The Importance of Hair

If there's one thing people are hyper-focused on other than their weight, it's their hair. Men worry about going bald, women worry about their hair being too short, too long, too thin, to messy... If you say something about a person's appearance, one of the first things they do is reach up to check their hair. 

When I was little I had longish hair. It grew to about my shoulders and (little did I know then, but I see it now looking at old pictures), it had a nice wave to it. Then came the infamous 80s perm in middle school. Ya'll, why did we DO that to ourselves? Hair cut to just above shoulder length, then tortured with the 80s perm that made it look like a big old wedge stuck on your head. And the bangs... curled and teased up and up and a little bit back. I don't think I ever had the wings on the side. The perm and bangs were bad enough. I look back at 80s pictures now (in which we all thought we were so fashionable) and wonder, "What were we THINKING?" 

After the 80s perm finally went out of style (thank God for small mercies), I had chin-length hair I think. I don't remember really... I DO remember getting a pixie for the first time in high school. I loved it. And apparently it made me look like Julia Roberts in Hook. After that I kept a pixie for the next 20+ years. I grew it out to chin length for our wedding in 2001 and promptly chopped it off again after the wedding because I didn't know what to do with it and it was driving me crazy. And I tried to grow it out several times over the next 18 years, but my hair always grew so slow and those awkward stages were horrible that I'd give up and get it cut off again. I wanted longer gorgeous hair. I got tired of having a pixie. I was always self conscious about my hair and rarely liked the way it looked or made me look. But what could I do? I was stuck!

Enter Lilla Rose. I started off with the hairbands - because with a super-short pixie, what else can you wear? I didn't even have enough hair on the sides for bobby pins! I also started taking a big dose of Biotin every day. I wore hairbands Every Single Day from November till sometime around May. Hairbands kept the weird side bits under control and tucked away. They kept my bangs pulled back and from looking all heavy and flat. They kept me from driving to the nearest hair salon on multiple occasions to get everything hacked off again. Eventually I was able to put the sides up in bobby pins or mini flexi clips. Then... one magical day... I was able to use an extra small flexi to put my hair in a half up. A half up!! Now, I do still have little bits that are *just* too short to stay in a half up. But they're getting there. And I can keep them under control with hairspray and bobbies. Yesterday I managed a teeny tiny pony tail! That was awesome because I was out in the yard, digging holes, cleaning house... hair off the neck is important for these types of things in July. 

My hair is longer than it has been in over 20 years. It's crazy. I let Bree talk me in to highlights, which were weird to get used to at first. I have decided I like them. I have nice wavy curls. I have to tell you, I've gotten more compliments on my hair long than I ever did in 20 years of a pixie. When your hair looks good, it just does something to make you feel a little better. It's a good confidence booster. Do you have to have good hair to be confident? Nope. Bree and I saw a lovely young lady on So You Think You Can Dance with alopecia who was completely gorgeous and confident with not a single hair on her head. But... if you do have hair, having pretty hair is a bonus. Having things like Lilla Rose flexi clips that make things like actual honest to goodness hairstyles quick and easy is even better. 

I've been trying to figure out hair for a really long time now. I do believe I've finally got a bead on it. If you need help figuring out what to do with your hair, or how Lilla Rose might be able to help you, just head on over to my group at The OpalTurtle and you can subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly chance to win a free flexi!