Cut

Haircuts are like breakups. You trim your unwanted split ends much like you cut the dead beats out of your life. Sometimes, it's a well thought-out decision. Other times, it's hasty. You wake up one day and realize a change has been a long time coming. No matter how much forethought went into your decision, you always walk away changed, for better or worse. You lose something, your hair or your heart. It takes time to readjust to your new look or your new single life. And there is always the potential for it to be really awesome, or really, well, not so awesome. These two things we have probably all experienced multiple times, unless you're Amish.

Over the years, we all do our fair share of experimentation. We chop or color, straighten or curl. We get bangs then layers, grow it back out, and eventually repeat the entire process. There's a whirlwind of options and we enjoy getting caught up in the journey of trying to discover the best possible versions of ourselves.

The same goes for dating. We wisely, or foolishly [as the case may be] choose from a slew of potential boyfriends. We date, we flirt, we learn about each other. We realize Mr. Perfect ain't all he's cracked up to be, or we can't imagine what life was like before him. Again, we're looking for the person that helps us be the best possible version of ourselves.

It's all somewhat of a guessing game. There's no exact formula, no number to plug in. What worked for some, may not work for you whether that's a hairstyle or a boy.

We work hard to groom ourselves. We wash daily, blow dry, and straighten all in the hopes that we will look as good as we did the first day we walked out of the salon. As with our relationships, we try to make the other happy. We play putt-putt with his friends, we eat Chinese food, we watch movies like The Terminator. Despite our best efforts, however, eventually we need to go back to the salon. Our roots are showing. We've got split ends. There's damage and something needs to be done.

Watching that dead, damaged hair fall to the ground is freeing. You instantly feel liberated, lighter. Like when you break up. Sure you may be sad for a while, you no longer recognize your life without your significant other, just like your reflection is strange to you now. But you both knew [whether you want to admit it or not] that it just wasn't working.

Obviously departing with three inches of hair and your boyfriend are two entirely different things, and I'm by no means trying to liken the heartache of losing someone you loved to a bad haircut. The process, however, can be a fun one. Eventually you'll get it right and when you do, that haircut and that boy are gonna be great.