A Bit About Me

I cut the vast majority of my hair off on Saturday, and when I returned to work on Tuesday (Monday was a snow day), students, we're asking "Ms. Linney!! Where did all your hair go??!?". The attention caught me off guard, as cutting my hair off every couple of years has become commonplace in my life. So, when students and teachers began asking me why I cut my hear, I told them why.

Back in 2006, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. When someone in your life goes through something so scary, it's easy to feel helpless, like there's nothing you can do to make things better. When I asked my mom what I could do for her, she told me to live my life. Ever since that day, and even before then, I have done just that. 

So, why did I donate my hair??

That's easy.

Throughout my entire life, my mom has told me that I have beautiful, natural hair, and that I should never dye it, perm it, or anything of that nature. So, when she began losing her hair, I offered to give her mine. 

This was the first cut.

December 2005

February 2007

Turns out Mom didn't want my hair (plus it takes at least 8 ponytails to make a wig). So, I donated 10 inches of my hair to Locks of Love. The first cut was the easiest.

With hair that grows at a rate of approximately 1 inch per month, my next donation came along a lot quicker than I had initially anticipated. 

The second cut was the scariest, as there was a language barrier, and the cut was way shorter than I thought it would be. In hindsight, getting the second cut in the month of May was likely the smartest time of year to cut it, as you'd be surprised how cold your ears get when your hair is too short to cover them.

Since this particular cut only yielded 8 inches, I donated my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program.

May 2008

January 2008

The third cut came in 2012. I suppose that Graduate School kept me so busy from 2010 to 2012, thus causing me to completely forget about donating my hair. The 8 inches from this cut went to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths once again.

September 2011

April 2012

Now for my most recent cut. I've been at the same school for the last couple of years, and the most "outrageous" hair-related thing I've done was to temporarily color my hair red (twice) and black (3 times). Temporary colors are fun, and technically they don't violate my mom's rule, as they're not permanent. So, on March 1st, I woke up, and after a morning of shopping, I decided that it was time to donate my hair again. 

September 2013

March 2014

This is the shortest that my hair has ever been. 8 more inches en route to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. And, when students ask me, "How are you going to get your hair back?". My response is, "I'll grow it back, one inch at a time". To help others who are in need (of something or another), people tend to give their time, money or their blood. I, well I give my hair. 

Mom and Me: May 2013 (day before my 30th birthday)