What are we talking about today?

I'll get back to theme days once I find a groove of posting regularly. In the meantime, most of my posts are about some variation of books, bikes, buses, or Broadway. Plus bits about writing, nonprofits, and grief from time to time.

This blog is mostly lighthearted and pretty silly. It's not about the terrible things happening in the world, but please know that I'm not ignoring those things. I just generally don't write about them here.

02 October 2011

From Mane to Wig

Normally, if I post on a Sunday, I like to make it something spiritual or devotional, since Sunday is my day of worship. But today, I'm just going to regale you with the tale of my haircut.

Yesterday, I went from this:
 To this:

Why? Well, it's too hot around here and I probably should have done it four months ago. Also, it was getting problematic for putting on a bike helmet and time-consuming for everything else. I can't leave my long hair down for class or I'll play with it, so up it must go.

Here's a little tip for your future: A Google search is not the best way, at least not in Austin, to find a hair salon that participates in Locks of Love. It's definitely not a good way to find ones that will do it for free. You're better off asking people who have done it where they go. In the end, I went with a local shop that does not cut the hair for free but encourages people to donate their hair. The conversation was something like this:

Stylist: What are we doing today?
Me: Cut it all off.
Stylist: How short?
Me: Oh, about here. *indicate what I'm after*
Stylist: Great! And are you donating your hair today?
Me: Yes, absolutely.
Stylist: Oh, thank goodness! I was thinking, 'Please, God, say yes.'

I think he might have cried if I had said no. Also, stylists seem to love my hair. I guess if you have an hour of time and a bunch of equipment at your disposal, my hair is fun to mess with-- it's thick and very straight. So thick, in fact, that 45 minutes after washing it still needed about 10 minutes of blow drying. (Which, in case you were wondering, is why I don't bother.) He said, "Wow, that's a lot of hair." Yes. Yes, it is.

So, my hair is sitting here in an envelope with a form, waiting for me to take it to the post office tomorrow. In a few weeks' time (I guess-- I don't know how long their turnaround is), a sick kid will have a new wig made of the hair that used to be on my head. Two takeaway thoughts from this: 1) This must be how sheep feel, and 2) If I'm going to donate my hair, I suppose the least I can do is take better care of it while it's still attached to my head.

Anybody else get a haircut this weekend? Have you ever done Locks of Love? Do you think sheep ever wonder where their wool will end up?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is a great new look...it really suits you...and good for you donating your hair.

Natalie @ TheFirstKitchen.com said...

Please do not be creeped out if I show up to the UWC one day and have that exact same haircut.... It is SUPER cute and I'm so ready to give this hair to someone who needs it more!

Su said...

@Delores: Thanks!

@Natalie: I promise not to be creeped out. I gave the stylist some generalities and he did the rest!

Danette said...

Your hair looks great and you totally DON'T find a hairdresser that way!! lol

Mary Mary said...

I do Locks of Love with my hair. Like yours, it's long and straight and has the most lovely natural highlights that my hairstylist loves to donate it. Good for you for donating!

Su said...

@Danette: Thanks! Yeah, next time I'm skipping straight to asking my friends with good hair.

@Mary: Good for you, too! The stylist said that most people who come in to donate do it regularly, so we're in good company. Today when I took my package to the post office, the woman said it was the third Locks of Love package she'd seen today! Must have been a weekend for haircutting!

Timbra said...

if you haven't sent your hair in, i might have some suggestions OTHER Than locks of love, only because i've read some disconcerting things about them recently, like that they sell a lot of the hair and don't use it for what they said they are using it for, which is sad, apparently also not coughing up tax information, etc to prove themselves. . . anyway, can't remember where i read this article, but i'll try to find it. . . in any case, i have donated my hair to them twice and feel the same as you. ..i only grow it to donate it, so i don't do ANYTHING fussy with it while it's in my keep, since i want it to be amazing for someone else's head :) and you look ADORABLE and fresh!

Su said...

Too late-- already sent. And I do fuss with it from time to time, but I'm thinking I should keep the split ends more in check next time.

Yaya' s Home said...

Unlike your hair, mine is so fine that I'm doing well to jus' be able to keep summa' it on my head until the next haircut. Thus, I have never been able to donate to Locks of Love. However, I so appreciate everyone who does. Thank you.

I hadda' laugh at the comment about sheep wondering where their wool goes. That sounds SOOOO like something I would say. Thanks for that. :D

~ Yaya

Su said...

Hi, Yaya! Thanks for stopping by! Sometimes I have a 'grass is greener' wish for thinner hair, but really, I've lived with masses of hair for so long that I don't know what I'd do without it. I'm still waiting to hear back from the sheep! ;)

Karen M. Peterson said...

That reminds me that I still need to send my locks in. I keep forgetting.

I LOVE your cut! It looks fab!

Su said...

Thanks! And you should totally send your hair in!