Mama Chop.

When I was pregnant with Hayes I would sometimes toy with the idea of "chopping" all of my hair off. Then I would remember this one haircut I received many years ago, that other people in the hair biz referred to as a bi-level. Think Florence Henderson of the Brady Bunch. Let's just say it was not a style that suited me and in an attempt to fix it, the lower half of the haircut was cut off. This left me with a haircut that landed somewhere around my ears and I can say that after that experience my hair hasn't been short since. After the momentary lapse in judgement I decided to not only not cut my hair, but also see what the natural color was, as I hadn't seen it in nearly 20 years. You know the whole ombre look? I thought I would find luxurious, prenatal vitamin treated locks. Instead I found hair that looked suspiciously like what other people refer to as grey. Say what? No, Brooke Shields-in-a-Jordache-print- ad-hair? Fast forward to 6 months since I had Hayes. I felt like it was time for a change. I guess I came to grips with the fact that longer hair requires time and at this stage in my mama life, I don't have it. Also, that baby of mine has a crazy grip and he loves to yank on my hair whenever he gets a chance. Perhaps I could go shorter and achieve a more uniform color? I know, it is only hair, but I want to love mine. Saturday I went to see Bobbi and explained my wishes. She is used to me wanting to be brunette, then blond, then think about red, then a different shade of blond, so I think she was pleasantly surprised. "You never wait long enough for me to perfect it," she told me. I told her I was ready to commit to a color for a while and that I needed a mama chop. I came across several articles about women, who during or immediately after their pregnancy, chopped their hair off. If you google pregnant women who cut their hair, it is like a phenomenon. It turns out I wasn't having a lapse in judgement, so much as my pregnant belly was making me want to cut my hair off. I am just happy I waited.

Since we are on the topic of hair. I recently took an inventory of products that I owned and then just those in the style-my-hair category. It made me think about how much money I spend on these products, what they are made from and how much goes to waste. Since becoming a mama I have become more interested in products that can be up-cycled, repurposed, are locally grown and made not purchased. I found a recipe for a styling pomade that is simple to make, so I gave it a try and love it.

1 TBSP aloe, 1 TSP grapeseed oil and 5 drops of an essential oil of your choice (I used red grapefruit). Mix together, let sit over night and then it is ready for use. Used in photo below. I enjoyed making something that is natural and safe for the whole family. Happy mama, happy hair, happy baby and hopefully, happy Papa (if he likes to use the pomade too, we shall see.) P.S Even with shorter hair Hayes still grabs little baby fists full.