Got a haircut today

I was waffling back and forth with getting a haircut or not before leaving on vacation. I like the ease of long hair. Pull it up and go - simple as that. But, when it's shorter, I can wear it down more easily too and it will be easier to deal with it shorter while on vacation and dealing with sea water (which I had a horrible time with when I had really long hair).

I don't recall the last time I had a haircut. I just remember thinking the next time I should get one would be when we were getting ready to leave for vacation. I want to say it was about 5 months ago. My hair grew quite a bit in that time and either my hair grows faster than most people's hair grows, or I lose track of time more than I realize. She cut off about 3 inches of hair... I guess that's about 6 months of growth, so 5-6 months ago is about right. 3 inches just seems like a lot more when your hair is shorter than when it's waist length or past your butt length!

My hair has changed a lot over time. I've mentioned before how it used to be straight and now it's quite curly, but it's also gotten a light finer. I don't even know if it's gotten thinner as much as it's gotten finer - and maybe part of the reason it got curlier? I don't know... it's changed.

I'm seeing more and more white in it, but what I first thought was a white streak in my hair, I realized it was my blonde streak. I've always had these streaks of light blonde hair around my temples - like natural highlights. I guess it's not a white streak quite yet.

While getting my hair cut, the hair dresser decided to blow it straight. I've never done that - ever. It will get pulled mostly straight when in a pony tail, but I've never in my life tried to make my hair straight. For a decade I was trying to put curl into my hair like all other teen girls in the 80s and early 90s. Then, starting late mid 90s my hair got a bit wavy and I was excited! By the late 2000s, it was beginning to get curly and by now? It's curly! I used to pay big bucks to get those curls and they never looked natural, so I'm thrilled to have the curls now and never wish them away.

When I came home with my straight hair, I was curious what the reaction would be. My husband's eyes got wide and my 7 year old said, " Your hair looks stupid!" And we all laughed. My mother in law said it made me look older. Just what a 42 year old woman wants to hear, right? I thought it made me look more like my mother - especially since the last times I really spent a significant amount of time with her she was in her mid-40s and she has straight, light colored hair. And I thought it looked too formal - just not me. Here it is:

I took a photo of it before cleaning. No make-up as usual when I'm putzing in the house and I'm wearing grubs, so not for 'show', but it shows the blown straight hair - though the cut is the same as I've gotten the past 18 months.

It got wavier as the day went by and the humidity started to work on it. When I was at the grocery store my 7 year old said, "Your hair still looks stupid!" Only later when I put it in a ponytail to go work in the yard did he saw, "Ah, now your hair looks right." I guess in a ponytail, curly or straight is about the same.

And then here, after cleaning and grocery shopping and working in the yard getting to the last of the mulch. Yes, I'm done (doing a little happy dance which you can join me in!)  I took a shower and did the 5 minute styling I'm used to doing.  We all here at home agree that the curly look is better for me.

Again, no make-up, no fuss and in harsh lighting with a horrible 3GS Iphone photo, but you get the idea. (and man, both that shirt and that dress make me look fat!)

My husband got a bit weirded out as his aunt used to wear her hair like the straight bob style. I remember it like that too back when I first met her. She's blonde (though she frosts/highlights her hair so it's a lot lighter hair than mine) and she has blue eyes like I do and again, the last time he was around her much, she was in her mid-forties. I reminded him a little too much of family.  I don't have any old photos of her and none scanned in, but I found this one of her online (at about age 60-65), in a shorter hairstyle.

So, it's not that we look alike, but have similar coloring/features and with straight hair, it was a bit weird to my husband.

But, more than anything, I'm too lazy to blow my hair straight. The stylist took about 20 minutes to do it. Um, no. 5 minutes and done is how much time I spend on my hair and I like it that way. Then, IF I'm going out to work or somewhere, I'll spend another two or three minutes to put on mascara so that I have eyes (eye lashes are blonde).

Anyway... it was strange for me to see my hair straight. I was young the last time it was like that and the last time it was straight and short? I was like 15!!!

But back again to the really important stuff, the mulch is DONE! Woohoo! Now just to remove a half ton of sand. Not a big pile, just heavy!