Resolution Addendum: Bangs

Posted by Ethne~

I considered calling this post ‘Bang Me’ but that felt a little XXX for this blog.  But I am pretty enthusiastic about the subject-matter.

I decided to add ‘go out on a limb’ to my New Year’s Resolution list and I was thinking specifically about my hairstyle.  I’ve never been too creative with my hair.  Not that I don’t want to, but my blonde, straight hair has its limitations.  It doesn’t hold curl without a ton of product and if it’s long it takes forever to blow-dry.

In high school my hair was long, layered and naturally light blonde and gorgeous.  It was amazing.  The long layers made fab loose curls if I wore it down and it made a pretty ringlet ponytail when I wore it up for cheerleading.

Perms were a no-go, as I learned in 6^th grade.  I swore from then on that I’d never get another perm, and in the 22 years since then, I’ve stuck to my word.

I’ve also never been a good person for bangs.  My hair is too limp to rat into a waterfall (hello’80’s) and the thick clump of blunt-cut bangs really never worked for me because my skin is so naturally oily that by noon each day my bangs look like my hair got slimed.  I’ve had all of my stylists since 11^th grade SWEAR that they would never cut bangs on me, no matter how hard I beg.  And they’ve held me to it.

I’ve been pretty happy over the years with my hairstyles.  After my natural blonde highlights faded when I was pregnant (they never tell you about this till you’re already pregnant), I’ve gotten some blonde highlights in my hair every couple of months.  No one besides me can really tell, but I CAN tell and I don’t feel like myself without it.  It pretty much is only in my head since my new stylist, Inger, told me that on a scale of 7 to 15, with 7 being the blondest blonde and 15 being the blackest black, my natural haircolor is still an 8.  I don’t really share these details with Shaun.  He just knows not to ask.

2012 was just calling for a change, and given that it will take a little while for it to grow out to my new goal length of a few inches below my shoulders, I needed a quick fix.  My only option: BANGS.

I went for it.  Inger was never sworn to the no-bang policy, so she had no contractual obligation to abide by.

And I love them.  Inger taught me how to style them in a way that keeps them off of the majority of my greasy forehead, and the sideswept look is in fashion right now, so bonus. 

TA-DA!  Horrible self-portrait, but it's the only pic I have yet

Inger did a great job on my natural-blonde highlights too.  I don’t think many people would even notice.  Thrifty Nana’s (my mom) response was that I am back to high school blonde, and Shaun, after staring at me non-stop for a good hour, told me that he really likes the bangs.  After 11 years together, bang-free all this time, it’s kind of a big deal.

So add ‘go out on a limb’ to your list this year, WOMS.  I’m glad I did.