by Kat Mahoney ’20

The first rule of quarantine is: do not lose your mind and do something you will regret after this is over. For me, that rule meant do not touch your hair; don’t dye it, don’t cut it, and don’t do anything you will cry over. It’s day 21 and last night, I broke that rule and let my mom cut off a full foot of my hair. My elbow length hair that I have had for all of high school was gone and in its place, hair that barely touches my shoulders. While this idea had been running through my mind for a few months, my plan was to cut it all off after graduation. 

Last night, however, my little brother asked me to give him a buzz cut. I was very hesitant because I knew that with my shaky hands and lack of electric razor experience, I could never be a hairdresser. This was my first step towards breaking the number one quarantine rule. I started to think maybe with the chances of prom and graduation becoming slimmer by the day, I might as well just cut my hair now. My thoughts turned into words as I started asking my family and friends if I should just do it. I toyed with the idea for a little under an hour and finally decided to just go for it. I measured out 12 inches to cut off so I could donate it, and my mom chopped it off. Then I stood in the mirror in my room and cried for about an hour. I hated it. I had just broken my first rule of quarantine, twice. 

After a few emergency best friend facetime calls and my family continuously telling me it looked fine, I found peace with my haircut. I had been planning to do this for months anyway. Even though it felt as if I was not myself without 12 inches of my hair, I knew it would be more important to someone who has medical conditions or has faced medical treatment that has caused them to lose their hair. My hair can grow back, and it is not the end of the world. 

In a time where so many people are losing major parts of their lives, whether it is a loved one, their health, their jobs, or even their everyday routine, it is okay to lose something like my hair. Small things like this can be a way to maintain control of your life when it seems as if everything is out of control. This is also a small way to help others in the world who are facing harder times than you are. By doing small acts like donating your hair, or checking up on your neighbors and loved ones, or even just finally playing that game your younger brother has been begging you to play, you can turn this quarantine into something that creates bonds with people around you and people throughout the world. This virus does not have to rob us of our control over our lives and the love we have for the world we live in. This virus can be the turning point that can change us for the better. If you are thinking about cutting your hair or dying your hair, just do it. This could be the one small step to initiate a turning point in your life. Plus, hair grows back and dye fades. Just do it.