By Emily Garza
Web Content Contributor

Most of my life, I had long hair. Hair that could be styled differently every day and can take forever to dry after a shower. The longest my hair has ever been was either in middle school or my sophomore year in high school, where it was to my lower back.

Last summer, I decided to chop my hair off. I had done it before, but only to my shoulders. This time, I decided on getting a pixie cut. I had never had this type of hair style before in my life, so it was a different thing for me.

I don’t know why I decided to just chop it all off. Maybe it was because I was about to start college, or maybe because I just wanted something different.

At first, I liked the cut. It was different, and that’s what I wanted. However, other people didn’t like it, which affected me. I was realizing how I didn’t know how to style my hair anymore. I can’t curl it, I can’t put it in a ponytail, and I can’t braid it. What do I do? I don’t feel feminine enough with this hair. I feel ugly.

After waiting a while for my hair to grow a bit, I was able to curl my hair with a 1/8 inch hair curler. Even with that, it wasn’t enough for me. It came to a point of not caring anymore. I just wanted my hair to not look like a mess.

Instead of just messing with my hair, I would do more with my makeup and accessories. I started to wear earrings every day, wear multiple necklaces, and focused more on my makeup. It was all about face and I couldn’t hide anything.

It was a challenge for me, and honestly, what really helped me were beanies. You can hide any bad hair day you’re having with beanies.

Currently, my hair is starting to get longer. I can put it in both a high and low ponytail, I can braid my hair, and I can now start using my one-inch curler. However, my habits of accessorizing a good amount have not died down. I love having earrings on and I love wearing my favorite chockers on a daily basis.

It took me months to feel feminine with short hair, but I did the best I could do. Now I feel comfortable with my hair again.

Featured image by Emily Garza.