Should you cut your hair? I say Yes.

One of the most interesting things about our fascination with hair, is the fact that it grows back, yet we still cling to this image of ourselves. Or this idea that we are currently moulding into a certain “style”.

Over the years I have had many different styles of hair. I’ve had it long, short, spiky and dreaded. What I have found most interesting was long hair. We definitely cling because it takes time to grow, but the problem with this is that we become attached, to what other people think of our hair and our “image” it portrays.

I’ve always been a Metalhead, I play in a thrash metal band, so having long hair was something I was conditioned to have. It looked awesome on stage and it was clearly obvious that I was a Metalhead. I had dreads to start with and I thought they looked cool and low maintenance. I ended up having them for 4 years because I couldn’t cut them. I was scared others wouldn’t like me without my hair, I had created a “need” to have this hair because I felt accepted, and of course it looked good on stage. All such an ego trick. The experience of cutting my dreads was surreal, it felt like I was severing something super important to me (Similar to ego-death when LSD is taken or deep meditative states), yet I know now that it was an illusion. I felt like a completely different person when it came off, once again a trick, I was always the same person, only I had given my image a strong importance in my mind so I could integrate into the scene.

So instead of learning from this experience, I ended up growing long hair once again, this time I did not dread it. I looked even more “badass“, it was long and incredibly straight, I was set up for the same struggle another 4 years down the track. Once again I struggled with cutting it all off again due to the same reasons. People truly struggle with self image, and when you are accepted you cling on to that style, I think all of this comes from previous conditioning (bullying is a massive part). This time when I cut my hair I felt liberated. It was like I was trapped in a vicious circle with my ego. Thinking that I was only accepted for my image and my so called “Status” as a lead guitar player, I finally broke free from this paradigm of thinking. Cue the cheesy saying of “It doesn’t matter how you look it’s your true essence that people feel”, it is indeed correct.

Some people portray an image of being Punk, Tattooed, New age Hippy or Rastafarian but really is that what we really are? Is that our true essence, or are we following a trend of whats cool. I remember when it was cool to be a witch, a goth or someone with a shaved head (Although some people shave their heads for balding reasons also) is it just a change in trend and social conditioning, that creates the need to be something other than our true essence?

It is indeed a great feeling breaking free from something that we perceive as to identify us in society. Even if it’s something as small as cutting your hair, or changing your image. The same sort of thing can be said about facial hair, I always question my current goals of having a beard and thinking “I should shave this thing off I know it could grow back!” Before I become too attached to it and go through the same cycle that I have before. I always suggest females to give it a go also! You never know how you might look with short hair!

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Much love JKS