An Extreme Makeover

Today, I had my hair cut. Look:
I'd been growing my hair for a long time. No, really, I HAVE and it hasn't been just that I'm too apathetic to go get it cut. (Okay, so it might have started that way.) But I've been thinking about this for a long time because I wanted to donate it to the organization called "Locks of Love" in the name of my friend J. B. Brown, who has some bad, bad cancer. They take donations of hair if it's ten inches or longer. Mine measures a bit more than that.



Locks of Love is an organization that helps disadvantaged sick kids who have lost their hair due to a medical diagnosis by giving them hair prosthetics. It can't help J. B. exactly, but since I can't help him either, I thought maybe doing something in the spirit of a good man seemed appropriate. He may never know about it, but I like the idea of sowing a little bit of his sort of kindness into the world.

Anyway. I made my husband take some pictures of me, which just may be a first for me as an adult. (I mean, the last time I begged for a picture was when I lost my first tooth, I think.)

Here it is, the haircut in all its glory.


There was about another four inches of hair on the floor so it's a fairly drastic change. I'm a little concerned about being hideous because I know my spouse doesn't like short hair but he, true to form, answered all questions correctly.

Barb: Do you like it?

Coop: Yes, I like it.

Barb: Does it make me look younger?

Coop: Yes, it makes you look younger.

Barb: How about thinner? Does it make me look thinner?

Coop: MUCH thinner.

Love him.

But J.B.? This one is for you. With much, much (locks of) love.

Comments

Lynn said…
Coop is a smart boy. You should keep him. Does he have a much older brother? With a Harley, maybe? Just asking.
DK said…
That's awesome. What a big deal! I'm so proud of you.

Back when my hair was waist length, I used to go once a year and donate a foot (of hair, not an actual foot. I need those!). The funniest part of it was that people rarely noticed that my hair was a whole 12 inches shorter...

Tell Coop I said, atta boy.
Don't you love that feeling of your hair being short? I always feel like a new person when I do that. And it feels so weird when you go to wash it in the shower....
hokgardner said…
I can't wait to see the new look. I've always wanted to donate to locks of love, but I can never quite grow my hair long enough before I lose patience and lop it all off.
DK said…
Okay, now that the pictures are up, WOW!!!!!!!!!!! You look fabulous!!!

And, I'm SO jealous of your curls.
Mrs.Q said…
It looks great! I have spent the last year chopping mine shorter and shorter, and my spousal unit was at first very distressed. He has surprised himself by coming to like it very much. Hopefully yours will do the same...though he does give the best answers!
Barb Matijevich said…
You know what's so weird? It took me until I was in college to realize I HAD curls. I was always blowing my hair dry straight and then using he hot rollers... remember Farah Fawcett? I had me some wings happening, sister.

I don't think Coop likes it so much but I feel sort of reinvigorated or something. Like, I'm, um, exercising! Now I don't have to think about the whole "wash hair and give it two hours to dry" thing. And I actually went and bought some clothes yesterday, finally deciding that trying to wear my skinny clothes was just making me depressed. And so now that I have new clothes, I'll probably lose some weight, since that's how it seems to work. So, money well spent, right?

So, yes to suburbancorrespondent about how great it feels. And also how weird in the shower. I used WAY too much shampoo!
Mrs.Q said…
I'm on the right. I almost said "left" - Freudian slip, I love her new haircut! Also I haven't had coffee yet, and have a hard time telling left from right at the best of times anyway. A problem when I'm driving!
Anonymous said…
You have absolutely FABULOUS hair.... and I mean the hair still on your head. It's thick and curly and I am jealous in a very nice way. My hair is curly, but not anywhere near that thick.

My daughter gave some hair to Locks of Love...I'm really proud of you for doing the same.

And Coop? Wow... he's a keeper. I wouldn't donate HIM in a million years!
hokgardner said…
That is the haircut I wish I could have. My hair is only curly sometimes, and only in certain places. My mother, on the other hand, has masses of curls. We call it the Irish afro. You look fabulous!
MadMad said…
Beautiful! Inside and out.
Anonymous said…
Love the haircut - you look GREAT! Caution - you may come to love the curls and how easy they are to care for. The haircut looks energetic and youthful and very feminine.
Heidi Malott said…
Wow! What a wonderful thing and you look so beautiful and energized! I always blew my hair straight too, before I finally realized how curly it was. All that time I wasted...my hair is so weird now, it's very curly underneath, but almost straight on the outside, very annoying, and confusing for hairstylists.
Lynda said…
Barb,
Your hair looks gawgeous!!! I love how getting a hair cut can just make you feel like a million bucks without costing a million bucks. I so envy your curls. You actually do have wash and go hair now because of those curls and it will always look great.
Suna Kendall said…
Yep, it's just gorgeous and makes you look thin.

Like some of the others, I didn't realize I had curls for years. I even used to get perms in the late 70s. Had round clown-like hair. Now I see I did not need that.

I just make mine random colors now (mostly ones found in nature)
your hair looks amazing and you are doing a good thing by donating it to locks of love. my son is starting to grow his hair to donate it to the same organization.
it's called a "mitzvah" in the jewish religion...so, you've done a mitzvah...a good deed!
Anonymous said…
Wow! The hair looks great that length. Look at how curly it is.
Stefanie said…
Wow, you look so GOOD! It just lightens up your face!
Anonymous said…
Your cut looks great! And for such a great cause!
You could loan Coop out to train other husbands how to respond correctly. He's a smart/nice fella;)
N. Maria said…
You look great! I love the way your hair is more one length on the sides and front and then layered a little in the back! Much nicer than mine with it cut all the same length so I look like I have a little ball of curly lint on my neck!
I'm always told it's hard to cut curly hair and do it right.
Barb Matijevich said…
Y'all do realize that it's never going to look like it looks here again, don't you?

N. Maria, I once had a stylist cut my hair who cut each curl individually. As in, totally uneven and looked terrible. Because anyone with curly hair knows that it doesn't curl the same way twice! Another girlfriend of mine was so frustrated with that very thing that she founded www.naturallycurly.com It's a great resource for those of us with curls.

DK, I walked into Ana and Jane's school yesterday morning for a quick meeting and not one single person commented on my hair cut. And these are people I see every day!
Anonymous said…
looks gorgeous! gotta love curly not kinky.
Also a gorgeous thing that you did - donating you locks - nd having the patience to grow it long enough.