I am not a long haired girl. It just isn’t me. I cut my hair
off for the first time in grade 8 - which made me about 13 years old - and I grew
it back initially because the change was just such a huge shock I wasn’t sure
how to deal with it. But within about a year, I cut my hair again. And then
again. And again. I cut it about three times in a week shorter and shorter
until we got to a place where I loved the new look. I went from shoulder-ish
length down to what I lovingly refer to as “hockey hair”, to a strange bowl-esque/mushroom-y
kind of cut, to a super short pixie cut. I LOVED it. My mom HATED it. My dad
said it was just hair, and so I got to keep it short, and short it stayed all
through high school, most of university and into my adult life. I have had long
hair twice since I finally got it down to my beloved pixie way back then: I
grew it out for two years conveniently around the time I got married so my
wedding photos have a pretty sweet up-do. I like to call it a faux hawk/bump
with class. Which was quickly followed with a real mohawk; red and black with
lightening shaved in the side of my head. The second time I have had long hair
is now.
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| The weeding do, 2006 |
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| The hawk that followed. |
I feel like I don’t even look like myself if my hair is down
and flowy and, ugh. It is just weird. Even my husband doesn’t think it is me.
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| June 1, 2015 This is my hair as it is right now. Just showered, not combed, not straightened. I am about to section it into braids to await dreadlocks. |
I have run the gamut of colours and short edgy dos. Mohawks,
fauxhawks, long bangs, rat tails, spikes, and shaved. I loved them all. About
three years ago, I decided to start growing my hair. I had a goal. Something I
hadn’t done before. Something that was going to take some commitment. Something
that made everyone cringe. Dreadlocks.
Here are a few examples of the hair I have had over the past 10 years:
I am not a planner by nature. I don’t have 5 or 10 year
goals. We have a supper menu on a chalk board in the hallway because my husband
got tired of me never knowing what the crap I was going to make for supper that
day. So the biggest plans in my life are what’s for supper Monday to Friday,
and the rest just comes at me. Or I come at it. I guess it depends on the day.
BUT. I planned for this hair. I have a goal. Dreads.
Also, I should add that I am a strange combination of an
opportunist - looking for someone else to do the hard work for me - and a “do
it the hard way” kind of girl. I don’t like to spray weeds. I like to pull
them. (why? I don’t know. I feel like it is more meaningful. And more
effective.) I recently made soap. I know I can buy it. But I MADE some. And I
think that’s cool.
Anyway. I put out a plea on Facebook to my friends and
family for someone to help me out with putting these dreads in my hair. I
really only have a limited amount of time where putting them in makes sense,
because soon my hands are going to be full full full of a new baby and a
toddler, so I wanted to maximize the summer and this time with only one kid to
really work at these dreads. (In case you are unaware - dreadlocks are very
labour intensive for the first little while - up to a year - while they mature
and lock in. If they aren’t looked after, they get gnarly and scary) I got lots
of encouragement - and some cringes - but no one offered up their time or
energy to help me out. (To be fair, recently, a friend I know who has helped maintain her brother's dreads has offered to help.)
I went to a local salon for a bang trim. I asked there. I
mean, it doesn’t hurt to ask. $100 an hour. For at least 8 hours. Probably more
like 10. Honey, ain’t no one got a grand to drop on a hairstyle. Please. So. Here
I am. I have a head full of hair that doesn’t feel like it belongs to me, and a
goal. And a bit of a time limit. Sigh. I guess I’m going to have to do it
myself. At least I am not scared of the hard way. I guess my weeds are just
going to have to wait to be pulled while I dread my hair (and blog about it!).
My hair is a big part of the expression of who I am. It has
been for a long time. It is loud when I don’t feel like I have the voice to be
loud. It attracts attention. It has a mind of its own. So, while I thought
about maybe just giving up and cutting the whole mess off, going back to my “safe”
hair styles - I decided I just need to go for it. It is going to take me some
time to get it done, it took me two days just to section my hair and braid it
so it would be somewhat organized for this endeavour. But I think I want to
document this too, because I am really excited to see how it all goes. And in a
year, to see what they look like. If it doesn’t work out, that’s ok too. I’m
not scared of a pair of clippers. J
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| Braids in. Now for the real work to begin. |
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| My first dreadlock of many. |
I know most people don’t give two poops about a post on hair
- let alone a plan to document my hair in the coming months, but if you made it
to the end of this post, I feel like you should be rewarded and if you comment
or if you know me well enough to send me a text or email, I will send you
something just for you to say thanks for actually reading, and at least
pretending to care about how firmly I have attached my identity to my hair. You
are either a great friend, or you are super bored!
Peace!
