More Than Just Hair

Like many brides before me, I couldn’t wait to do a post-wedding chop! Brides-to-be often feel the pressure to grow out their hair leading up to the wedding for some preconceived idea of what “bridal hair” should look like. I guess you could say this partly described me (I wanted the gorgeous curly updo as much as the next girl), but really my hair was long to begin with. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I have gotten my hair cut (like literally five times in almost 30 years!). Of course we aren’t counting trims of an inch or whatever to keep it healthy and lose the split ends, but you know what I mean.

For me, my hair is my security blanket. It’s tied to my identity. It makes me feel feminine and pretty and maybe if I’m being totally honest, safe. I joke that my hair is like a curtain when it’s long, it just hangs there…but it also gives me something to hide behind, something to shield my emotions. It takes me back to the feeling of being a kid when all was right with the world. I never realized it before, but looking back, every time I cut my hair drastically it was at a time in my life when I was going through a major change (both good and bad.) Maybe I did it because in situations where things were chaotic, it was something I could control. I cut it for the first time in my life the year we were moving back from South Africa, then, the year I graduated college, followed by the year I broke up with my ex (the one before I met Billie), then the year Billie got sick and now this past time following our wedding. It may seem weird, but short hair brings out different emotions in me. It makes me feel strong and powerful. I feel like I’m taking control of my life and shoving myself out there into the world with my face exposed for all to see. Maybe I sound a little nutty, because maybe for you hair is just hair, and you change it all the time, and hey, that’s cool. To each their own!

Pre and Post Chop—all photos personal

Since I have been growing it for over two and a half years now, it had gotten pretty long. So, what did I do with all that chopped off hair? Well about 10 or 11 inches of it I donated to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths. I forgot to take a pic of the actual ponytail I donated, sorry! I always just assumed I would donate it to Locks of Love. I have donated it there in the past and really was not even aware there was other programs you could donate it to. My wonderful stylist Chris (who are we kidding, I don’t have a stylist, I barely ever cut my hair!) My mom’s wonderful stylist, Chris, suggested that I check out Beautiful Lengths because she likes their program a lot. So for anyone who is contemplating between the two, here’s some differences that sealed the deal for me.

Even after chopping off the pony tail I still had tons of hair on the floor!

Beautiful Lengths is an actual partnership between Pantene® and the American Cancer Society®. Pantene donates the wigs to the ACS’s wig banks and the wigs are then given to women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. Pantene requires eight inch donations. Locks of Love helps children who have experienced hair loss for whatever reason. Hair pieces are provided to children under the age of 21. Locks of Love requires 10 inch donations. Some families have to pay for the wigs (although some do get them for free). It is based on a sliding scale of financial need. I think both programs are very worthy causes, but for me, I decided on Pantene.

My grandmother lost her leg and eventually passed away from cancer when she was younger then I am now, leaving behind my dad who was under a year old. I know even though I never met her that she was a strong lady. I love the idea of my hair (which gives me that sense of security and identity) being passed along to another women, who might be at a time in her life when she needs the same thing. And in a way, it’s a tribute to the woman who made my life possible.

Embracing my inner strength with an outward appearance change.

Did you get a post-wedding chop, or are you keeping your locks? Has anyone donated hair to somewhere other than these two programs? I’d love to hear your transformation stories!

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• scranton

Mrs. Goat

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