it off at the back of my neck.

Everybody was absolutely horrified, there was a 3 foot braid on the floor, and I got my hair trimmed to 1 inch long all over my head. [it ended up selling to a wig maker for $700, it had never been messed with chemically or heat, I never use curling irons, curlers or hairdryers.]

Since then my hair has ranged from 1 inch to what is now it's longest in years, down to my bra strap. I still don't uses curlers/irons/dryers but every now and again I will use henna or dye it. Back in the 70s and 80s I bleached it out and dyed the tips different colors. It looked great flame red at the tips =)

[LewisLegion]

Sorry, didn't think to take before pics, as when I left the house, I was just planning on getting my normal, to-the-shoulders haircut. I have some after pics but they're ginormous. I'll try and pare them down when I get home.

AccountingDrone: my stylist was much the same. She kept asking me if I was sure, once she cut it I couldn't go back, are you absolutely sure you wanna do this? I could just trim the ends...you POSITIVE you want it all cut off?

Then she said she hoped I didn't cry when she did it, because then she'd cry too. **lol**

[PepperElf]

dunno if it was a pound of hair but i've done the drastic cut thing myself too.

i was changing commands and wanted a fresh start. ended up delaying the cut tho, so that i'd have enough hair to donate

[firecat88]

I did something like that back between 6th and 7th grades. At the time, my hair was all the way down to my waist- the longest I'd ever had it. After I finished 6th grade, though, we moved to a new city and became friends with an awesome woman who was a licensed beautician.

That summer, my hair went from waist-length to shoulder-length. Best decision I ever made and, ever since, I've never been able to stand having my hair too far past my shoulders. I *wish* I would've thought to donate it, though, because this was before I started going grey and dyeing my hair to hide it.

[cashierbex]

I had my SBA at work cut my hair when I went with a drastic cut (up to my back hair, very thick to going with short spiked up hair). Why? So I don't get the judgemental girls or guys saying I shouldn't cut it. Plus I gave her business, that I normally wouldn't (high end salon, but she was worth the 50 bucks. She was the cheapest there, I believe.). I cut my own hair now, don't wanna spend the money I don't have when I can learn to do it myself. Plus I change styles everytime I cut it. I don't know what lengths and what not I want till I take the clippers and go at it.

[iradney]

I've done that so many times. I grow my hair till it's about just below my bra strap, get tired of it, and go get a pixie cut. Did that last year, and the stylist kept asking me "are you sure? ARE YOU SURE?" as I was cutting off about 9 - 10 inches of hair, and I had to tell her that I've been doing this since I was 18, so yeah, I know what I'm in for

[Aethian]

I've just cut my hair and the stylist had to shave some of my neck to make it even. I've never had it this short either...and it's kinda cool.

[KiaKat]

Oh how I wish I could go short.

I have unbelievably curly hair. Think Alex Kingston, just much darker (yes, I plan on cosplaying River Song at some point). Unfortunately, mine doesn't do that lovely springy bush of curls that hers does when she has it short - mine just goes foof.

Reminds me - I am due for a cut about now. Much longer and it starts to look straggly.

[Andara Bledin]

If yours just goes 'foof' you might want to look into getting it thinned to help move from foof to springy bush. There's also a good chance that the only real difference is a liberal application of leave-in conditioner.

I suspect your hair goes more of this direction: image at Hairdressers Journal Interactive than the results of this step-by-step on how to get "Soft touchable Curls."

^-.-^

[Food Lady]

Haha--FOOF is my new favorite word. My hair is heavy and wearing it up in any way gives me "ponytail headache." And despite that I am in the process of growing it to my tailbone (ok, buttcrack, but I don't like to say that ). AccountingDrone, may I ask, was your hair uncut for religious reasons? Also, did you wear it up all the time? I suppose it would be difficult to deal with knee-length, though it is amazing.

[KiaKat]

Cutting my hair is basically just thinning it and taking off the split ends. Leave-in conditioners work for about a day. Even hair masques aren't strong enough. Doesn't help that I'm going a bit grey, and that's changing the texture as well.

The first photo looks like my hair when I was a kid. The second is closer to what it is now, given the thickness and density of my hair - I have a LOT.

Meh, I'm pretty happy with it. I mess with the colour every now and then, just for the hell of it, and the results are always striking. Took me a long time to love my curls, but now I'm thrilled to have them.

[Food Lady]

Kia, I found out later in life I had curls, and I love them. They are fairly loose, like I used a 1-inch curling iron to make spirals.

[KiaKat]

I've got the classic Black Irish curls. Springy, fluffy coils that tend to frizz if I don't load them down with product.

Still wouldn't trade them for anything.