some much needed salon and spa time

I am soooo looking forward to my salon/spa appointment tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've had a hair appointment and even longer since I've had any spa services. But everything I scheduled is MUCH needed.

On my list: a haircut, eyebrow wax/threading, a facial, and a massage.

I've been fighting not to pluck any eyebrow hairs in the past two weeks. Because I knew I would be getting some professional work on them I didn't want to touch them. The more you have to work with, the better the shape you'll get. At my salon they do waxing and threading. Have you ever had threading done before? They basically use two long pieces of thread and sort of criss-cross them in a way to pull the hair out. Some people say it doesn't hurt. For me, it does, a little. My eyes water more than anything. The end result is awesome. All those little baby fine hairs are gone and it's longer lasting than wax alone. I like having this done every so often.

My upcoming facial is a long time waiting. I realized that the last time I had one done was when I was pregnant with little guy. He's four and half. Yeah. It's been awhile. Lol. I've been trying to be disciplined with removing all my make-up before bed, and washing and moisturizing appropiately. But I feel the need for some deep cleansing.

The massage is a gift to myself. I NEED this sooooo bad. I've been having lots of aches and pains in my back (I have a history with back problems). So, I know a massage will really help my back muscles. And I need that period of time to relax, with dim lights, and relaxing music, while I feel pampered. I think all women need this from time to time. It makes all the difference!

And finally, a haircut. Last year I chopped my hair off. I did it for a couple of reasons. First, I was noticing regular headaches and hair breakage. These problems can be the result of having longer hair and constantly pulling it up in a hair tie. I needed to give my roots a break. And secondly, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she began her chemo she decided to cut her hair super short for the infamous hair fall-out. When I knew she was going to go super short, it gave me the final push to go short too. I wanted to support her. Hair is hair. It's great to have beautiful hair, but our hair does not define us. I think too many women try to hide behind their hair. I wanted to prove, to myself, that I do not hide behind mine. So I went for it. This is the picture that I showed the stylist:

Sorry for the poor quality. I can't find my original picture and I can't remember the source. :/

Out of about four haircuts, there was only one time that the stylist was able to get something close to this look...the first time. So while I enjoyed my first haircut, the more I went to "maintain" it, the more it changed and did not look like my original plan. So I decided to just keep it short for the rest of summer (with traveling it seemed easier). I also decided that after summer I would begin to grow it out. Which I did. Five months later, my hair is now just below my shoulders. I'm very blessed that my hair grows quickly.

During these growing out months, I refused to go to the salon. This is against what I normally do. I'm a firm believer that hair should be trimmed every 8 weeks even if growing it out. But since my hair was so short, I was afraid that a stylist would cut too much off even for a routine trim and it would take forever to grow the length out.

So now, I am finally ready for a much needed hair cut. I'm planning to continue letting it grow (for how long, I don't know), and I'm planning for some long layers and maybe, just maybe....

source: trendyhaircutstyles

some side swept bangs...

source: mediumhaircuts.net

I'm nervous because I kinda sorta tried this in the past and it didn't turn out so well. But I want something different. My face shape requires at least some layering. I like this look of Jessica Simpson above, her bangs are a longer version, I think that's much safer for me.

And I love the look of pulling the hair up with side swept bangs...

source: shortlonghairstyles

Because with hot Saudi weather, teaching, and doing things here at home, I tend to reach for my hair clip often. A bad habit maybe. But bangs can make a 'pulled-up look' look pretty good...

source: shortlonghairstyles

So, I'm hoping to stick with the plan. I will print out all of these images out to show my stylist. I will let you know how it goes.....;)

P.S. After months and months of chemo and radiation, I am happy to share that my sis-in-law is cancer free. She is seriously, one of the strongest and bravest women I know.