So, I took the plunge. 

I shaved the side of my head.

My personal style and the aesthetic of my line is a marriage between the easy, care-free vibe of Trinidad and the slightly punk but oh-so-chic spirit of Brooklyn. I've lived here for more than a decade and that edge is a major part of my style.

I've been thinking about shaving it for a few months. For a long time, I admired the style from afar but couldn't do it. I mean, can you imagine the grow-back period? I can't possibly think of any hairstyles to rock while the side of your head is growing out. 

That was the beauty of it, though. 

Eventually, I realized that I don't have tomorrow promised to me. All I have is this minute, right now. 

Every summer, my boyfriend shaves his hair into a mohawk. It's his summer do. He would just put a razor to it and it looked so liberating. I wanted that freedom. I went to North Carolina to see my sister. She is one of the few women I trust to tell me the truth. My boyfriend shaved it off, with her guidance. The hair fell in the sink in the bathroom of her freshly purchased home, as if christening it with my love. I couldn't have done it any other way. 

I was right, too. It was incredibly liberating to shave it. I felt like I was distancing myself from this idea that my hair defines me. I still don't know what the grow-back period is going to be like. I have no clue how it will look. 

But right now, I love it. 

It's just me.