rootofnewt | shoulder length and longer!

1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short?
My hair is naturally super, super straight and very fine, though I have a lot of it. It's long (past my bra strap).

2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime?
I didn't have much hair until I was three, at which point it grew in fairly light (blondish). By the time I was four or five, it was thick (but still fine) and chestnut brown. Over the years, it stayed various shades of brown, but as I entered puberty, it started lightening up. At one point, it was *almost* strawberry blonde, sometimes it was dirty blonde, sometimes it was brown with red highlights. When I ws 18, it was dirty blonde with red highlights. When I was 21, it had more red. A couple years ago, it decided to start going brownish-red again. I first tried henna when I was 17. I started using it regularly a few years ago, which is how I've kept my hair from changing a whole hell of a lot. ;) It also conditions my hair and helps protect it from city water, sun damage, etc.

As far as texture... I had my first perm when I was in elementary school. In junior high, I had spiral perms. I stopped perming it regularly in 10th grade, I think. I had one last body perm before going to college, but I let it grow out. My hair is so straight and slippery that perming it was the *only* way to do anything with it. Until I got older and more nimble, not even clips would work. The only way hair pins work in my hair is if i put it up when it's wet *and* braided (and that's not terribly kind to it). It won't hold curl, nor style, unless it's permed.

As far as length... My mom had it cut short when I entered kindergarten because I wouldn't let her wash or brush it when it was long. By first grade, it was to my shoulders again, with bangs. I let my bangs grow out in fifth or sixth grade. I had bangs cut (with the spiral perm) in seventh. I let *those* grow out *and* cut my hair to just below chin-length (with a side-part) in 10th. In 11th grade, I shaved half the back of my head and cut my hair (which was shoulder length) to just above my ears. Actually, my roommate and a friend did that. My mother was *not* pleased, especially since it was my first year at a boarding school. I let it grow out from that point on. It's now longer than it's ever been.

3. How do your normally wear your hair?
down. sometimes i put one of those round-the-head toothed combs in to pull my hair off my face, sometimes i put it in a bun or scrunchie. actually, i always have a scrunchie, so i can at least get my hair out of the way when i get warm. i have various clips i use to keep it out of my face. i love pigtails, but boy loves to see my hair down, so i don't do those too often. when i shower at night, i braid it in two braids.

4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like?
i would love to have more body or ringlets, but i've grown quite fond of my hair.

5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened?
i look back on those perms and cringe. i fried my beautiful, beautiful hair. and the amount of mousse i used in those days... poor ozone hole...

when i was 14 or so, we went on a christmas vacation to arkansas... on NYE, i jumped into a holiday inn pool. when i came up, my hair was *green* from my ears on down. mind you, my hair was a dirty blonde at the time... green did NOT go well with that color. the algicide (copper compounds) had some sort of reaction with my hair and the less virginal parts of it (more perms, more styling products, etc) went a bright and sickly green. i jumped out and dad ran for some swimmer's shampoo, which didn't help. we stopped in at lots of beauty salons and got advice (maybe aspirin? tomato juice! cut it off!)... i kept my hair back in a banana clip for the remainder of vacation. the day before i went back to school, mom tried the tomato juice. i bent over the tub, holding a basin as she poured the juice over my head. then we switched basins and repeated. the bathroom smelled like a catsup factory and the tub looked like a slaughterhouse. the green came out, though i suspected my mother left two green locks right by my ears on purpose.

i still laugh over this story. a number of people assumed i did it on purpose.