Valkyrie Fall 2017 - Issue 1

Growing Out
Your Hair
Story by Parker Page Trau Asst. Style Editor
Design by Mariana Novakovic Style Editor
Graphics by Andrea Flores
Everybody hears about the weighty decision that
comes with cutting your hair short. The big chop
is always a difficult decision, and when it’s done, you have
to go through the shock of such a drastic change. You
will get comments from all of your friends, family and
coworkers. However, few people mention the decision to
grow your hair out. It can be a huge change, especially
if someone has had short hair for most of their life.
Growing your hair out does not have the same instant
gratification as cutting it off, but it is a decision you must
make every day therefore some think it to be harder.
“It gets annoying and when I get too annoyed I
cut it off. It also gets harder to wash and there are
awkward lengths. Also, there is no real gratification
from others when it’s finally at your desired
length,” said sophomore Kendall Aronson.
Before you decide to grow out your hair you should
talk to your current stylist about what you need to do
to start on the right foot. Depending on your current
length and style, you may need to go shorter before you
can go longer. For example, if you currently have it
cut so it is shorter in the front and longer in the back,
you might decide to even it out or else you could end
up rocking a mullet. So, if you want to look less Achy-
Breaky Heart and more The Little Mermaid, you will
want to take a step back before moving forward.
Depending on how short your hair is and the current
style which you have it cut, you may experience periods
of awkward length. There will be many days you just
can’t get it to look the way you want and may want to
throw in the towel and cut it back. Don’t be discouraged.
After all it took Rapunzel 18 years to grow out her
legendary locks. Make the most of these times by
trying new things. Research some looks and tutorials
to try on Pinterest or YouTube. Treat yourself to
some hair accessories you wouldn’t normally wear! It
may seem counterintuitive, but having it shaped and
trimmed every 8 weeks or so can help manage those
in-between lengths, especially if you have layers.
Remember that everyone’s hair grows at different
rates. Be patient and kind with your hair. It is doing
its best! They best way to help your hair grow is to
keep it healthy. Try to minimize using heat and when
you do make sure your use a heat protectant. Damage
from heat can cause brittle hair and breakage.
The texture of your hair is also something you need
to consider. People with straight, wavy, curly, or kinky
hair all need different things. Straight hair will grow
out much different than someone with C4 kinky hair.
Give your hair some vitamins. Biotin is good for your
hair, skin, and nails. Its available to take as a pill along
with many other supplements available on the market.
Moroccan oil is good for preventing split ends as well.
Growing out your hair is not an exclusively
feminine look. Guys can rock all kinds of lengthy
looks if they take proper care of it and style it.
Love it or hate it, the man bun is in and doesn’t
seem to be going anywhere for a while.
So, if you think your next big change to your look
is longer hair do your homework! Research what is
going to work the best for your hair. Go online and
talk to your hairstylist, figure out the best plan of
action for getting started anad stick with it. If you
want something bad enough it’s worth the wait.
The Big Chop vs. the Long Wait
52 Style
VALKYRIE 53