A Hairy Situation

You cannot tell by my baby picture on the right (wasn't I adorable?) but my hair grows very fast. It is very fine but there is a lot of it. My hair is straight and has no body.

I loved my color when I was younger. It was a sable brown and so rich looking. But as I got older the colors began to fade as they do for everyone. I colored it artificially for a few years then decided it was not worth all the trouble. I am fortunate enough to have inherited the genes that have kept me from getting too gray yet.

I like having long hair. There is something sensual and powerful about the feel of one's hair hanging down on one's back. I understand how Samson must have felt. At the same time it takes a lot of care and I do not like to take care of it.

There is also the matter of gravity. When we are young our muscle tone is good. Everything about our faces and bodies is firm and looks young. As we age gravity begins its pull. Skin loosens and sags. Long hair only helps give the illusion of pulling downward.

When I was beginning school little girls wore pigtails. Those are the two braids, one on either side of the head. If you were dressing up bows made from pretty ribbons were added to the look.

Because my hair was so fine yet so thick it was a mess to work with. All the high school girls were starting to wear ponytails. That is when your hair is pulled into one spot and anchored into place with a rubber band. Then it hangs loose down the back much like the tail of a horse. Mom decided that was for me.

I remember my first hair cut. I was about 8 years old. Mom was sick and tired of fixing my hair every morning. She decided to cut it off.

I mentioned that my hair is straight (as a string) and has no body. Mom knew it would need a bit of help. In the 1950's they had a permanent wave for little girls called Tonette. It came complete with paper dolls for the little girl to play with while she was being curled.

Mom and I had a good time with her cutting my hair (every time I get my hair cut I get an anxious feeling losing my mane) and rolling it in the skinny little curlers. She put the solutions on it when they were to be put on. All in all when we were through it looked pretty good.

I immediately went out walking so everyone could see my beautiful new self. I was bouncing proudly down the sidewalk when my father came driving up the street and screeched (actually screeched) to a halt. He was the town marshal and was patrolling the streets right then.

Daddy jumped out of the car and yelled. "What happened to your hair? Who did that to you?" I replied, "Mommy did it. Isn't it pretty?" As he was jumping back into his car he said, "I'm going to kill her." I was puzzled? I knew he was not going to kill her, of course. But what was he upset about? I was gorgeous.

It took practically no time for my hair to get long again. I had more cuts and more Tonettes over the years. I liked having curly hair. Both of my sisters have naturally curly hair. I am a little jealous.

Mom quit cutting my hair when I became a teenager. She sent me to the beauty shop instead. My first time at the beauty shop I had decided I wanted my hair shorter than it was but still long enough for a ponytail. The hairdresser was able to oblige.

As I entered high school long straight hair was the popular way to wear it. I certainly had the hair to pull off that look. I let my hair grow out. By the time I graduated from high school my hair was so long I could sit on it.

My boyfriend loved it. He told me after we were married that my long hair was what had made him notice me. Many of the older couples we knew called me Morticia after Morticia Addams. I liked it.

Two years after I was married I had my first baby. I fed all my babies the way nature intended me to. My son loved my hair. He would twirl it around in his hands and just wrap himself in it in general. The only problem was that when I would go to put him to bed after a feeding I found myself pulling out clumps of my hair so that I could then untangle it from my baby. Of course I then had to make sure I found all of the hairs wrapped around him and get them off.

When I discovered I was having another baby two years later I thought back to the hassle with my long hair and decided I would not do that again. Off I went to the hairdresser. I had all that hair cut off. The hairdresser was a little worried about my husband being upset with her for cutting my hair. I told her it was my hair for goodness sake.

Of course my husband was not pleased but he did not have to take care of all that hair. The surprising reaction was my 2 year old son. He did not speak to me for three days. He finally told me a few years ago that he and his father had done that on purpose thinking I would not cut my hair again. Silly boys.

Now that I am older I cannot stand to have my hair hanging against those two "corners" of my neck right behind my ears. And I can no longer feel comfortable with my hair in my eyes. I try to keep my hair short for those reasons too. And gravity.

I have never been a person who spends a lot of time taking care of my hair. I brush it to keep the tangles out. If I am going somewhere special I might doll up a bit but other than that... I do not get it cut as often as I should simply because I can always find something more interesting to do. And it takes so long to sit there while I get what is now called a "perm".

My hair has been growing for almost a year and a half since my last cut. It is getting closer to the middle of my back so I am planning on getting it done next week. Unless something more interesting presents itself that is.