Friday 5 March 2010

Hair crisis

Today I have mostly been staring at work documents till my eyes dried up.

Tomorrow, though, I am going to the big city*, to the posh hairdressing saloon to get myself beee-yoo-tee-fied.  I am facing a dilemma, albeit a small, petty, over-indulged middle-aged woman one. 

Should I have my hair cut short, or should I keep it long?  I've had very short hair and very long hair over the years, although not at the same time.  That would mean a dreadful gravedigger or mullet stylee.  Cute on biker dudes, dreadful on women.  Yes, even you, lesbian sportswomen. 

I quite like my hair, there's lots of it and it isn't grey yet, and it tends to look pretty good most of the time, despite my dreadful laziness and non-use of "products" on it.  It gets washed, it gets blow dried upside down, it gets a brush and it's ready to go.  Job done. 

Hair, long, brown, wavy, for the use of. 

However, I've been looking at the smart London ladies I see around the place when I am in town, and feeling just slightly intimidated and scruffy. 

Maybe I should wear a funky French plait?  I can do them on other people but not on myself, which isn't much use.

Or a proper bun, all strict and dominatrix-y?  Although I think I am still far too chunky to pull that look off convincingly quite yet. 

Even a bit of proper blow dry styling might help, although that tends to make me look like Nerys Hughes in the Liver Birds**, which is not the smart, professional look I am aiming for.

As you can see, this train of thought is interminable.  And, inevitably, it leads me to the "ooh, I could get it all cut off again!" idea.

I've done that a few times over the years, and whilst I do like the dramatic effect of going from long hair to very short hair  (why, Mrs WithaY!  You look ten/twenty/thirty years younger!  I'd never noticed what lovely cheekbones/teeth/ears you have!")  it is a lot less versatile, and I get bored with it quickly. Then I start to grow it out, which takes three years, and I whine regularly about having had it cut off in the first place. 

So.  What to do, what to do.

I think I might look at hairstyles on the internet and then at least be able to offer an idea of what  I want, rather than falling back on the trusty "Just trim it a bit and take off any split ends please," approach I usually adopt. 

Hmm, let's see...

I like this, but it looks like a LOT of work.  Plus I grew my fringe out and am not sure I want another one.



This one is mental, but interesting.  A bit Veronica Lake-y.



This one gives me flashbacks to being at school in the early 80s...that fringe must take a LOT of hairspray.



This one is completely bonkers but I reckon I could carry it off. 



It might be a bit awkward on the Tube though. 

I'll let you know how I get on.



*Salisbury.  Hey, it has a Marks and Spencer.  And a cinema.  And a Lakeland.  No Long Tall Sally though, sort it out, Salisbury. 

**Google it, American readers.  And anyone under 35.

Pictures nicked from here

4 comments:

Middle Sis said...

Keep it long and have a bit of a fringe. Ask the hairdresser to show you how to pleat-it-up (or whatever). You'll regret having it cut short.

You look better (and equally youthful!) with log hair, whereas I look better with short (professional yet funky) hair.

Sorted.

Spencer said...

I agree with Middle Sis. Keep it long. Professionalism is how you conduct yourself not your hairstyle, and you have no issues with that.

I've known you with both and long gets my vote.

Anonymous said...

My old Mum always says that women of a certain age shouldn't have long hair - I have never been able to extract from her what she deems a certain age. I think that if one is short, then long hair can make you look shorter.
My hair is shortish as it is now completely white and I dislike long, grey/white hair, but that's just personal taste. My hair also looks as though I've dragged through a bush backwards most of the time as the texture of hair changes as it goes grey - gets all wirey and woolly!

livesbythewoods said...

Middle Sis, yep, that's exactly what I went for. And my youthful good looks need all the help they can get!

Spence, thank you. Maybe I should stop eating chopped fruit out of stainless steel bowls in the office. With my feet.

dragondays, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking - am I too old for long hair? Luckily, the answer (in my head) was "No, it looks fine," so it stays.