Weight loss reward majorly backfired!

Options
Turtlesallthewaydown
Turtlesallthewaydown Posts: 64 Member
in Motivation and Support
I promised myself if I went from 198 to 173 (25lbs lost) in 2012 I would splurge on a fancy haircut and color. I did achieve that and went to the salon with hair down my back and a picture of a Victoria's Secret model asking only for a trim and to have my normal hair color freshened up a bit to match said model's color. (kind of a natural dark blonde)
I had a bad reaction to the dye and my hair began to crumble, break and fall out. This was not strong dye or bleach, it was actually just a color depositing glaze of some kind but my hair freaked out. The girl rinsed it as soon as possible but my hair was badly damaged and almost all of it had to be cut, to the point where it's barely longer than my chin.

(Not the salons fault, I've never had a dye reaction before but they are the reason for strand tests. I've been dying my hair since I was 13 regularly with no ill effects and suddenly this... so strand test it, everyone)

So now I am a fat girl with an unflattering, short, expensive haircut. I have a round, puffy face and the hair is pretty much falling in the least flattering way making it look much worse. The dye job is nothing special either, now I'm some kind of shabby dirty blonde color. It's like that first really bad haircut you ever got where you tried a trend that just was not you and you felt like you ruined your whole head. (mine was that bowl cut / bob thing in 5th grade, made me get mistaken for a boy)

My hair was the only thing that made me feel good about how I looked. It was long and beautiful and now it's gone. It took 2 and a 1/2 years to get it to grow past my shoulders so this is not something that will be a quick or easy fix. This is reverse motivation for me as it was meant as a reward but now it's punishing me and reminding me that my weight loss will take even longer than my hair re-growth. It's going to suck to go into work and have to play it off like it doesn't bother me when people notice and make comments like "Why did you cut off all your hair!" blergh.
«1

Replies

  • new2canada
    new2canada Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    I believe, and this is true in most cases...that shorter hair actually makes you look slimmer. If you ever see an over weight person with their hair down and it's past their shoulders, I'm sure you'd agree that the long hair accentuates their curves and isn't as flattering.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Options
    That's sux really badly. I'll try to strand test like I know I should from now on but hey your body is going to be smoking hot very soon so keep up the weight loss and your hair will grow back while you're busy doing that. Don't let this put you off. Go spurge on a nice gift for yourself to makeup for it ASAP!
  • karenthill
    karenthill Posts: 2
    Options
    I'm so sorry this happened to You...epecially since it was a reward. Next time maybe you'll want to buy a nice outfit!
  • Mamapengu
    Mamapengu Posts: 250
    Options
    That is hard. I went in for a trim a week before my wedding- it was down my back- came out with it above my shoulders. I cried that night and now I chuckle when I see the photos, it's not a very good cut for a wedding and was still spasing out that day! Give it a couple of weeks then see if you can find a style that will work as you re-grow. You are beautiful!
  • AnnaNoel_21
    AnnaNoel_21 Posts: 96 Member
    Options
    :( sorry. That is bad. Although it may not look as bad as youthink. I know you love. your long hair, but look at it as a new start for you.
  • jd5351
    jd5351 Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    I've had my share of bad haircuts/color. It's horrible!

    If it's driving you nuts, you could try some hair extensions..I had to do that last year when I got a real hack job done to my hair. I didn't get crazy long ones, but just enough to fill in my hair so that it didn't look so terrible.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    Options
    MAKE IT INTO A DESIGNER HAIR STYLE... A-LINE IT WITH AN EXTREME STACK IN THE BACK!
  • bdenitto
    bdenitto Posts: 210 Member
    Options
    That really stinks! I agree with Mcgraw, an A_Line that is stacked in the back would look really sassy on you.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
    Options
    MAKE IT INTO A DESIGNER HAIR STYLE... A-LINE IT WITH AN EXTREME STACK IN THE BACK!

    ^Her hair looks super cute!! You should copy haha
  • ASPhantom
    ASPhantom Posts: 637 Member
    Options
    You said expensive. They didn't do a strand test and messed up your hair and THEN made you pay for it?
    What?

    I am so sorry. Don't let this stop you from becoming a better you. Your hair is not everything. You can do this and rock that short hair.

    I want to lose my weight and then chop mine off!
  • mAnimalMX
    mAnimalMX Posts: 20
    Options
    plan b reward?? it does suck but think of all the things you can do lol.... you could eat something messy on the freeway with the windows down... you can wear chapstick when it's really windy. you can swim laps in the pool without your hair eating your face... when you jog, it's not sweating on you. p.s. hair grows back yayyyy :)
  • rf1170
    rf1170 Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    I'm sorry to hear about this unfortunate surprise! I had a similar experience about seven years ago, and it honestly ****ed my self image up more than I ever thought it would. However, it was my own fault: I used cheap, store-bought lightener for over a year, and my hair broke off and fell out, forcing me to cut it (it looks like yours was about the same length mine was then). I don't remember when I started to hate the way I looked, but I guess the thought sort of crept in gradually, and before I knew it, I was insecure - and about 20 pounds heavier to boot!

    I know you want your long hair back, but I want to encourage you to embrace the change. Looking back at photos of myself from that time, I think now that I looked great!
    199785_507287884404_7889_n.jpg

    Several years later, I was married (and had gained even more weight) and was learning to love my appearance even if it wasn't what I remembered it to be. I woke up from a nap one day and had this thought that I wanted to shave off my hair. "Surely I'm more emotionally mature now than I was then, right?" I asked myself. I gave myself a week to ponder the change, and then my husband shaved it down to the scalp!
    74372_570950883244_6450646_n.jpg
    Now, I know not everyone wants to be bald - I'm not telling you that you should shave your hair. But - when I decided to get rid of my hair, I was overweight (about 25 or 30 pounds heavier than I am now), I didn't (and still don't) wear makeup, I didn't (and don't, of course) have the "facial bone structure" that everyone said was so important to have if a woman had no hair, and I didn't try to look ultra-feminine. I just got rid of the one feature to which I'd unknowingly hitched my self esteem for so long, simply to see how I'd feel about it. Spoiler alert: I felt great. Sometimes my head was cold, but I loved being bald. I also liked seeing how my natural hair grew back:
    205782_600474103474_4193575_n.jpg
    I didn't cut it for a full year, at which point my husband gave me a floppy, lazy mohawk:
    380302_639330609724_881598536_n_zpsed058a9f.jpg

    I didn't wear hats or scarves, though I thought I might like to, and when I got tired of the uneven hair lengths, my husband cut the middle part to about the same length as the rest. It's been about 10 months or so since then, and I've let it grow again because it's been a while since I had long hair, and I'm too cheap to pay for a hair cut.

    So anyway, I'm sharing this with you because, like I said earlier, I want to encourage you to love your hair and its story. Your hair is just part of your overall appearance, and it's transient, and sometimes it's neat to see what you can do with it just for the hell of the experience. I also "hid" behind long hair when I was heavier, and again, looking back at photos revealed that, while I looked fine, I wasn't fooling anyone into thinking I was thin and gorgeous just because my hair was beyond my shoulders. You're still the same person you were before you went to the salon, and you have a huge accomplishment (your weight loss) to be proud of, hairstyle be damned! Congratulations on reaching your goal, and I hope you come to love your haircut before it grows out. I bet it's cute!

    - Becky
  • VRoseDuda
    VRoseDuda Posts: 129 Member
    Options
    don't hide behind the hair...I realized that long hair does not compliment me well at all. Give the short sassy a chance.
    I can't image growing mine past my chin (I tried once and it looked like I was wearing a wig)
  • tmos512
    tmos512 Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    plan b reward?? it does suck but think of all the things you can do lol.... you could eat something messy on the freeway with the windows down... you can wear chapstick when it's really windy. you can swim laps in the pool without your hair eating your face... when you jog, it's not sweating on you. p.s. hair grows back yayyyy :)
    Nice glass half full! :-)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Options
    Who cares, it's just hair. And even better, it grows back! Focus on the health, fitness and aesthetic improvements you've made and will hopefully continue to make.
  • ChinniP
    ChinniP Posts: 166 Member
    Options



    Several years later, I was married (and had gained even more weight) and was learning to love my appearance even if it wasn't what I remembered it to be. I woke up from a nap one day and had this thought that I wanted to shave off my hair. "Surely I'm more emotionally mature now than I was then, right?" I asked myself. I gave myself a week to ponder the change, and then my husband shaved it down to the scalp!
    74372_570950883244_6450646_n.jpg

    - Becky

    Heeeeyyyyy! You look good with no hair. I just said the other day ... if I lose the weight one of my rewards is to climb to Tirumala from Tirupati barefoot. Last time i went I was sick and it was raining and fat as i was I was afraid i would get stuck in the middle. Anyway ... it is not uncommon to tonsure once you reach the temple. I promised i would tonsure to show no attachment to my looks. :) Let's see if I go bald this time next year.

    Anyway ... you can take hair vitamins to make it grow back faster. I take it for skin and hair ... mostly for skin but my hair grows super fast now. I henna often tho too so it's getting good hair food. Guess being blonde you wouldn't want to henna. :P
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    Who cares, it's just hair. And even better, it grows back! Focus on the health, fitness and aesthetic improvements you've made and will hopefully continue to make.

    It grows back? Oh really???

    (Okay, fine, I guess you meant that specifically for OP and not me. :kicks rocks: )

    But seriously, he's right...don't sweat the petty things (or pet the sweaty things).
  • rf1170
    rf1170 Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    Heeeeyyyyy! You look good with no hair. I just said the other day ... if I lose the weight one of my rewards is to climb to Tirumala from Tirupati barefoot. Last time i went I was sick and it was raining and fat as i was I was afraid i would get stuck in the middle. Anyway ... it is not uncommon to tonsure once you reach the temple. I promised i would tonsure to show no attachment to my looks. :) Let's see if I go bald this time next year.

    Anyway ... you can take hair vitamins to make it grow back faster. I take it for skin and hair ... mostly for skin but my hair grows super fast now. I henna often tho too so it's getting good hair food. Guess being blonde you wouldn't want to henna. :P

    Thanks, ChinniP! I love your pilgrimage plan; how awesome would it be to make good on something you've wanted to do for so long? I will advise doing a skin test with henna as well - after my experience with bleaching, I tried a henna dye to go darker, and had an allergic reaction that had to be treated with prednisone. My scalp was horribly itchy and blistered, and my ears even swelled up for a few days! After that I swore off hair coloring altogether, as it had such ****ty consequences for me. :P
  • Amarallm
    Amarallm Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    I am 45. I've always been heavy and have had my hair from very long to very, very short. I know now that shorter hair is much more flattering when you have a fuller face. (That was the case for me.) I keep my shoulder length hair in layers for body and movement and to "frame" my face rather than overwhelm it. Once you get over the initial shock, you might want to "fine tune" your shorter hair. (It's much easier to care for!)
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    Longer hair makes you look old! I used to wear mine to my waist and thought (at the time) that is was just gorgeous. Then I cut it all off and have worn it shoulder-length ever since. I look 10 years younger now than I did back then. But I'm actually 10 years OLDER! LOL

Categories