Retirement is a week filled with Saturdays and Sundays interrupted only occasionally by a holiday.

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Saturday, June 9, 2007

I Want Hair to Fling

Have I mentioned lately that I hate my hair? On Thursday, Mom and I went to the hairdresser for haircuts and, in my case, a weave. This is the second trip to our new stylist and the one I’ve been dreading since it was time to cut my hair super short for my upcoming trip.

I normally wear my hair in a short style anyway but I usually cut it REALLY short when I travel to make it somewhat easier to take care of when we’re up early every morning getting ready to leave for our next exciting day. Now I would give anything to have nice straight hair that I could just brush and be done with but I know that’s just never going to happen. My hair has unmanageable waves and I just have to beat it into submission each morning with my brush and hair dryer followed by tons of hair spray...even on vacation. Ugh!

So we went to the salon on Thursday and I had my hair cut and colored. First off, I love the color. Hairdresser “D” was able to somewhat repair the highlighting disaster done by my now former stylist a few months ago. It’s no longer the brassy, too-light mess it once was…thank goodness. As far as the cut is concerned, let’s just say I’m not happy. Mind you…it’s not anything “D” did. I showed her some photos of me from our trip last year to Alaska and asked her to cut it the same way (a really short “wedge” cut). And that’s pretty much what she did so how can I complain? The back is a little too short (no photos of the back of my head to show her) but I know it will grow out in a few weeks.

If everything “D” did was right, then why am I unhappy? Because I really don’t think I look good in short hair (trust me, I have a big head and short hair makes it look even bigger). My whole life what I’ve really wanted is long, flowing, shiny hair...what I call “automatic hair”…hair you can just fling back with a flick of your head. You know the kind I mean…you see it in every commercial and print ad for shampoos, hair coloring etc. You’d think, after all these years, I would finally come to terms with my hair but, for some unknown reason, I just can’t seem to get past it. Does this make me shallow???

Now I’m guessing most people have some part of their appearance they’re not happy with. Maybe they’re not obsessed with it (yes…some people say I have a hair obsession) but it’s still something that bothers them when they look in the mirror. So, how about it? Are you satisfied with the way you look or is there something you’d like to change if you could?

19 comments:

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

sigh.... i really really really do not like long hair. i hate it when someone flips their head and their hair flings out and touches me. especially in the line in the grocery store. when the hair is really long i cannot help thinking it is butt crack hair, you know, it is so long it HAS to touch there when they "sit" a spell? then they fling it and it touches my arm and i freak out!!! sigh... sorry, i know this is way more than you wanted to know, sorry! just got off on a tangent....

smiles, bee

Anonymous said...

My hair is thick, coarse, wavy, going gray and short. Sort of like helmet-hair. I used to "do" the commercial, where the model would fling her hair, for my daughters - they got such a kick out of me flipping my head and not a hair would move. I'd just wind up with a headache! I've given up any thoughts of having long hair - it doesn't grow long, it grows straight out.

meno said...

I used to have flingable hair, many years ago.

As i've gotten older, my hair has become thicker and slighly wavy.
So now my hair is short. I like it.

Susie said...

Even when my hair was long (forty years ago) it never would fling) It's short and easy care now. If I could wish for a change, it might be just a touch of natural curl or waves. My is straight as a string!!
I just noticed your ticker and only five days to go!! Wow you must be so excited!!
xo

ms chica said...

I'm content, heck ecstatic, about my hair.

In the ignorance of my youth, I laid out in the sun because I thought tan skin was desirable. I learned the error of my ways long before my skin bore resemblance to old leather purse, but I have a red nose for my efforts. I'm too lazy to apply enough spackling ing to conceal it so, I tend to resemble Rudolf.

Edan said...

Oh, did you try Negative Ionization Hair Retexturizing??

Michele said...

I have thick natural curly hair. Even at my age I still get tons and tons of curls... not just waves but curls. Blonde hair and what I hear all the time is how lucky I am and that it costs so much money to have what I'm born with. Well, perhaps that's true but sometimes I would love to actually have a new style and with natural curly thick hair it's tough. You can't straighten it because it takes a very long time to do it and when you finally finish, it looks dry and dull and still very thick and straight... icky. So, I wish I could have straight smooth hair for a little while so that I can do fun things with it... that would be neat.

Renee Nefe said...

My hair is straight and stringy. Doesn't do anything. What I want from a hairdresser is for them to tell me the perfect hairstyle for my hair where I don't have to do anything (because I DON'T most of the time.) I want wash & go hair. What I get from the hairdresser is a cut that requires 40 minutes of blow drying and then 20 min of curling to get it to look somewhat like how they got it to look.

What I do at home with this cut? I wash it and 6 days of the week, pull it into a pony tail and on Sunday, I blow it dry quickly (super high heat) and then curl it with the curling iron...maybe 20 min total care. If I can I try to save the "sunday hair" for Monday.

My neighbor just got her hair cut because her grandson refuses to stop pulling it...so she got it cut short and the stylist went way shorter than she likes, but it will grow.

Knock knock - it's cancer! said...

Even models hate the way they look. It's absolutely crazy how hard we are on ourselves.

Having said that, I miss my perky breasts I used to have before my 2 children came and ruined them...LOL. Yup. That and stretch marks.

As to the hair, you can always put in extensions. (it's actually not that expensive, and it looks soooo natural - I did it a few years ago when I was trying to grow out my hair.)

Joan said...

Empress bee: If I had long flowy hair, I'd promise not to flick it in your direction...honest!

Lynne: I know what you mean about helmet hair...when my hair was thick (before middle age struck), that was the perfect description of mine.

Meno: Since your hair went from straight to slightly wavy, shouldn't I expect mine to go the opposite direction. I wish...

Susie: Your short and easy "do" is exactly what I'd like since I have to keep it short.

Ms Chica: I just know you could never look like Rudolph...I dont care what you say about your red nose!

nemxin2hk: I give up...huh???

Michele: I used to pay a fortune for a perm so I could have hair that looked just like yours. But I understand what you say about wanting a new style once in a while. My hubby can never understand why I get bored with my hair from time to time.

Renee: I'd love a straight "wash and go" style instead of my wavy hair but I can see how straight hair can get boring and how much work it is to curl it. I guess no one is ever completely happy.

Vancouver mermaid/Montreal photographer: Ah perky breasts...mine developed so fast I never did have perky ones...[sigh]. As for hair extensions, I'm wondering how long they last...do you get to keep them until your real hair grows out and then just cut them off?

Lynn said...

Flingy hair is not all it's cracked up to be...If you really want flingy hair...buy a wig.

rosemary said...

I have fought with my hair all my life...as a baby, blonde and cute curls, 10 years old, frizz and brown and it has stayed that way...curls, frizz and waves. I colored it for decades and have let it go grey. I get so tired of stylists telling me how lucky I am to have curls and waves...as they fling their lovely straight hair!

Iamthebookworm said...

I used to hate my curly hair until I realized that people pay a LOT of money to have curls like this and all I have to do is put "product" on it so it does not frizz out.

the moose buyer said...

first, you don't have a big head!! You have a perfectly normal size head. Kobby knees maybe but I have been teasing you about those since you were born!!

I personally am just happy about my hair finally growing back after my stomach bypass so I am not going to complain about anything!!

Linda said...

I am none too thrilled with my hair these days at all. I seem to be going gray at the temples at an alarming rate and lately it has just gone very flat on me no matter what I do. I guess it's all part and parcel of the whole hormone changes we women get to go through. UGH!

Also, I have tagged you for a relatively quick and painless meme over on my blog today. Hope you can play but if you don't have the time, I understand completely!

Kelly said...

I have for the first time in a LONG time, begun to like my hair. I think every woman struggles with their hair.

Joan said...

Lynn: Wigs are way too hot!

Rosemary: Apparently straight-haired women aren't happy either.

Iamthebookworm: Ah yes...product. I have a bathroom cupboard filled with "stuff" I buy and then never use.

The moose buyer: Yes I know I have knobby knees.

Linda: My thick coarse hair is now fine and thinning. No one told me middle age would include that!!! As for the meme, I will try to find the time.

Myutopia: Oooooo...I wish I could say I was finally beginning to like my hair...maybe someday.

Patti said...

Mine is pretty thick and coarse and wavy. Some think I get perms. I do nothing.

I can't believe all that time has passed since you wrote about that horrendous hairdresser. Seems like last week!
Yikes.

Val said...

Hair than can be flung, like the shampoo ads where models fling around their impossibly thick long hair in slow motion?? No, you don't want to go there. And for women past 25, long hair is iffy, unless you're a granny type and wear your hair in a bun (but why would you want to?). I love my "retirement hair": short as I've worn it for many a year, and since retirement not colored. I now have tips and highlights (=grey and silver coming through).

What I would like to change? My less than white teeth, but as I'm unwilling to give up coffee and red wine, whitening processes are a waste of time and money. If anyone knows any different, please email me with details! vforbes at netspace dot net dot au