Why Every Woman Should Try Short Hair in Her Lifetime

Though I’ve always been a fan of drastic hair changes—I’ve never gotten the same cut more than twice in a row—I recently cut my hair short again after about 3 years of sporting various medium to long hairstyles, and it reminded me of all the benefits of having short hair, and why I think every woman should try short hair at least once in her life.

Many women use their hair as a security blanket, hiding behind it to distract from other aspects of their face, body, or even personality about which they may feel self-conscious. This is a conversation I have had with many of my friends—the fear that cutting their hair short would leave them vulnerable, without the protection and comfort of their hair, which has become a sort of quasi-lifetime companion. I have always been of the opinion that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is an incredibly important part of living a healthy, happy life, and I think ridding yourself of such a significant, physical comfort—though terrifying—is something every woman must try at least once in her life.

There is not only a physical freeness of having short hair, but there can also be a metaphorical freeness as well. It frees you of a very physical weight (that can sometimes reflect an unconscious emotional weight) that you’ve been carrying around and can lead to a new spiritual lightness. If you’ve found yourself in a rut, either with your beauty routine or your personal life, I cannot stress enough how amazing cutting your hair short will feel.

It will shave off a ton of prep time—it dries quicker and obviously takes less time to style than long or medium-length hair. This will free you up to pursue hobbies that may have fallen to the wayside, or give you the time to try something new! It can be very intimidating but you might even find a hairstyle that you would never have thought would suit you and that you will absolutely love—there are short styles that look good with every face shape—you just have to be willing to take the risk.