Hair Donation

Surprise!  I have always had long hair.  When I was a kid and early teenager, it was really long and hit below my waistline.  Then I decided to trim it back a bit and then I have settled with below shoulder length for a good part of my life.  Once I did get it cut just below my shoulders, maybe brushing the tops, that has been the absolute shortest I have had it since a child when my sister and I would get the same thick bangs, bowl-like hair cut.

My friend Kj and my sister Kathy have both donated their hair to charities and I have been wanting to do that too.  But that means cutting my hair really short or growing it forever to get it long enough where I won't miss the long length.

As you can see from these two pics, my hair was getting pretty long:

January 2013

May 2013

I chose the charity that Kj used which was Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  This charity was started in 2006 and it is Pantene partnered with the American Cancer Society to bring real-hair wigs to women fighting cancer.

I made my appointment and then rescheduled it because I had not made up my mind about the style.  I finally went on July 3 to get the snip!

Here is me preparing for the cut:

The hair must be freshly washed and dried.  So she pinned up my shorter layers that were on the top and blew dried the bottom layer, which was the longest.  She placed it in rubber bands and then cut right above where the top band was.

It may be hard to see the ruler on the left, but I was able to cut off and so therefor donate 11 inches!!!  They only require a minimum of 8 inches!  

Here is the after:

Wow, huh?  I almost don't even recognize myself!  She has styled my hair kind of funny, where it curled under into a big mushroom.  Ugh...not helping!  I was feeling a bit strange as it was, then to have a mushroom on my head!?  In addition to it raining outside, the style took a dive anyway.

After dinner, I went home and flat ironed it so the ends were straighter, since I was looking for a flatter style, not a bushy one.  I like the side-swept bangs.  I parted it on the opposite side than I am used to, so I need to train the hair to stay over on it's own.  Right now it just wants to be in my face.

Overall, I am liking it!  I did tell a few people that I was growing it to donate, but did not really say when I was doing it.  Surprise, surprise!