Taming the Beast

I finally got a hair cut.  My hair had gotten so long it was starting to overwhelm me.  I haven't had a haircut in 3 months, which is a very long time when you have hair like mine.  I am now probably good for another four months.

My hair is naturally curly, wiry and wild.  A bit like me:).  Until I was 50 I was constantly trying to tame it.  I tried many different haircuts and would only occasionally get one I could manage.  But, mostly, my hair ran the show and so I learned how to use ball caps , hats and scarves to keep it hidden and under control.

I have also had varying shades of color applied to my hair thinking maybe this would camouflage my unruly hair.  My first experiment was putting in a peroxide streak which turned out to be a wider swath than intended and had me hiding in curlers and a hairnet so that my father would not notice.  The curlers eventually came out and the family lived with my new hair until we all got used to it.  In high school I had my hair frosted as a treat to help ease the depression of yet another move.  That particular style aged me so much I was mistaken for a teacher.  I was a red head for a good 15 years and the color seemed to have suited me as people thought that was my natural color.

I have tried to go completely natural, but still have a few streaks of color.  I also have these beautiful ribbons of grey/white that will eventually take over and hopefully that will be the end of the coloring process.

After many, many attempts to find a suitable haircut, I have finally allowed my hair to be as wild as it wants.  I no longer try to tame it, straighten it, make it behave.  As I have allowed myself to just be, I have also allowed this freedom to my hair.  It has given both of us a much better life.