Chop chop

My hair has been quite long for a few years now. The last time I had it properly cut was in 2011, and that was only because I wanted to get rid of damaged hair. I wasn't a fan of the cut, simply because I wanted long hair and was devastated that I had to chop so much of it off.

It was so unhealthy from bleaching and dyeing and bleaching and dyeing again that I had no choice. So I let it grow... and grow and grow. Once I had virgin hair coming down to my shoulders, I got the ends done in an ombre style as the colour was a slightly different colour to my natural hair. And I continued to let it grow. It got all the way down to the top of my hips and I LOVED IT. I could style my hair in so many ways and when it was down, it felt like a thick, silky curtain covering my back.

However, long hair requires a LOT of maintenance, something which I gradually started to get very tired of. I would throw my hair up into a bun to avoid having to style it. I wouldn't even bother properly drying my hair most of the time because it just took SO. MUCH. TIME. My hair gets greasy pretty fast and if it weren't for dry shampoo (or talc when you're a bit skint), I would have to wash it every day, which is even more annoying when there is so much of it to wash. I would get frustrated easily when styling was necessary, and the weight of my hair sometimes gave me a headache when it was tied back. In the end, I just constantly wanted it out of my face and out of the way.

I even started braiding my hair in a way that reduced the length.

I started looking at pictures of shorter hairstyles. I saw people with cute bobs and shorter cuts and imagined how much easier it must have been for them to manage their hair. I noticed celebrities going for dramatic chops and wondered how it felt, just lopping off all that hair. That's when I started thinking; what if I do the same? Just cut off all my hair, go back to a bob? I looked at old pictures of myself with short hair and actually liked it and thought I suited it, it framed my face well. I even made a list of pros and cons - the only con I came up with was "might regret it afterwards", but I countered that with "it will grow back eventually". I felt as though everything was telling me to do it. The final thing that really made the decision for me was a friend who told me about donating hair for children who have lost theirs - I love helping others and give to charities as often as I can, and this seemed like a great idea. There's nothing better to me than helping someone in need.

I booked an appointment with the hairdressers a week in advance and found myself counting down the days. I was so excited to get my hair cut, to finally have a new style and to find it a lot more manageable. I did have moments where I thought "oh no, what am I doing?" but I reminded myself of the donation I would be making and, a little more selfishly, how much easier my hair would be to manage. The day finally came - I washed and dried my long hair for the last time (which took about an hour annoyingly) then made my way to the salon.

My hairdresser told me she had never cut someone's ponytail off before, and she was pretty nervous. I brought two bobbles with me, one for the top and one to tie the braid off at the end. It wasn't as quick as I imagined it being - it took a few snips to get the whole ponytail off, I for some reason thought it would be one swift chop, not realising how thick hair is in a ponytail. My hair fell to the sides of my face, now just reaching my shoulders, and my hairdresser brought the ponytail around for me to see. I couldn't believe that that was my hair.

She gave me a bag to put it in and got on with styling the hair that was left on my head. Initially, I had given her a picture of what I wanted:

I loved the cut and colour this girl had, although I was sure I'd never be able to get the exact colour; I didn't think I would suit it or that my hair would even go that light. Nevertheless, my hairdresser went ahead and aimed for this style and colour, so I was excited to see how it would turn out. She put a highlighting cap on my head and pulled as much hair through as she possibly could. It did hurt a bit and the cap is pretty tight, but I got used to it once the bleach was on my hair, and I knew it was worth it anyway.

I was left like this for around half an hour, and when my hairdresser came to check if the colour had lifted, she was quite surprised; my hair had gone a LOT lighter than it initially was:

I was beyond excited now, I had never had my hair this light before and I couldn't wait to see the finished product. Once she felt it had been bleached enough, she rinsed my hair, then added some toner to get the ashy look I was going for. I sat with that for around 20-30 minutes, then my hair was washed again. Now it was time for the trimming - this was the part I was actually the most nervous about because I wanted my hair just like the picture I had used initially. After some snips and cuts, my hair was ready to be dried. I watched in the mirror, amazed at the colour. I genuinely couldn't believe how light it had gone! Once dried, my hairdresser adjusted any bits that needed it, then used straighteners to give it a little shape and style. She finished, and asked me what I thought - I don't think I've ever been so excited about a haircut in my life!

End result - I LOVE it!!

I thought that cutting off my long hair would be scary, but once I was sat in the salon in front of the mirror, I was encouraging my hairdresser to do it; I don't regret it one bit. My hair is so much easier to manage, I'm madly in love with the colour and I'm beyond ecstatic that I get to help a child who has lost their hair with the donation of my own. Cutting my hair was the best decision I have made in a while, and while it can be frightening to think about, once it's done it feels amazing. I may have long hair again in the future, and if I ever get to the point again of wanting to cut it off, I'm glad I know that I can donate it... and that it's not so scary after all!

Thinking about going for the chop? If you meet the guidelines, you too can donate your hair to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs and hairpieces for children who have lost their hair. Visit their website here - and don't worry if you can't donate hair, you can donate money or even fundraise for the cause too.

Thanks for reading!