12 Things Only Women Who Are Trying to Grow Their Hair Out Understand

1. When you try to put your hair into a ponytail and just end up feeling like a sad ninja. I wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple people in this world who were on antidepressants almost specifically because of that little hair stump on the back of their head. It's a sad time. 

2. When you're growing it out from being super-short and you have a mullet, you are powerless to stop. The mullet stage cannot be avoided without the purchase of a wig. Which reminds me…

3. Thinking about buying a wig and then immediately being like, "Is this what my life decisions have led me to?" On one hand, maybe it would be fun because you could get a series of them to match your mood on that specific day, but what if it falls off in some sort of comical scenario like when you're making out with a Tinder date and you have to explain why your wig just fell off. Doesn't seem worth it.   

4. Noticing an increasing amount of hair on your clothing and your couch and also in your books for some reason, and being very confused about this until you realize it's slowly growing out and you're shedding like a newly long(er)-haired cat (which in a way is actually super-good news). 

5. Being hyped that you're saving money on haircuts, but also having no clue where that extra money is going because you sure as hell don't have it. Or if you do, maybe it's going to the extra food you're eating to compensate for your sad ninja hair situation. 

6. Avoiding your stylist like their arms are made of guns because you're so scared they'll remove any of your precious length. Aka strands that are slightly dead and uneven. Hey, if the price you pay for growing out your hair is a jacked-up grow-out haircut because you can't trust anyone with scissors, so be it. Which brings me to…

7. Becoming Ponytail Girl because your grow-out haircut looks so busted. The ponytail is basically the sweatpants of hairstyles because it always fits. Does it look good? No. But it fits. 

8. Finally going into the hairdresser and having them look at you like a disgusting weirdo because you don't want them to take away your scraggly ends. And you have to be very, very clear with them that you have no intention of parting with them even if they look disgusting. They're length and that's all they need to be, OK?

9. Considering getting extensions, but then wondering if that's cheating. No, if I'm going to have mermaid princess hair, I will grow it from my own head just like my foremothers did. Yes. I am basically a pioneer. 

10. Spending hours on Pinterest looking at hair porn and crying is your new FT hobby. It used to be sewing, but now it's just sobbing and liking all Instagram posts that feature long hair because maybe if you like enough of them, your hair will grow more than an inch every two months. 

11. If you have wavy hair, praying for the day when your hair is long enough for your natural waves to be enough of an actual style. Because short wavy hair always needs something in it, whether it's a headband or a hair clip or whatever, but long beachy waves need nothing else at all to look dope. 

12. Wishing you were one of those '90s dolls where you could pull hair out of your head to make it longer, then getting sad because you're not. This is a hard pill to swallow and I will never understand why we've invented boner pills and yet not a way for human women to become this doll. 

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