I’ve worn my hair long most of my life, from just past the shoulders to down to my waist. As my every-two-years-whether-I-need-it-or-not haircut approaches I am once again considering cutting it short. The fact I am now working almost daily around machinery is also a factor, as the long hair has to be very carefully tied back/up for safety’s sake and it’s getting to be a bit of a pain in the neck. The thing is, not having worn short hair in about 4 decades, I’m not really sure what I should consider.
As a starting point, my hair is straight. Very straight. It’s also very thick.
I don’t want to have to spend time curling/styling/mooshing in product and so forth. I want short and minimal maintenance. Basically, get a cut, get it recut every so many weeks to maintain it, and meanwhile just wash and brush it.
Don’t want just a simple blunt cut as I don’t think that looks particularly wonderful. I also have a somewhat broad and square face.
Any suggestions? Something layered, perhaps? I’m sure I could just go in and have a stylist make a stab at something, but I’m assuming such a person would appreciate something in the way of a suggestion or idea.
I suppose the worst that happens is I get the cut, wind up hating it, and just grow my hair out again. I can live with that.
For me, long is shoulder length. Short is a two inch pixie cut.
Wearing it short means getting it cut often. My “bobs” are often the result of “I don’t have time to maintain short hair.” Short hair has the unfortunate tendancy to grow into a mullet if the grow out process doesn’t involve regular cuts.
Layers are problematic working with machines, since the layers won’t tie back into a ponytail.
No real suggestions since I’m not sure what you look like, but just some cons of “short or layered.”
There are magazines & web sites devoted just to hair styles, long, short, and in between. Do a little web surfing, or head on down to your local book to flip through the mags to get an idea of what will look good for your face type and hair type before you go to the salon. Bring photos of what you like and discuss them with the stylist.
After hopelessly wishing my fine hair would magically turn thick & wavy one day, I got a short, layered haircut (2" long max) so all i do is put a bit of gel in every morning to set the style and I’m out the door. It’s easy and it’s cool. I have a friend who has very thick hair and she goes with more of a blunt cut because layers give her even more volume, which she does not need.
I’ve worn my hair shoulder length-plus nearly all my adult life (and was sent home from second grade for having long hair; it was over my ears and almost touching my collar). My hair is moderately curly and still very thick at fifty-mumble. I sometimes tire of the look and the hassle, but I know from experience that my choices are this, or a very short cut; anything in between turns into a puffy white-man fro that looked bad in the 1970s and would look worse now. So I keep it long.
If you cut it, go to a GOOD cutter who will help you find a cut that looks good and meets your other wishes. Don’t go to a SuperCuts-level place, or a barber, or a beauty salon that handles 90% women customers. (My biggest problem is finding a cutter who can keep my hair long, out of my face, and not put a feminine cast on it. When I find one, I chase her all over the place, from salon to salon, if I have to. I recently moved across country, and after two years I have the first decent cut I’ve gotten here - three cutters and around six cuts later.)
What they said. If you want safe and minimal maintenance, get it cut to shoulder length and pull it back while you’re working. I don’t know where the “short hair is less work” meme comes from, but it just isn’t true.
Look at pictures and choose some styles you like. Visit a hair stylist who will assess your hair and tell you what’s possible with it, and also give recommendations based on your hair type, your face’s shape, and your overall body type and stature. Your hair is part of the overall picture.
You may need to visit a few hair stylists. Good luck.
Oddly enough, I do know a barber who might be able to do the job. Although I should clarify that although the sign on the shop says “barber” and that’s what they call the cutters they actually have a close to 50/50 split of men and women and, after working next door to them for nearly a year, I’ve been impressed by the wide range of hair that’s come out of there.
One of my problems is that I have no clue how to find a good “cutter”. None. I haven’t gotten anything more than a blunt cut on the bottom for nearly 40 years. I don’t have that skill set of “looking for good haircutter” installed. Suggestions, please?
I took almost 12 inches off my long-for-the-past-25-years hair last year, which was a HUGE deal for me and brought me from waist-length to just about shoulder-length. For me the biggest thing was chasing down my friends and family that regularly go to stylists and asking them for referrals to the people they thought would be best handling someone who was TERRIFIED of getting their hair cut, had no clue what style they wanted, and needed minimal morning fuss. I ended up with a great cut that (once I got past the length) really liked, and I even take a minute at night to put product- PRODUCT!!- in.
I can’t recommend talking to people enough. Really. A lot of stylists who know what they’re doing can make good suggestions to you, but knowing that they’ve also had their hands on someone whose look you like is a big deal.
ETA: An additional suggestion, based on your last post: you’re in a customer-service-type job, yes? With regular access to people? Keep an eye out for women who look put together, and ask them who cuts their hair. You’ll start noticing a pattern… plus you’ll make people’s day by saying “I LOVE your hair- who do you go to??” I’m a big believer in passing on the wealth when it comes to good service.
I’m going to have to ask for help with that. I am horribly fashion impaired. Every time I go to look for a flattering style everything seems to involve implements and gooey stuff in bottles.
Suggestions, please?
When I start looking for styles I get so frustrated about the whole thing I threaten to just shave it all off. However, I know I can’t carry off that particular look so that’s out.
I tend to go from just-above-the-shoulders to past-the-waist and then back again every three years. (I donate my hair and don’t really care a whole lot what it looks like day to day.) This year, I was inspired by a short bob wig I wore to a costume party, and went in with waist length hair, the wig and a picture of me in it. She talked me out of the bangs, and after several promises that I wasn’t the type to cry over cut hair, she cut it to a cheekbone hugging bob that tapered up a bit in the back. There’s just enough layering that it curls under at the end on it’s own without any styling required.
It’s…weird. It’s both “harder” and “easier” than long hair. It’s not nearly so versatile, of course. It does what it does, and I can add a bobby pin or a headband, but that’s about it. No braids or twists or ponytails or buns or updos. It needs to be washed every single day, 'cause I can’t hide it in a pony. That’s kind of rough on my hair, which really prefers to be washed only once or twice a week. It’s harder to do costumey things to it - I went to a steampunk thing the other day and really missed my long hair. I just had to slick it back with lots of gel and wear a large hat.
OTOH, I think I may take another try at no-poo, since there’s so much less of it. And it’s amazingly quicker to get henna hair color through at this length! And it doesn’t tangle at all, so brushing it out takes seconds, not minutes. I can leave the house with a wet head and it’s dry by the time I get to my first client.
I’m going to grow it back out, though. Just not for me. I miss my hippie chick locks. I don’t regret trying it out, but now I know.
I should probably add I’m a bit butch in both profession, dress, and interests. I am NOT a girly-girl.
I’m not going to use product because I have far too many allergies. I gave up beauty products years ago and I’ve enjoyed having intact, non-blistered skin with minimal rashes ever since. It’s not just the fuss and time, there’s a health issue there. One advantage to the really long hair is that it gives me styling options (braids, buns, tails, etc.) that don’t require goop that will do horrible things to my scalp. It’s just too much hassle to find stuff that doesn’t cause a reaction. I’ll note I react even to some hypoallergenic stuff, such as Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion which gives me a very bright and vivid red rash. It’s just not worth it. Maybe I should have mentioned that up front, too?
Well, let’s see… all the men I know are either bald or have crewcut or near crewcut cuts. Most of the women at work are butch lesbians who also tend towards crewcut styles, except for the one boss who has a feminine hairstyle but believes in product, product, product. I just don’t know a lot of people who have styles I would like for myself. I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up going to someone with a stack of pictures rather than pointing to mutual acquaintances.
Yes, I know I’m being a bit difficult but I’m a bit frustrated. Maybe there really isn’t a good answer here. I do know my long hair lives pretty much constantly in a braid when it isn’t tied up entirely which sort of makes me wonder why I bother to have it at all. Well, OK, the spouse likes the long hair but on the other hand he’s expressed concern regarding it around machinery. We’ve both seen people scalped in bad accidents, that’s not how I want to get a haircut!
If you see someone coming out of the barber shop that has a cut you like the looks of, go up to her and ask which barber did the cut. I had long hair for 30 years and finally decided long and straight was making me look older than I am (which is old) so I got it cut, and that is how I found a cutter. It does take more frequent haircuts to keep it looking good but I don’t use very much product (tiny bit of gel or at present a “root boost” I got from my cutter) and all I do in the morning is use water to tame down the sticking-up parts before going to the gym. After the gym I wash and blow dry. Period.
One thing I did discover: I bought a (too expensive) blow dryer that has ions (what?) and it really actually does make a difference. I can blow my hair dry in a big hurry (and I have fairly thick hair) and it never gets dry and crispy. I have no idea what that ionizing thing does but it works on my hair. (This is the dryer I bought; this ad says “lightweight” but it’s actually fairly heavy. Does a great job, though.)
By the way, you are going to spend about six months being startled every time you see yourself in the mirror with short hair! Who Is That Girl?
i went from hip length to top of collar. i don’t own a blow dryer, or any other appliances. 99.99 percent of the time i just wash and condition. there is a tiny slice of time that i may use one of those styling gel type things.
knowing your hair type will really help.
you wrote straight and thick. have you had your hair shoulder length or above? do you know if a wave or two will happen if it is shorter? is your hair able to hold a barrette? or does it slide down and need adjustments throughout the day? could it go fly away?
i go twice a year, to a really good salon. the cut is 60 dollars. very worth it to me as i can walk in and say “what ever you think will look good”. and it does! it also grows out really well no crazy clumps or wild prophet hair.
Sounds like me about a week ago. Have had long straight, albeit fine, hair for 40 some odd years and decided I’d had enough. I’ve never ever liked any haircut I’ve gotten for longer than it took me to walk out of the salon and run a comb or brush through it.
That being said, last week I got it all cut off. Love it!
So…
You said thick and straight with a broad square face? Have you had a look at Judy Dench? She was the inspiration for my cut (square face here too). Mine is longer on top and in front than hers and I do use a bit of product to keep it poofed up some. But I don’t need to. I can comb it back wet and it looks fine when it dries. Hers looks like bedhead half the time and she still looks awesome. Can’t imagine it takes too much care to keep it that way.
If you feel like goofing around some try this website: Hollywood Hair Virtual Makeover
Yes, I have twice had it cut shorter (in one case very short). It’s straight. The only curl/wave I have is from having it in braids almost constantly, and that falls out with either a shampoo or just wearing it down for half a day. Past attempts to curl it have all failed, including perms. I’ve been told the only way to get my hair to curl is to basically destroy it with permming chemicals, which doesn’t appeal to me. As I am quite content with having ramrod-straight hair I just never bothered with such things.
It will hold a barrette, or combs, or pins. I’m not sure what you mean by “fly away”.
I have found an anti-friz gel I can use without irritation (alright, I suppose that does count as product!) but I seldom use it, mostly for special occasions.
It can be. I went from long hair to a pixie cut, and the pixie takes no time to wash, doesn’t require blow drying, and only needs a dab of hair goo mooshed through it and a bit of finger-combing.
Long hair needed to be washed, conditioned, combed, moussed, blow-dried and brushed. Long, fine, straight hair needs a lot of fussing to look good. It wants to go limp and stringy at the drop of a hat.
Bobbed hairstyles can be high maintenance, but not all short cuts are more work than long hair.
I’m a huge fan of those virtual hairstyle sites. The last time I wanted a big change, I went to one of those sites, tried on some hair, printed out four or five that I liked, took the pics to my stylist and asked her which of them would actually work with my hair.
Ditto what bobkitty said about asking people who cuts their hair. I’ve found my last two stylists that way.
