I think I did a post here about my hair before, but ages ago. I figured it’s time to answer some questions about my hair again, because I often get them.

So, here’s some random thoughts and answers to questions about my hair.

Many ask how long I have been growing my hair, and why, so I’ll start there. Until I was about 6 years old, my mom insisted I keep my hair chin-length. I also had bangs. And a very fat face, which looked round, because of that hair style. I remember hating it, even though I was young. My mother’s reasoning was that my hair was too thin to grow and that it would have to get thicker. I don’t really think it makes much sense, since the thin hair would eventually get cut when the ends would get cut, but whatever.

Around 1st grade, I got to decide myself, and I let it grow (including the bangs). Until I was about 10, at which point it was a good way down my back, and I decided to cut it shoulder length. All the cool kids were doing it, so why not?

I regretted it a lot, and that was the last time I ever went to a hair dresser. Since then, I just had the ends trimmed at home. I never had a length growing goal, I just didn’t like getting it cut.

I’m not sure when, but at some point, I became aware that my hair was longer than average. I started getting comments about it. I think around the time I started high school, maybe. By then it was around hip-length and I remember being interviewed about my Harry Potter collection (a whole other big thing in my life that you can read about here) and asked if my long hair was somehow related to Harry Potter. At that point, I realized that my hair was kind of special, and I think that was the time I started becoming kind of attached to it. I’m now in my 30s, and I feel my hair is such an integral part of who I am that if I were to cut it off, I’d feel like I was removing something that defines me. 

I’m often asked what I have done and do to grow my hair like this. The truth is, I never tried. I’ve always just used the cheapest hair products and haven’t bothered blow drying my hair. I was not a girly girl growing up, and so I didn’t do the whole hair styling and makeup etc until I was more or less an adult. Most of the time, I’d just air dry my hair, keep it in a bun, braid or down. My routine was: Silicone free shampoo, conditioner and hair mask once a week, little bit of hair oil inbetween washes and that’s it.

After I turned 30 (yes, I’m that old), I started noticing a change in my hair. The texture has changed and I’m dealing with a lot more shedding and tangling. My hair has a LOT of waves, which makes it a lot harder to maintain than the super smooth hair I had before this. Lately, it has come to the point where I’ve started using hair products with silicone, just to weigh down and smoothen out my hair enough to keep it from tangling. It’s best to avoid them, because they build up in the hair and eventually can have the opposite effect and make it harder to brush out, and then you need to use clearing products, which is a science I still don’t really understand. 

I think a lot of this change happens because of hormone level changes, since I didn’t change my diet. I did get checked by a doctor, so it’s not a lack of any vitamins etc, though it could be, so it’s always a good idea to get checked.

I guess I’m getting a little off track – my point is, that even for someone like me, who always grew my hair and more or less always had long hair, it’s not easy. It’s a struggle. I can’t have my hair down anymore, because it gets too tangly. And I know this is the case for most people with hair this long. The hair is heavy and I think sometimes, I get headaches because of it. There’s a lot of things I avoid doing, because I find it challenging with my hair. Any kind of sports that require a lot of moving around are hard. I don’t go swimming, I have to plan how to do my hair if I’m gonna wear a helmet. It’s often a hassle. Sometimes I wish my hair had never gotten this long, because I do feel it limits me sometimes and holds me back from doing things.

But would I cut it? Maybe some day. But like I said, it’s a part of me. I feel like I wouldn’t know myself with shorter hair. 

And I can’t deny that I love the compliments. Sometimes when I consider cutting it, I go shopping with my hair down. I’ll admit it – the attention and awe is enough to convince me to not cut it just yet.

I think with this, I’ll end my essay about my hair, haha. Feel free to ask questions, unless they’re weird, fetishy questions. xD