In which I face my deep-seated hair issues

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I admit it, I care too much about my hair. I think it stems from the deep childhood trauma I underwent when my parents kidnapped me at the age of 13 and forced me to attend school in Korea. The school regulations were that for girls, hair could be no longer than 3 cm below the earlobe. If you got caught with hair longer than this, you either got a verbal warning, or a chunk of your hair hacked off. It depended on the mood of the teacher who caught you. Needless to say, this horrified my American sensibilities, but to add insult to injury that haircut made me look hideous. I have frizzy, wavy hair that makes me look like an alien mushroom if I leave it to its own devices - and of course using any kind of hair product was forbidden by school rules. To me, my hair came to symbolize everything that I hated about the Korean education system - seriously, what the fuck is the point of forcing students to cut their hair to a certain arbitrary length? They just did it because it was humilating and because they could. And before anyone asks, THERE ARE NO PICTURES. :: shifty eyes ::

Anyway, things were fine after I started college, because then I got to do whatever the fuck I wanted with my hair. I straightened it, dyed it green, got it permed, dyed it purple, straightened it again, dyed it red, got it permed again, dyed it back to its natural color. Getting your hair done is pretty cheap in Korea - a good quality Japanese magic perm (the kind that straightens your hair) is around 200 dollars - I’ve heard it’s more like $800 here in the US. :eek: Even haircuts - I’d pay maybe 30 dollars for a haircut at a high-end salon, and we don’t have tipping.

So after I moved to Chicago, ridiculous salon prices + grad student budget kept me from doing much with my hair, other than getting it trimmed. I’ve just kept growing it out and torturing it with pincurls and curling irons. But the ends have been getting really ragged and gross, so finally, today, I got it cut. The girl at the salon even persuaded me to get bangs.

Behold. The result.

I’m still kind of getting used to it. The bangs keep getting in my eyes, so I pinned them back with a bobby pin. It reminds me too much of how the shallow, snobby girls I hated in high school (in Korea) used to do their hair though. And then I am suddenly filled with contempt for myself, and want to slap my reflection and pull all my hair out, and then we’ll see who’s smirking after that!

Did I mention I have hair issues?

2

Oh, whew. Too often when someone has long, beautiful, gorgeous hair and they chop it off, it looks…bad. Just wrong.

But you look awesome! It goes very well with your face shape, and I adore the side part. The bangs are just the right length, even if the get in your eyes.

3

By the way, I have long hair, so that’s why I’m usually against chopping it off. But you look rockin!

4

Thanks! You have gorgeous hair. I’ve always wanted to grow it out that long, but I usually lose patience by the time it gets around my elbows.

5

Might there be a way to curl your bangs so that the fact that they are in your face isn’t as bothersome to you? You might see if curling them could help, sort of in-between as they are now, and a bobbi pin holding them back?

6

Hm. I might try that this weekend. Thanks for the suggestion! Please pray that I don’t burn my eyebrows off in the attempt (I am rather clumsy when it comes to hair-altering devices).

7

Girl, you are HAWT! I think it looks fabulous! I wish I had hair I could at least do something with. Short and curly is the only style I can do.

8

I also have some issues regarding my hair, even though I’m a guy.

The root of the whole thing is, I believe, that I want to have my hair combed and straight all the time. When it is longer than about an inch, this requires either carrying a comb (which I no longer own, and I would never remember it; my nose is running most of the year and I still often forget to put tissues or whatever in my pocket when I go to class), or having some other way to do it, and the only solution I ever found was growing some of my nails long. During January of my freshman year, my dad gave me a haircut, and I decided that I wanted it to be shorter after he finished, so naturally I cut off every bit I could using a pair of fairly crappy scissors. A few days later, my mom took me to the barber to get it evened up (and apparently it looked really bad), and my new hairstyle was born. Near the end of my junior year, I finally got it shaved completely, and until August of last year (with the exception of my brother’s wedding and a musical I was in – I let it grow for both of those), it never had more than a couple days’ worth of growth.

Close to the end of August 2007, I decided to grow a mohawk, because I thought it would be funny, and I was right, it was funny. As soon as my sister saw it (neither of my sisters has ever liked my hair short, and the sister in question is getting married in June), I cut it off, and shaved all of my hair down to nothing again. I am now growing it in preparation for her wedding, and all I can say is, she’s gonna owe me, because this is getting really annoying.

Bottom line, I like to be bald, because that way I don’t have to comb my hair, I don’t have to use much shampoo, and I can skip washing my hair entirely if I’m in a rush and not feel grungy.

9

HazelNut, you are just cute as hell. New 'do is great!
I have hair issues also. I have fantastic long hair and I’m a bit obsessive about it. My husband indulges my follicular narcissism, because he’s seen that picture of me in 8th grade when my hair was short, and he’ll do anything to make sure this hair stays on my head.
I guess you wouldn’t call it a phobia as such, but I expect and have accepted that one day I’ll wind up with a chemo requiring form of cancer and I’ll lose it. I have a plan for that, though. Before I start on the drugs, I’m going to shave it bald and give it to Locks of Love, then I’m going to buy some really ridiculously cool wigs and have a field day.

I know that’s strange, but I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately, so I find myself sharing a lot around here.

10

Because I am so resistant to change in my actual life, I sublimate all my desire for change into my hair. I’m sure one could make an interesting collage of pictures of me in different hair-phases, but I only started documenting them (that I can remember the order of, anyway) a few years ago. No pictures of the blue or the green, alas.

My first year of grad school was particularly egregious. I went through three vastly different colours and three vastly different hairstyles. My teachers still think I’m just slightly insane.

11

Dammit, Delores I covet that kitchen! HazelNut, your cut is beautiful on you. Your pic behind the ‘behold’ link is absolutely stunning though. Something about it is just…pretty from the inside.

12

I’m still scarred from when my hair was short in middle school (chin length, bangs, round face, glasses - coupled with ridiculously thick hair), so I’m afraid to cut much more than the ends.

But I did get a chunk taken out over Christmas, and I loove it! Isn’t it odd how a new haircut can make you feel invigorated?

13

Agreed on both counts. I think your hair looks great.

14

I think that style looks great on you!

My cut is similar, only longer. I tried the long bangs like you have, but they drove me insane, so I ended up having them cut shorter.

I am greatly overdue for a haircut, but I found out Sunday that I lost my stylist. I’m hesitant to try someone new. Why? Because like you, I have “issues” with my hair. I’ve had my share of bad haircuts.

I’ve run the gamut from pixie cuts, to hair long enough to sit on, to feathered layers, to curly perms, to spiral perms, to long and straight, to spiral perms again, to short, chin length, to shoulder length, and finally down just past my bra strap, but with the cut framing my face and with long layers all around.

My hair is very thick and heavy. On top of that, it grows ridiculously quickly. I’m contemplating something new, but haven’t seen anything that just grabs me. More than likely, I’ll try the same haircut that I got in September (my last haircut).

15

HazelNutCoffee, all I can say is that it’s a good thing you didn’t have that haircut when you came here last summer; I’m reasonably sure Sunspace would have been struck dumb. [sub][Dude! I’m kidding!][/sub]

I think it looks really, really good though. What’s a little constant eye irritation and self-loathing if you look so maaaahvelous? :smiley:

While I’m at it, let me mention that Lionne’s hair is absolutely amazing too. It’s hard to write anything here that won’t sound like it’s coming from a pervy old man, because, well, I’m a pervy old man. So, I’ll just leave it at: whoa [/Keanu].

16

Haze, your hair is related to mine. For the bangs, instead of using a hot curler or somesuch, try just wetting it, putting it on old fashioned rollers and using your blowdryer on “hot”. Blow it from over your head, not from ahead or below, and keep it forward enough that the dry part doesn’t get hot, the air should hit only the bangs.

If I don’t blowdry mine, but just towel dry, comb and let it dry, it doesn’t get the “nucular wavy mushroom” look and gets almost straight, with just a bit of wave to it. The hairdresser gets the same results with a bunch of gels and, because of the gels, it doesn’t last as long :stuck_out_tongue: For me, the cheaper option actually works best! Give it a try, maybe it works for you too.

When I want to make my hair wavier I put it in half a dozen braids while it dries (Alanis Morrisette copied me, I’d been doing it longer). Can’t stand it if it’s cold, but it’s great for the summer :smiley:

17

It does not from the pictures look like you have this type of hair at all.

It looks smooth and silky. It really looks nice.

I have naturally wavy hair that turns to a frizz bomb with the least amount of humidity. It was worse as a child but has lost some curlyness as I have aged.

I have not had a hair cut in years. Your post have inspired me. Maybe, I said maybe I will change that soon.

18

I’m just a guy with 1/8" long hair (where I’m not bald) and a beard, but I think your hair looks great in all the photos. However,

I want to see those pictures. Because I’m curious.

19

I like it a LOT. It looks great–you flat-ironed, right?
I am also thinking of cutting my hair shorter (won’t happen before the DopeFest, though). I’m starting to feel a bit hippy-ish…

Those teachers sound just lovely. Ugh.

20

Hair looks fine. Now stop screwing with it.