Why Women Cut Their Hair After a Big Life Change

Many times in my life, I have drastically changed my hair when I was starting a new chapter in my life, or when I have had a big change happen to me such as a break-up. And as it turns out, I'm not the only woman who does this.

There are many reasons why a woman (or a man!) might choose to change their look and cut or dye their hair. Here's just a few:

• Haircuts can be a marker of change. I know that right before I moved down to Orlando, Florida in 2011 that I chopped all of my hair off. It was down near my elbows in length, and I got it cut into a pixie style.
• Haircuts help us reclaim our identities. After a break-up, women tend to want to figure out who they are outside of a relationship, and what better way to do that than to dye our hair a new color?
• Cutting our hair can create new connections. Getting a haircut can take a good hour, if you dye it then it can take up to three hours, so you'll naturally start talking and learning about each other. I have learned that my hairdresser is the mother-in-law of my sister's college roommate. It's a small world!
• Changes like a haircut can help prevent relapsing into old habits or old relationships. If you break-up with a partner, and decide to start new with a new haircut or hair color, you are actually less likely to get back together with them because that's your jumping off point for moving on without them. This can be a good thing!
• Getting your haircut can be freeing! If you just moved out of your parent's house and want to change your look from what your mother used to lay out for you every morning, a haircut may be just the thing!
• You are saving your hair by cutting it. Split ends can be a real bummer, and if you don't routinely maintain and cut those split ends out, they can really damage your hair.

(via Your Tango)