I have long hair. This is no secret to anyone who knows me because it is down to my butt. Not the beginning of my butt, but it’s almost below my butt. And I am 5’8”, so that’s really long. Just five years ago, I was growing it out after chopping it all off. It was at my collarbone at the end of eighth grade. Then I grew it out because my ex-best friend told me that fat people don’t look good with short hair. I grew it out because I was insecure. Then when I got into tenth grade at a new school, I kept growing it out because I was that girl with long, pretty hair.

While my hair is as long as my butt, it can also be a pain in the butt.

1. It gets hot.

While it is a blessing to have a built-in scarf during brutal winters, it is so horrible in the summer. I live in ponytails because if I didn’t, then I would sweat so much more. I already find the back of my head and hair drenched at the end of a long day.

2. I use a lot of product.

I go through conditioner like water and I buy $40 oil for my hair. I use a plethora of other products and my friends with hair that doesn’t touch their shoulders use nothing other than shampoo and conditioner. That must be nice. The upkeep for my mane is expensive.

3. Speaking of showers, the hairball in the drain gets enormous.

After just one shower, the bathtub doesn’t drain and I wind up peeling off a thick layer of wound-up hair that winds up coating the drain cover.

4. I also wind up with hair all over the bathroom walls.

Yeah. Sometimes it just comes out while I am washing it and I stick it to the wall because that is the easiest thing to do. It’s all about convenience while I am showering, but it is a tad bit annoying when it comes to cleaning it up.

5. It gets thinner towards the tips.

Over time, hair breaks. We do what we can to prevent it and wind up being super gentle with it. But it still wears down and the ends wind up feeling very thin. I am blessed with thick hair, but it has thinned over the years and worn down and broken. It rubs up against chairs when I sit, it rubs on my pillow, it flies around in the wind. We can’t always protect our hair from life.

6. It became my identifier

As I mentioned above, I was known in my high school for my hair. It was a connection they made. From behind, they knew who I was immediately. My students during my education placements always made remarks about it, I am the lady with the long hair. It’s who I am and it’s my security blanket.

Despite all of the issues I can have with my hair, I love it. I love having long hair that flows in the wind. I love having hair that I can feel on my back when my shirt rides up. It’s the little things and I am glad that I decided to grow it out.