A few years ago, when I was a sophomore in high school, I decided I wanted shorter hair. I always hated taking care of my hair and didn't put much effort into it on a day-to-day basis. Since I already wore it up in a ponytail every day, chopping it to a shorter length seemed like a logical conclusion. When I cut it off, I actually felt like taking care of my curls was something I would be up for and I kept it relatively short and well-managed for the rest of high school.
For about a year and a half, I've let my hair grow out a lot more, not even realizing that it had passed the point of "short hair" and was definitely longer than I was perceiving it to be. I decided earlier this year that I was getting sick of my long hair again and wanted to donate my hair as opposed to just getting rid of it. I knew how to take care of it much better than I did when I was 14 so I figured I could give my healthy hair a second chance at life with someone who really appreciated it.
When I told people about my plans, I got a lot of mixed reactions. Everyone thought it was wonderful that I was donating it, but some people couldn't see why I had to donate all of it. I got comments like, "Why don't you grow it out some more and then cut some off?" or "You could probably just cut off the right length and leave the rest."
I also received comments about how beautiful my hair was: "Why do you want to cut it off? It looks great on you." Most of my peers who I mentioned it too were very supportive of how I was going to look after, but some of my family members contemplated whether or not I could pull it off.
I had already made up my mind about cutting off my hair but I did consider the commentary from my friends and family. I never really felt like I needed hair as long as it was so I didn't think I could grow it out more before cutting it. And because I thought my hair was healthy enough to be donated and a different texture than I have usually seen on hair donation posts, donating my hair will hopefully help someone who would have naturally curly hair sport something that they felt comfortable in. And even though I did love my hair and did enjoy having it out, the majority of the time, I enjoyed it out of my face. Someone else will probably look forward to having so much hair.
But even as I was adamant about going through with this cut, the day I went in for my haircut, I started feeling some anxiety about getting it cut. Would it look terrible or weird or crazy or just plain wrong? I was mulling these thoughts over even as I sat in the salon chair but just 15 minutes after I arrived, my hair was already cut off. And 20 minutes after that, I had about three-eighths of an inch of hair on my head. And I was ecstatic.
I had been worried about what other people thought about my hair but still had the urge to follow my gut instinct and go through with the cut. I could have let my late-onset doubts stop me from going through with it but I'm glad I didn't give myself a chance to mull things over. And even if anyone else doesn't like my haircut, I think I look pretty adorable with it. But it is nice to hair from my friends and family that I pull it off well. Also, I apparently have a nice-shaped head.
If you're considering cutting all your hair off or even just some of it, listen to the advice from those around you but don't let that advice completely deter you from making the change. If you think you look cute, I'm telling you now: You look cute. And if you're thinking of donating hair, there are definitely organizations that best fit your preference. I donated to Children With Hair Loss but you can find other organizations to donate to here.