Hair, to cut or not to cut? - Page 2

[hildare]

i wouldn't cut mine! it's easier to take care of when it's long, in my opinion.
braids are your friend. two over the shoulder braids or one long one down your back. everyone's hair is different but i find that when i do the two braids, it's easy to go longer without upkeep and looks relatively decent. it also keeps little fingers from pulling out individual strands, which is what hurts. yanking on thick braids doesn't hurt. hair fallout is a pain pp, but there's not much you can do about it.

[Mrs.Music]

I did... after both kids. But I do that pretty often... Plan to grow it out and then something (a baby, hot weather, etc) prompts me to cut it off to make it easier. I'm not doing that this time. I swear.

[jeslynn]

Nope. Just because I'm a mom didn't mean I was going to cut my hair to make things "easier". Besides, there's nothing easier than putting it in a ponytail.

Keep it long! I've known many people who have regretted it and made them feel horrible after they gave birth.

[kawa kamuri]

short postpartum haircut = 1st step to grandma hair

[Mackenzie]

I guess I am the rare one that cutting my hair, in pregnancy, made my life less like hell (summer pregnancies, one in the heat of dallas) and after giving birth, it made me look better...

I really think it is the thickness of my hair. I assure you there is such thing as "too thick" and in pregnancy, I reach that point and go far beyond it...

[beebalmmama]

I had long thick wavy hair down my back with ds 1. I kept it long and it was easier to deal with. I could always throw it in a ponytail and keep it out of my way. I usually wore a loose ponytail or half braid to bed and that kept it out of the way while cosleeping. I eventually started cutting it short when ds was 2 and 3. But that is because I think I look better with short hair and I went back to work and wanted to look more professional.

I had shorter hair already when pregnant with ds 2. I kept meaning to get it cut again prior to his birth, but it was still long enough to pull back during labor which turned out to be nice. Plus then my first 2 hours postpartum free time was a trip to the salon which actually turned out to be really nice to get pampered post baby. We often try to pamper ourselves when pregnant but then often don't continue to or find the time to post baby, kwim.

[ASusan]

I lived in scrunchies and clips for 30 months, then I had it cut way short. I look and feel soooo much better. I am a short-hair kinda gal, anyway. Plus, the pregnancy had taken all the curl out of my hair, and it took me that long to acknowledge it. I so wish I had done it sooner.

[3xMama]

For me, my hair just doesn't look good short. And once my hair becomes too short, it is much harder to deal with. I'd stock up on some various forms of hair ties-scrunchies, elastic bands, jaw clips and/or bobby pins and keep something on you at all times so if you want to throw it up at any point, you can do so easily.

For me, keeping little fingers out was a matter of not really allowing it to happen in the first place. If either of my kiddos got curious about my hair, I'd distract them from it, even at a young age. If DS (1 yr) gets too curious now, I just pull it into a ponytail.

I've noticed an increase in shedding around 2 months pp. I just brush my hair a few extra times to get it out and am sure to brush it before I get in the shower to make sure it doesn't clog the drain.

[potatofairy]

what, you dont like the dumpy mom bun?  :]

i just kept the ends trimmed to keep it from getting dready.

braids were helpful in the newborn days.

my hair fell out when he was 4 to 7 months old,

and then i had these totally awesome little two inch things growing up...

i'm glad i kept it long though.

[Smokering]

I kept mine long - and I mean, hip-length - but only by sheer bloody-mindedness. :p I did NOT want to cave and get the "mom cut" - having long hair is part of my identity, as pathetic as that sounds. Unfortunately I was also doing water-only washing at the time, which wasn't as low-maintenance as advertised, for me. My hair got pretty gross without a lot of boar bristle brushing and grooming. So after a few months I switched to baking soda/apple cider vinegar washes, which made things considerably easier - and since then I've switched up to all sorts of methods, depending on the day. Conditioner-only, Indian herbs, however the spirit moves me.

Honestly, my hair (which is now longer than hip-length - I can sit on it) is a pain more often than not, but I like having it around for the days I actually want to do a fancy crown braid (a la my avatar!) or whatever. And it never looked good short when I was a kid, so I don't want to risk it. After this baby, I might get it cut shorter - like, back to waist-length - because it does actually make a difference in terms of feeling more low-maintenance, but I can still do all my hairstyles.

I always wear my hair up anyway, so baby-grabbing was never an issue. (DD does try to "help" me brush it when it's down, though - ulp!) Bunned or braided hair is really impressively baby-proof - whereas a chin-length bob has all these little tempting dangly ends that can't be secured without a good deal of fuss (cornrows? lots of gel? a really wide headband? I dunno!).

Also, yeah, hennaing postpartum sucks. It's a pain at the best of times, but I had pretty ghastly roots by the time I got around to hennaing after I had DD! Still, that's not a hair length issue... and I wasn't willing to give up my red hair. At least it was cheap and didn't require me to put clothes on and go to the hairdresser!

So anyway: I know PP haircuts can make some ladies feel like new women. But if you WANT to keep your hair, fight for it! :) Don't just chop it because that's what mums do - chances are you'll regret it, and feeling sad about that is the last thing you need post-partum.

[cyclamen]

Mine is super thick, coarse, and wavy.  It was down to my waist, all one lenght, when my daughter was born.  Let me tell you, before she was born, I loooved my long hair.  I thought it looked chic and beautiful.  Tons of waves.  I never even spent that much time on my hair.  But afterwards...

She used to rip it out even when it was braided.  It started to look straggly and overwhelmingly huge if it wasn't braided - too thick to ponytail, too massive to put it in a quick bun, absolutely no crown volume whatsoever, no matter what I did, even pinning didn't help.... My face practically disappeared if I left it loose.  So when she was 6 months old I chopped it to my shoulders.  It looked awesome, super healthy.  No more tangles, so easy to care for - a fresh start! Felt like "me" again, not like a "mom" cut, which is what I was afraid of.    When I started shedding at 12 months, it was less drainclogging at half the length.  I've maintained it at my shoulders for about a year now and I think I'm ready to start growing it again.  When it gets long again, it will be healthier than it was before.  No more stragglies!

[cyclamen]

Originally Posted by potatofairy 

what, you dont like the dumpy mom bun?  :]

Oh my gosh, this is what made me cut my hair.  I had the saddest saddest dumpiest mom bun.

[potatofairy]

aww cyclamen! mine is pretty horrendous! 

i have since dyed it pink. i look just as dirty, but now it's punk rock and therefore ok! haha

[peainthepod]

No "mom cut" for me! I already looked weird enough six months post-partum with my first baby, when all the hair that fell out after he was born started growing back and I had like this weird crewcut thing growing UNDER my long hair. It would have been positively freakish if I'd cut it short on top of that. I assume something similar will happen this time and I'm planning to wear lots of hats...

It's down to the middle of my back now and I think I might grow it a few more inches and then just keep it trimmed. I like to wear it down (I know, I know) but the ability to quickly pull it back in a bun, ponytail, or braid is killer. Short hair doesn't look good on me anyway and I'm having enough problems with my body image right now without adding "ugly hair" to the list.

[cyclamen]

Originally Posted by potatofairy 

aww cyclamen! mine is pretty horrendous! 

i have since dyed it pink. i look just as dirty, but now it's punk rock and therefore ok! haha

haha

punk - dirty on purpose! 

[A Mom's Love]

I get headaches with ponytails, braids, buns & the like.  I have a very sensitive scalp, hence I wear a bob & plan on getting a trim the month before baby is due.

[Quinalla]

I like my hair just long enough to put in a pony tail, the pony tail is my lazy hair style of choice, keeps the hair out of my way and out of baby's hands I like it to not get too long since my hair gets very heavy.

As for when it starts falling out after birth, mine was ~3-4 months PP.

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

The only change I made to my hip-length, thick, wavvy hair about a baby was to go no-wash. I brush it out well every day with a spray bottle of water, essential oils, and mild conditioner. I braid it and soak it in water when I take a bath, then brush it out. I actually wash it with shampoo probably once every few months.

I would never cut my hair. I haven't found it hard to deal with at all, having a baby. We'll see how I feel after number two comes around. =)

~Rose

[Xavismom]

Originally Posted by potatofairy 

.

my hair fell out when he was 4 to 7 months old,

and then i had these totally awesome little two inch things growing up...

Arrrghh! I have these and loathe them!

I also cut mine pre-birth, for the reasons OP stated. Big, sad horrid regret =(