I chopped my hair recently because I got an offer on it. Yes, selling my hair is actually something that I’ve done! I can remember back to the first time I sold my hair about 11 years ago. I had just found out that I was pregnant with my first child, and I was working two jobs to put my husband through college. I was a full-time teacher, and on the evenings and weekends, I worked at a Victorian shop.
Well, one day, a man came up to me and offered to buy my hair for $200. My hair was down to my waist. He told me he was a doll maker, and that my hair would be worth $300 if it didn’t have so many split ends. I asked him to give me five minutes to think about it.
I had always had long hair for as long as I could remember. When I was four, my parents cut my hair short, but other than that, my hair had always been quite long. My husband had never seen me with hair shorter than down to my waist, but I badly needed that money. It was vanity for me to keep my hair when I could make an easy $200. I decided to do it.
I insisted on having the cash in my hand before any snipping took place. He accepted my condition, and he snipped my braid off with a pair of scissors. He said, “Thank you,” and walked away.
My hair was crooked. When I looked into the store mirror, I wondered what my husband would say. We had no cell phones back then (we still don’t), and he was in classes, and the opportunity would have passed if I had waited to ask him.
Later that night when he was back from classes, I called him and told him to come to the store. I wanted to show him something.
When he came in, he just looked at me. I immediately handed him the $200 cash. He said, “There’s a story here.” I told him what happened. After I concluded, I held my breath until I heard him say, “I have a wise wife.” I felt relieved! It reminded me a little of the story, “The Gift of the Magi.” I felt like a character from a literature book.
Ever since then, I have been growing my hair down to my waist and chopping it off. When I was pregnant and nursing for six years, I took prenatal vitamins. My hair was thicker and had fewer split ends. I grew it out twice during that time. Yes, I manufacture hair. Isn’t that funny?
But this time seems different. I finally got a really great haircut. My husband thinks it’s super cute, so maybe I’ll keep it this way. Who knows?
