For the last 12+ years I’ve had long hair, but not anymore. Today I had 10 inches cut off and donated it to Locks of Love.

My friend Jen (who donated her hair over the summer) and my hairdresser planted the seed for donating my hair. Now, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t worried a bit about doing this. The last time I cut my hair shorter than shoulder length, I looked 12. I was 17. When you are a 17-year-old starting college, the last thing you want is to look 12. Nowadays, I’m pretty confident I won’t be mistaken for 12. And if I was, I’d probably be flattered. But still, there was that little vain voice that was nagging me: What if you look silly with short hair? What if your husband hates it? But my husband thought short hair would look sexy, so I couldn’t use him as an excuse to back out. And in general I try not to be someone that is resistant to change because I’m afraid of the outcome. I won’t know if I like my hair short if I don’t try it. (Folding long hair up to chin level is not a good test of how that length will look on you, by the way.) So what if it didn’t look good? It’s only hair. It will grow out. And it’s for a good cause, for pete’s sake. If you are already considering going short, and you have enough length to donate, I don’t know if there is much better motivation than knowing you will actually be helping someone if you do. It can really shake you out of that vain perspective when you consider there are people with cancer who might appreciate you doing this.

So I did it. I chopped my hair. And when Hayley cut off my 10-inch braid, I was actually excited, not nervous or sad like I thought I might be. And I’m loving my new short ‘do.