Long Hair vs. Short Hair

'A woman's hair is her crowning glory', one of my grandmother's favourite expressions. While most new mothers are a good few years away from blue rinse and set styles, it's worth baring in mind.

For a new mum it's all too easy to let an effort on appearances slide. Why wouldn't it? Priorities have definitely shifted to much more important things. However long term neglect of yourself aside from the basics of showering/eating/occassionally sleeping does have a negative impact on mommy. It's unfortunately far too easy for mommy to forget that mommy matters too. You're this new little person's whole universe, don't forget, so you deserve to be taken care of too. Happy mum, happy baby!

With that said, one of the easiest ways to refresh your look with the added benefit of some pampering and time to yourself is to get your hair done. However, with a new baby, there are even more things to consider with a new style. You may not have time anymore to style a high-maintenance cut or a blunt fringe or short layers may be annoying as hell getting in the way when you're busy tending to demanding baby.

These are just a few new considerations when choosing a haircut as a new mum. It also raises the question of what's easier to manage, short or long hair? Well women with long hair will argue shorter hair requires less maintenance, while short haired women don't have the advantage of scooping their hair back into a ponytail on a bad hair day.

Shortly before Christmas, I decided to chop my mid-length hair into a pixie crop. I had an outgrown bob to about my shoulders. Mid-length is a disastrous length for me. I have naturally wavy but very fine hair. I can't leave it wavy because it tends to stick out at odd angles without the weight of length. But when I straighten it, it's flat. Not entirely unlike Snape of Harry Potter fame.

Because I'm worth it

So having entered new mum territory with both long, mid and short hair, I feel fully qualified to tell you that hair will always be an irritation that will never do what you want it to do. That's a little pessimistic but each style has its own pros and cons.

Long Hair:

Pros: Always looks feminine, is versatile, is easily subdued on bad hair days.

Cons: Requires patience to achieve (or a tolerance for extensions), in the likely event of suffering from the mild hair loss most women get after giving birth prepare to trip, choke and ingest more than most.

Mid-Length Hair:

Pros: Better variety of styles as there's more hair to work with than short hair, less hair to sacrifice than long. Can easily be made stylish but practical.

Cons: Can look a bit ageing/mumsy if not given the right cut (e.g. Shakira's new haircut)

And finally, short hair:

Pros: Is much less maintenance than longer hair on a day to day basis. You can afford to be more experimental with the styles (don't like your cut? Don't worry. It'll be gone in two or three weeks. Same applies to colour). Will definitely make you stand out more than women with longer hair.
Cons: Requires more in terms of salon upkeep than longer hair, you will need to get it cut every three weeks at most to maintain a style. If you sleep on it funny, your f*cked (no amount of gel, spray or threats will get genuine bed head to bugger off). If you get sick of your short hair and intend to grow it out, there's a month long period of where it just grows out rather than down (which I'm currently in the throes of).

So, in conclusion, all hair is inconvenient. If you're one of those women that can pull of a shaved head, go for it! If not, it's mainly down to personal choice/preference as to what suits you, your lifestyle, your image. There's no right or wrong, as such, more what you can live with.