Good Hair Days: Crochet Skull Headband

THINKING CAPPED: Have I mentioned that I have been growing my hair out for over two decades?

Yup! Right before my 30th birthday, I decided to shave my long and lovely locks (almost always worn up into a librarian-worthy bun) and so I did. Shaved down to the skull, in spite of almost everybody telling me I didn't have "the face for it." Hair style tip # 22: if you love the style, you have the face for it. Once done, I looked a bit like a girl fresh out of an asylum, but I just loved it! I loved the soft fuzzy feel to the hand when I brushed my paw across the top of my head. I love how the breeze rushed through my cropped hair when I rode my bike across the flat grid of Midtown, Sacramento. I felt confident and happy, and while I may not have had the face for a buzz cut, I definitely had the attitude.

But as I grew a bit tired of the same haircut day in day out, my attempts to grow it out never quite worked out- as my curls and cowlicks produced an array of unflattering shapes about 4 inches out. So I kept chopping it short. I'd start the grow out, and once the hair was long enough to curl (often at very unflatteringly stand-up positions) my resolve would grow weak, and I'd snip, snip, snip. The last time I got a professional to do it, but even trained hands were no match for the cowlicks. The hair just curled up like a tidal wave on the top of my head. That was about six months ago, and I then resolved to finally power through the many bad hair days, so I could grow my hair back. By this time, I missed having the swirl and swish of long locks, and kind of wanted it all back.

I love hats, and I have pretty much worn a hat on my head 24-7 in a last ditch attempt to finally grow out my hair. As of this post, my hair is perhaps no more than 8 inches in length, and it's the longest I've been able to grow it since I was 29. Hello hair, I've missed you.

One of my favorite hair tamers has been this adorable (yet fierce!) hand-crocheted headband with a Day of the Dead skull on it, embellished with shiny gold button for eyes. Made by the incredibly resourceful and talented Meghan Edge, who so happens to be a talented artist, fashion blogger and budding designer. Her latest shop is called Mad Rabbit Couture which you can find on Etsy.

Now that the weather's getting warmer here in Seattle, I'll be pulling some of my favorite summer hats out of storage and start styling them with my longer, determinedly growing out hair. Twenty years in the making, my next hair style is bound to go well with hats! Because when it comes to dressing to express, well, I definitely have "a face" for that.

LINKING TO THE BOLD + BEAUTIFUL STYLE CRONE FOR APRIL'S HAT ATTACK