The other day I realized I had just too many bottles in my bathroom and shower, so I decided to cull it out and keep only what I need. How I accumulated this overwhelming mess of shampoos, conditioners, and hair care products is beyond me. I am obviously a victim of the media, because for all the dollars I've spent, my hair should look a lot better than it does. I had gels, finishing sprays, mousses, leave-in conditioners, hair polishes, de-frizzers and more.
As I sorted it all out and tried to part with as much as possible, I came to realize why my hair has been basically the same for the last 10 years. You have to USE these products for them to do you any good. I am always in such a big hurry that wash, condition, and blow dry is all I make time for. That $12.50 root lifter just doesn't jump out of the cupboard and perk up my hairstyle and the serum for my "frizzies" can't do it's magic if it stays in the bottle.
Why am I such a sucker for all this stuff? Because hair is every woman's crowning glory! I have pretty nice locks for an old girl and when my hair looks good, I feel my best. Hair is such an important part of a woman's appearance. I am completely age inappropriate because I still have long hair. I refuse to join my over 50 sisters with their bobs and cropped 'do's. Why will you never catch me with short hair? Three reasons. Number #1, "wash and wear" haircuts are really not so easy-peasy. I have had a couple through the years and they require way too much time to look so casual. Reason #2, there are no dirty hair hairdos for short hair. No ponytails, buns, or braids. And Reason #3 that I will never have short hair and probably the most important reason of all: I don't look like Halle Berry.
People in general really care more than ever about expressing themselves through their hair and it's not just about the haircut anymore. The use of non-traditional dye colors is popular with both men and women. At the present time, even one of my grown daughters has purple hair. I am actually pretty used to it and it is way better than when she shaved her head bald a few years ago and texted me a photo of her handiwork while I was on vacation. My daughters are always doing something new to their hair, I never know what I will be greeted with, but I have always contended that it is "only hair" and will grow back. Even when my second youngest had a blue Mohawk in her late teens, I held my tongue. Now that my girls are all women, I have nothing to say about their beauty choices. If I really wanted to stop them, all I would have to do is dye my hair hot pink or Bozo the Clown red to show them up. I will never do that, however. It's not that I don't have the guts, it's that I can't be assured that those wacky dye colors will cover gray.
Throughout the years, famous people have become even more famous because of their hairstyle. From Julius Caesar to Donald Trump, Cleopatra to Farah Fawcett, hairstyles have shaped history. Remember the Beatles and their radically "long" hair which really wasn't long at all? Compared to the crew cuts of the preceding decade, I can see why it was considered so controversial. After that, hairstyles went crazy.
I grew up in the 60s and as a very young teenager was taken to the Broadway production of "Hair". For those of who aren't familiar with the play, it was a musical about the social significance of hair in the groovy 60s. Long hair and curly Afros for both sexes on one extreme and the asymmetric precision cuts of the master, Vidal Sassoon, on the other end. It was a fantastic time and paved the way for how people express themselves today in their hairstyles.
As with everything else in life, there are heroes when it comes to hair and I have so much respect for what they do. There is a group of angels who grow their hair long for several years and then cut it and donate to Locks of Love so wigs can be made for people with cancer. I would love to do this, but they only accept "virgin" hair. Your hair cannot have been colored or chemically treated. Sadly, the "virgin" boat sailed for me a long time ago on all levels.
So back to getting rid of some of this hair crap I don't need. So far I have only parted with one bottle of goo that made your hair stand up straight on it's own. It's guaranteed to give you hair that helps you get your "freak on". I don't need any help, thank you.
