The history of your hair

[Echobelly]

Are you a long-hair-for-life girl or have you switched it around? Did you cut it short once and then never have it long again (or grew it ASAP and never cut it short again?)

I'm 48, with pretty straight boring light-brown hair. Was quite a tomboy kid and had long hair until I was 6 or 7, when I got a chin length bob with a fringe. Then aged about 8 had it cropped really short, which I loved and it basically remained that way much of the time until I was nearly 35.

I did grow it to my shoulders aged 13-16 when I didn't fit in at secondary with all the super girly girls, but hair didn't make any difference and at around 16 I cropped it again having found my friend group and myself. In 6th form I bleached it. End of A-levels I bleached and dyed it pink, uni I had it either cropped or in a very short bob, bleached it with dip-dye pink just after I left uni. It was also bleached and blue at one point.

Then cropped it again and variously had dark red bob/bowl cut with thick bleach streaks (when that sort of thing was a thing for a bit) cropped and dyed it ginger, had purple extensions sticking out at the back, dark purple all over (as it was when I met now DH), crop, grown out crop (which I had when I married). Got a short bob after I was married, cropped before I had my kids and dyed my fringe pink during second mat leave.

Then bobbed and finally grew it out and had long hair for the first time in my adult life aged 36-45. Never really knew what to do with it, though - it was a ponytail or a messy bun, everything else was far too complicated for me!

3 years ago, cut to chin length bob with undercut on one side when I decided I wanted to have short hair again - next haircut going to change again and get it shorter with more visible undercut.

My mother always hated long hair, and I’ve always loved it!

The minute I was 16 I started growing it, and just ignored all her nasty comments. She comments on every woman with long hair, always saying something nasty, unless it’s the golden grandchild, my niece who has long hair, as do both my DDs.

I’ve had mine long ever since, until the start of this year when I had it cut to just a little longer than my collarbone, as recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and I was struggling to manage it.

That's really unusual to have such a thing against long hair. Usually it's short hair on women people have an issue with.

I had one a relative who was so against doing anything too different with hair it really left a impression on me. They really thought if I dyed it or cut it soo short or too long it would be ruined for life. They were very very focused on what you looked like being your worth.
I've stayed pretty safe and really wish I had experimented more in my youth.
I did dye it platinum blonde which I loved but said relative took me to have it dyed back to mousey brown with just highlights. The platinum was a lot of work to keep re dying my roots but I'm glad I at least had it for a while.

I've had long hair and short ish hair. Currently I have a long bob. I'd like to maybe do a undercut but I do worry about the awkward grow out phase if I want to change it.
This past few years I've done pink purple and green on my ends. I've now got a lot of grey coming in so to do anything all over would be exhausting re dying every 2 weeks. But it can feel incredibly boring sometimes. I do wish I had done more colours when I was younger but hey ho. I'll do what I can now without exhausting myself or my bank balance.
Even the act of letting my silvers come through at 34 is rather rebellious to previously mentioned relative 😂 who does dye their hair, the hypocrisy. Lord knows why my relatives were so invested in my hair or looks. I guess they saw me as an extension of them 🤢

I had long hair till I was 12 then had it cut into a bob with a fringe and I haven't been able to grow it that long since. It sits just above my shoulders and that's where it has stayed for about 40 years 🤣. I've had it loads of different colours: dark brown, red, burgundy, golden brown, all over blonde & now I have t section highlights to cover the grey. Love it. I also had a few perms back in the 80s

Interesting what effect people close to us have on our hair. As a kid my mum had pretty outrageously 80s punky hair - pink or purple or both with shaved sides and back-combed at the top etc. I loved my mum looking different and she had an amazing hairdresser who cut my and my sister's hair too.

Long hair for life here! I've straightish hair which waves at the end. My mother had lovely wavy hair. She was convinced, when I was 13, that my hair was straight because it was 'heavy' and therefore wouldn't wave and needed the weight taken out of it, so needed to be cut much shorter. Of course I hated the idea but somehow she tricked me and ended up cutting it to around collar length (she used to cut it). So guess what, it was then dead straight with no movement whatsoever! 😅 So after that, never will I have short hair again and it doesn't suit me whatsoever. 😂

Also wanted a fringe when I was 9, but the experience was so awfully painful, the hairdresser said my thick hair 'needed thinning' and proceded to use some type of comb that was literally ripping my hair out by the roots. Needless to say I never wanted a fringe again either! However when I reached 40, I thought I would try one again. Plucked up courage and went to the hairdresser - who simply pulled some hair forward and cut it straight across! Job done! Really does suit me and so I kept that!

I've had long hair all my life, whenever I have cut it to medium length my mum has complained as she likes long hair. I am in my 40s btw 😆😆 For the first time i have cut it short, and it's so freeing!

As a kid I had a bob, then I begged my mum to let me have long hair. As a teen I had long hair with various bright colours. Then when I was 18 the Frankie from the Saturdays/ Rihanna asymmetrical bob was in fashion so I had a bright red one for a while but then I couldn’t be bothered going to the hairdressers all the time so it’s been long ever since.

I might get a lob at some point.

I absolutely love your list of styles OP! It would make a great photo board if you had a pic of each of them.

I have super thick frizz so my hair doesn't really do styles, it just is. Maybe 1% of the time I can get it looking amazing and enjoy all the compliments. And the other 99% it looks dishevelled or even unhinged.

I get irrationally angry at the phrase "just run a brush through it".

I’ve had long hair for a while now but I’ve had it all sorts of lengths, shaven included. Hair grows back so as far as I’m concerned it’s ideal to experiment with.

The only thing I’ve (sadly) never done is experiment with colours. If I was financially able to have it professionally done and maintained I probably would risk it. I’d love to try and go redhead for a bit.

I had a bob age three, quite long hair through primary, then when I was a pre teen my mum started encouraging me to have it short, so I had various structures short styles. Briefly had an attempt at the Jennifer Aniston ( looked nothing like Jennifer Anniston. When I was 14 I grew it and started highlighting it, then highlighting and perming it so for a while I had quite big curly hair. Then I discovered hair extensions at about 25 so it was always quite blonde and long with clip ins. At 29 I started having weaves but always some variation of blonde with low lights, either red or light brown. Now I’m 41, I still have extensions but they’re shorter and I’ve gone more dark blonde for upkeep. I do hate my hair though. It’s such a battle

I have sadly few photos of the many styles! Worse, there aren't many of my mum's amazing hair.

I think I suit short hair better, definitely when I was younger. My hair is a boring colour and texture, and also not that interesting looks-wise (though I have good eyes), so having the crop gave me something memorable to people and also brings out my eyes.

As a bonus I realised in retrospect, it's bloody amazing for avoiding harassment, because the kind of knuckle-draggers who like to yell things at women or get in their faces don't register you as woman if you have very short hair. Result! So, not ideal if you want to swamped by men - most blokes actively don't like shorter hair, that seems to be a fact - but great if you want to avoid the worst ones!

So it means you'll only tend to catch the eyes of more thoughtful guys who look beyond conventional 'femininity'. Certainly my DH will say he was attracted to me in part on account of my pixie crop. He likes me having short hair much more than long!

I’ve dyed it every colour known to man.

Did the bob, had dreadlocks, fried my hair with bleach so had to get it cut off.

Basically I’ve abused my hair and probably deserve to be bald.

Always had long hair, shortest was a few inches below my shoulders and I didn’t like it. My mum is mid 70s with long hair still and she looks amazing

I always had short hair, from being a kid to my 40s. Losing my hair during chemo wasn't such a big deal for me as it was so short anyway so grew back very quickly, nor was going grey as it is a shiny silver now.

Then came lockdown and I let it grow, and have kept it long ever since. Much easier not to have to get it cut so often, and can put it up or tie it back as the mood takes me.

My mum didn’t like long hair either! I had quite a short bob until teens and since my twenties (I’m mid 30s now) it’s been the same style - just past shoulder length with long layers and shorter around the face. My hair is pretty straight naturally but I have always straightened it too.

I’m a mousey brown/blonde and I dabbled with box dye while at uni (BIG MISTAKE) and had a few balayages in the last few years. I’m currently colour free but I was thinking about a balayage again soon, so nice to be a wee bit lighter for the summer.

My mum hated long hair, so throughout my childhood she made me have hideously short haircuts. Needless to say once I took control of my own hair I grew it long, mid 50s now with long hair!

All sorts of lengths from pixie to bra strap (it doesn't want to get any longer than that) in cycles over my adult life but never coloured it, it's dark brown and would need bleaching for any significant colour change. A few ill-advised perms in my early 20s too, even though it's wavy, I have learned how to work with the waves now to get a more curly look when I want it. It's shoulder length at the moment, which is the shortest it's been for the last 20 years or so.

Long hair as a kid until the week before dsis wedding when she'd planned both flower girls would have their hair in ringlets. I'd gone shopping with df who allowed me to have it all chopped off!(I was a spoilt daddies girl). Then long through primary, then shoulder length pageboy, then super short. Flicked out perm. Long bob. Short/longer/shortish. Then the 80s and a spiky fronted number. I found a radical hairdresser at uni who rejected curling tongs, perms and sensible cuts. I walked into the pub with a severe medieval bob to a chorus of Blackadder. Then really really short Annie lennox crop which i loved and i had the cheekbones for. Then a variety of bobs really for 30 years. I no longer colour it as its a pale silver blonde.

I’ve had below shoulders hair naturally curly for most of my life, it’s greying a little but still mostly a dark blond in my 50’s. My dm thought i should cut it years ago when i had children, apparently it’s a thing you do, not me, no intention to dye it either, I want longish hair always, even grey

A chin-length bob is the shortest hair I've ever had, and waist length hippie style is the longest. Sometimes a fringe and sometimes not.
Now I'm in my 50s, I've settled on shoulder length with a few layers, and a wispy fringe to disguise the forehead wrinkles!

It's still the same colour it's always been (very few greys) but much finer than it used to be. Never had a perm, and never had it professionally coloured either.

I love this idea for a thread.

I had long hair until 15 when I had it cut into a Farrah Fawcett Majors flick up style. Then a perm and then at 18 went for a short crop, Princess Diana style.

Grew it into a bob in my twenties, blonde highlights and stayed with varying lengths of bob until 50 when I chopped it again.

Stopped colouring it due to allergies which coincided with the pandemic so I could grow it out in private and now have a short crop with a white streak at the front, a bit like Emma Thomson in Down Cemetery Road.

My mother has a lot of strange and unpleasant views on a lot of things, she’s very judgmental about other women, their hair, their clothes, their careers/jobs, she’s just an unpleasant person all round really.

I have as little to do with her as possible!

I suppose there was also a view from maybe about 1950s to 1980s that it was smart and sensible for little girls to have short hair. Makes some sense given it saves a lot of brushing and styling time, especially if girl in question doesn't like brushes or tangles. I feel that these days there's a lot more pressure for little girls to have long hair that their mum knows how to style beautifully. I certainly didn't with oldest, I could never get the hang of even plaiting.

I had a page boy cut when I was little, then grew it to shoulder length, used Toners rich mahogany when I was about 10, at secondary school it was long all the way through, cut short and dyed black with electric blue highlights when I was 18, black and electric blue extensions when I was 21, kept it long since then, it's now bum length, occasionally use Lush hennas.