If you want longer Locks, how do you get There?
Growing hair longer, especially when the decision has been made to embrace the silver, is not as simple as it sounds. It is often accompanied by a “growing out” phase of colour and an emotional adjustment towards the grey. However brave and self-confident we are, leaving our hair well alone is not the habit of most females.
I have had curly/wavy hair all my life. Was I ever happy with that? Absolutely not and have tortured my hair straight for decades. Plus there has been colour, every colour and lots of it so staying natural for the last few years has been a total revelation. I miss the chat with the colourist and the 3 hours of non-stop gossip magazine reading but I don’t regret my change of heart. Not anymore. I did feel “on and off” about going grey while it grew out but now I have willingly accepted it.
As well as leaving the silver to do its own thing I have also let my hair grow.
My hair is now longer than I have ever worn it. I can’t say I have found the perfect length; maybe too long or maybe I need another inch. I am still deciding. I felt the contrast and the unexpected nature of colour against a longer length was a strong counterbalance to my expectations of grey. Memories of short and unattractive grey heads made me nervous and less inclined to accept my new shade of living.
With highlights – my favourites were a creamy blonde – I had no trouble wearing it short or mid-length. My haircut of choice was a very sharp bob on or just under the jawline. There were the above shoulder length layers and the just on forays; the fringe was the only chop I left alone.
Once the grey became a way of life the length stayed and stayed. Would a psychologist have a field day with this? Perhaps. There are days when the blow-dry works and the cut is fresh I love it and there are days when the ponytail stays up for too long and I’m doubtful.
Hair for us is a work in progress.
How to grow our longer locks?
Growing our hair longer, whatever the colour, is simply not as easy as “let it go”.
It can look unkempt, messy and if grey is your stage, not the best idea. Keep trimming at least every 6 weeks and apart from keeping the hair looking better, a cut provides moral support when the temptation to give in is strongest.
Length requires regular cutting, good conditioning and patience.
We have to give it up to get the final length we want. Some hairdressers will say let it go and wait, I disagree. Taking a little of the length every month makes the growing period slower but the end result is much better. The hair will be in good condition and fall better.
When in doubt, sleep on it.
I have those days when I want to chop it all off. I am impulsive like that but I have taught myself to wait for 24hours and reassess. Usually, I book in for a trim because that is all I really want.
Tie or pin it up.
When the hair is at the “scrappy” length, tie it back, slick it down or pin it away. When it starts to become annoying is when we give in and cut.
Lose a layer.
Negotiating a layered cut to a longer length means chopping off one layer at a time. don’t let the hairdresser talk the joys of high layers – they only need to grow back. Most layers look best starting around the jawline unless you are fringed and fabulous.
Patience is a virtue.
Growing our hair is a task it does require patience and you have to want it.
Sometimes having longer locks makes no sense to me as most of my life I wear it tied up or in a clip.
For now, it’s working, but I never like to say never. xv
The Grey Diaries: One Of Each Please
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