The Adventure Diaries

I cut my hair.

This isn’t a HUGE deal, like, I’ve cut my hair before… but never like this.
This challenge was born from my breakup, actually.

…I’m not going to get into the details, but I’m glad I’m done with that relationship. I want to try new things with my hair. I was the type of girl who had the LONGEST hair, and never ever cut it more than the necessary inch or two. I had it that way for a while, until I had to cut it due to an unfortunate incident involving not brushing my hair for weeks. After I went from waist length to shoulder length, nothing changed for a while. When my ex and I were dating, I grew bored with my haircut and kept getting excited about different and new ideas I had. But every time I told him about how I wanted to change my hair, he would tell me not to do it, that it would look ugly and that he probably wouldn’t be attracted to me anymore, so I didn’t. The most I did was dye my hair a dark copper, similar to my natural color. But what I’ve always wanted was to have my hair short. Like, really short. Pixie cut length or shorter. And I never did, because I would look like a boy and my then-boyfriend doesn’t like boys because he is definitely not gay.

But once that relationship ended, I realized I had full control over my hair. The truth is, I did the whole time, but I let his comments and opinions dictate my actions instead. Then I realized I could do whatever I wanted to my hair. I could finally cut it short, and start over. Nothing was stopping me this time.

Except, the only thing stopping me was that I didn’t want to cut my hair because of him. I wanted to cut my hair for me. And cutting my hair immediately after a breakup? I can tell myself whatever I want, but it’s still because of a breakup. And it would probably be a bad idea. Apparently, people make bad hair decisions after breakups.

So, I thought, maybe I am not the best person to decide this right now. I didn’t really care how long or short it was, (I want short hair, true. But also I really want my hair long again and it’s finally at the length I want it to be), I was even okay with shaving it all off (lies), all I knew was I wanted a change.

And suddenly I had the idea to let someone else do it. I wanted my hair to represent how I want to live my life, I didn’t want my hair to be about someone. Not my ex, or my mom, or even about me, in my dramatic post-breakup state. I wanted to completely detach from the outcome (a common theme in our journey, you’ll find), and walk into a salon having no idea what I would end up with. This idea thrilled me, and I buzzed with excitement for my spontaneous adventure. And this mystery haircut seemed like a much better idea than just chopping all my hair off to “represent change”, which my mom didn’t think was a good idea either. I asked my parents what they thought about my unknown haircut and they were supportive of the idea. (Especially my dad, but he’s bald so I don’t know how valid his opinion actually is.)

Once I made up my mind to do this, I started calling salons nearby to see if they were open to something like this. I called four places before I found the right one. Some of the places were nice, and some were a little mean 😦 -but that’s okay because it’s all part of the process. They all said no for different reasons, like; they were closed on the days I was available, or they didn’t offer that kind of haircut, or they thought I was pranking them (grumpy lady). Finally I found Red Stella Salon, and they said it sounded like a cool idea, and that a stylist named Annika would love to cut my hair for me! They said they can’t dye it, because they don’t have a time block for that, but that’s okay, because that is a whole different ballgame I’m not sure I’m ready for. I said yes, just a cut is fine, Saturday sounds perfect, and BOOKED MY FIRST APPOINTMENT! GUYS THIS IS HUGE FOR ME. I CALLED A BUSINESS AND BOOKED AN APPOINTMENT. I EVEN GAVE THEM MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER. THIS IS REALLY BIG FOR ME AND I WAS ACTUALLY SO SCARED THE WHOLE TIME. I’M GIVING MYSELF A PAT ON THE BACK FOR THIS ONE. *pat pat*

After I booked the appointment, I anxiously waited for Saturday. That week, I tried to get the most out of my hair as it was “before”, and style it in ways I likemjust in case I can’t do those styles anymore. But also it was a lazy week so I didn’t really do much to it, and mostly wore it down. I curled it once though. Just in case I get a buzz cut and can’t curl my hair anymore. After that lazy and anticlimactic hair week, it was Saturday, and because the appointment was at 5:30 (why did I schedule it at such a weird time?) I was stuck in waiting mode all day and essentially did nothing. When it was finally time, my mom drove me downtown to the salon, and I was so excited. I wasn’t nervous at all! I was busy thinking of all the different hair styles I could get.

Once I walked in though, I was hit by all the pictures they have on their wall. Of hairstyles. Some of the craziest hairstyles I’ve ever seen.

I took some pictures but they’re kind of rushed and godawful but I couldn’t even try to describe these comprehensibly, so here you go.

I don’t know about you, but after seeing these, my heart started to speed up. I’m not sure I would look as great as the models do with triangle bangs and twisty knot hair. And honestly, I didn’t really want to find out, but I tried to keep my mind open to any possibility.

I checked in at the front desk and met my stylist! Her name is Annika and the very first thing I noticed was her amazing style. She was in all black in a really cool way, and her hair had a really interesting cut. I’m not great at describing haircuts or fashion choices, but trust me when I say she looked really really cool, and also really kind. And she was. Cool, and kind. As she started to prep and wash my hair, I was telling her about my project, and she said it was really cool. I was glad to talk with her about it, because I was feeling very excited about it and wanted to share. She was of course, very supportive and kind and said she was very excited to be involved and cut my hair!

One of the best parts about talking to hair stylists is that they know absolutely nobody in your circle so they don’t have opinions against you or friends who don’t like you, and you don’t have to worry about them going off and telling someone something you said that they weren’t meant to hear. They’re pretty safe people to tell EVERYTHING to, and most stylists I met get really into the gossip.
SO of course Annika and I talked about everything and there was something really special about sharing my stories with her and seeing her genuine reaction and her sharing her thoughts with me.

We talked about everything and nothing, and before I knew it she was cutting CHUNKS of hair off my head. I looked in my lap and there was like locks of hair cut off. Enough to make into a hair doll or something. I was kind of in a dramatic state of mind so I assumed she was giving me an Edna Mode bob for some reason? Surprisingly, I just accepted it. I didn’t freak out, and just trusted Annika to do something not terrible. Like an Edna Mode bob. I knew that if she was giving me an Edna Cut then at least it would be a good Edna Cut, and I would rock it like an angry short diva. Trusting someone with something sacred but ultimately recoverable is awesome. It was kind of like a mini trust fall, with my scalp and scissors and hair.

Watching the haircut slowly take place was actually really cool, and I was getting very excited. She didn’t end up cutting it all off, (#EdnaMode) which I was grateful for but also slightly disappointed. I guess I didn’t really expect to have hair after this, but alas, I did. The style she did, I’m not sure what to call it but it’s very 90’s and layered. I have bangs and it’s really cool and I like it a lot. I feel very sassy and pretty and confident now. I have a lot of fun trying new hairstyles and doing the ones I used to do a lot and seeing how they’re different with the fresh cut. I feel older and more mature, and surprisingly, this minor change was a big step towards growth!

If you’re looking for a little change in your life, I’d recommend doing what I did. Call up a salon, book an appointment and just allow anything to happen. By letting go of your attachment to the outcome, you’re actually freeing yourself and opening up to new experiences. Who knows, this may even apply to things other than hair!

And, at the end of the day, if you don’t like it you can wear a hat.

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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED SO FAR!!!
We have been getting so many fantastic amazing donations to our GoFundMe, I am loving all this support, and honestly it’s a bit unexpected. I will send out thank-yous on my Instagram soon, but I’ve been falling a bit behind with everything as I got sick and therefore fatigued and unmotivated but we’re persevering and getting back on that horse, yeehaw.

Donors as of 4/26/2025:

Sunny Dawn Johnston – $111 ❤️
Paul Dodd – $100
Jason Fischer – $75
Vicki Abadesco – $50
Jenn Walter – $50
Jodie Harvala – $50
Lincoln Scott – $50
Anonymous – $50

Thank you everyone who donated, I wish I could write you each a thank you individually, but that would be it’s own blog post… (foreshadowing) and I’m temporarily logged out of my GoFundMe account so I can’t send any thank you emails yet… but I will. The guilt is consuming me guys. Remember, I love you okay, I just struggle with 2-step verification.

Love you all,

-Grace 🩷

P.S. If you guys get inspired by my project, please let me know! Leave a comment, tag me on instagram, DM me, whatever! It’s really cool to see what steps you guys take to grow and try new things, and I feel like I’m actually helping people, which is amazing!

P.P.S. If you want to see my haircut, check out my instagram, @adventurediariesproject 🌼