Going from super long to super short (hair, of course!)

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve decided that I’m ready for a radical change of hairstyle. But, since I haven’t had short hair since I was 10, I really don’t know where to start or what to ask for. What I know is what I *don’t *want: no fauxhawk (too young), mullet (too old), shaved/baldness (I suspect my skull is too lumpy), or spikes out the back of my head (too much like a duck’s butt). I’d like a short style without too many frills, something I can wash in under a minute, then throw product in and let air-dry. In terms of length, I don’t mean like this–I mean more like this. I’m okay with something that would be considered butch. A feminine style would be fine, though, as long as it’s still very short.

Any styles to recommend? Any products to get (or avoid)? I don’t mind splurging on some really nice gel or clay or whatever, since it goes far with such short hair. I also don’t know what to do with the front of my hair. Should I keep some bangs or side-bangs or something? My hair is wavy-curly, but not kinky. It bunches itself into curly ringlets when it gets this long, but the pictures I have of me with short hair (they are from 18 years ago, but still) assure me that it will be pretty much straight and easily-manageable when it’s that short. I also have a flat-iron and I know how to use it, in case it turns out curlier than I expect–but low-maintenance is the whole reason I’m getting this cut. I’m freaking tired of being annoyed by long, in-my-face curls and I just want them gone.

Also, would it be too weird to cut off a bunch of curls before I go to get it cut, in case I want to use them in a hairpiece later?

2

You can always take more off but it’s pretty hard to put back, so common sense would say to be conservative with the cutting. But going from long to short isn’t a conservative, careful move in my opinion, especially for a woman. It’s a wild, free, spontaneous decision, and with things like that it’s best to go balls-to-the-wall full-on, especially with things like haircuts. Every girl I know who’s done this has never regretted it. Don’t waste this opportunity to try out a BIG change by settling for a small one. I say go for a pixie-style cut, maybe 3-4 inches long on top. It’s not a tattoo, it will grow back. Just my two cents.

I made the same move when I was in college, going from below-the-shoulder hair (I looked like a tacky stereotypical picture of Jesus, in a good way) to basically a #3 crew cut (I’m a dude, btw), so I understand the feeling that you’re getting rid of something that will take a long time to get back. But change is good, and personally I think short hair is hot.

3

I am a big fan of sites likewww.thehairstyler.com where you can upload a photo of yourself and try on hair. There are a number of them out there. Sites that charge generally give you access to a greater number of styles, so it’s worth the $10 or so, IMO.

The last couple of times I made a drastic change in my hairstyle I tried on various styles, printed a bunch out, and took them to my stylist who told me what was realistic to expect my hair to do without a lot of intervention. (One of my criteria was that it needed to be doable with nothing more than a round brush and a hair dryer. That’s all the time I was willing to commit to it.)

I’ve been very happy with the results I’ve gotten with this approach.

P.S. Whatever you decide, be sure to get before and after pics to share!

4

Is your face round or square or heart shaped? It will help us make suggestions if we know that.

5

As someone who went from long to super short, I recommend a graduated approach.

Even if you look good with the pixie cut, the transformation will jolt you and make you second-guess the decision. Better to go slow.

Also, while looking butch may not bother you in theory, that twentienth time you get called “sir” may make you make you feel differently. It’s taken me awhile to get the point where I don’t care.

6

Thanks for the advice! I like those pixie styles with the long diagonal bangs. I haven’t had bangs in over 15 years, either, so it would definitely be a big change. I’m not sure *exactly *what shape my face is. It’s definitely not heart-shaped. Kind of a mix between round and rectangular, perhaps… is “trapezoidal” a valid answer? My cheeks are wider than my temples (because they’re fat), but the bottom of my face is more squarish than circular.

I’m not dating anyone or looking to date anyone anytime soon; thus, I have nobody to answer to at all. I’m not worried about looking hot… this is just for me! I have to try short hair as an adult once before I die, anyway. So I’ve already decided to get it done, I’m just not sure which style yet. I’ve defined myself for years (and been defined by others) as a fat girl with long hair. I’ve had a lot of esteem vested in long hair over the years, but I really feel like that was another person. There’s a *big *part of me now that’s excited to go short.

If I were 10 years older, I could maybe pin it on a mid-life crisis. But I’m really just in a new phase of my life compared to where I used to be, and drastically short hair makes sense on that level (as well as for the reasons I’ve already mentioned). I’m tired of not being able to brush or run my fingers through my hair without messing it up royally. I’m tired of having a hot neck during midwestern summers. Overall, I’m just sick of being more annoyed than pleased with my hair on an average day.

monstro, I sincerely appreciate the advice, but I can’t take it. I really do feel ready for this. I have a very feminine voice (never been mistaken for a man over the phone or while gaming). I also nearly always wear shoes and tops that are clearly ladies-only, so I really don’t think it’s going to happen much. But even if it does, I honestly don’t mind being of ambiguous gender at first or second glance *(listen up, snark forums, this is your chance!). *But seriously, I do appreciate the advice. It’s just a concern that I’ve already mentally addressed and embraced.

7

I had super-short hair in college, then grew it out for about 15 years. It never really got much past shoulder length.

After I lost 75 pounds, I wanted a change, and I’d really been missing my short hair for ease of care, and also if I was honest with myself, my hair just didn’t look good long. So I chopped it off.

Now I have a super-short, spiky cut, and I love it. Wash, mousse/gel (or not), done. I don’t even carry a comb. I’m a runner now, and it’s easy to look presentable after a run but before my shower if I just rub my hair with a towel to get the sweat out.

I have them use a #5 clippers along the sides and back, fairly high up because I have a big whorl at the top back of my head and if it’s not short there, I get a Dennis the Menace thing going back there. Top is 2 inches at most, usually shorter in the summertime. Occasionally a stylist will put some spike in the cut as well, but otherwise I just throw some mousse or gel in and mess it up. I also have two huge cowlicks at my temples, and this disguises them nicely. (I could never have bangs because of them.) I like to keep it colored some shade of burgundy or auburn.

I’ve been mistaken for a guy a few times, but (1) who cares and (2) those people were idiots anyway, because I’m just about always wearing huge earrings and carrying a purse when I’m out in public. Maybe I’m andro when I’m in my running gear, but again, who cares. I’m not trying to be girly when I run, and my husband knows where all the good parts are. :smiley: (And he likes my hair short too, not that he has any say, of course, but it’s a nice bonus.)

It’s neat, sharp, low-maintenance, and distinctive. What’s not to love?

8

If your haircut is shorter than your guys…ewwww!!!

9

Long hair for women=femine…short hair on women=butch …long hair on dudes=effiminate…IMHO

10

OMG, some stranger on the Internet doesn’t like my hairstyle!!! I’d better start growing it out right away! And buy a wig to wear in the meantime so as not to offend!!!

:rolleyes:

11

Thanks, Scarlett! Do you have a picture of the back of your hair you could PM to me? I’d like to know what the clippered effect looks like. And how high do those clipper numbers go?

Thanks for the bumps, I guess, but there’s no room for poorly-thought-out, unhelpful, and improperly-spelled advice in this thread. If you had read the entire thing, perhaps you would have figured out that nobody here would care how gross you think girls with short hair are. I’m already going to get it cut, I just wanted some tips on how best to do so.

I don’t know about you, but I just looked around and I’m pretty sure this isn’t Medieval England or 1950s America.

12

May I ask why?

My hair is shorter than my boyfriend’s. I fail to see a problem with this. Boyfriend doesn’t care, either.

As for the OP, I actually went full on shoulder-length-to-pixie in one fell swoop and LOVED it. My face is almost heart-shaped (I have a fairly square jaw), and like yours, my hair is curly when long, straight-to-wavy when short, so a pixie works out just fine. I’m starting to grow mine out on top, but I started out fairly short there, too. I’ve done the faux-hawk thing, but the style was such that I didn’t have to if I didn’t want to. I could make it lie down one day, then spike it up the next. For bangs, I’ve had them straight across, but today I textured them a little so they’d sweep to the side better–it’s up to you, really. You’ll want to go shorter on the sides, generally speaking, though your stylist should be able to help you determine just HOW short (just this morning I shaved mine down to a number 3 razor). If you try to lengthen the sides, you’ll get that round, puppy-dog ears look, which generally isn’t the greatest. When mine is beginning to grow over my ears, I know it’s time for a trim.

Speaking of trimming, if you want to keep it short, you WILL be going to the salon more often. Though pixies are easy to style, they do require regular maintenance that way, so do keep that in mind. (Not gonna lie, whenever I know I need a haircut, I start having dreams where my hair is shoulder-length again. This is more unsettling than it sounds.)

You’ll notice things about your hair that you wouldn’t have known when it was long. I have a cowlick in the back, which I wasn’t prepared for initially, though now I know to tell any new stylists where it is so they can make it slightly longer in that area. Also, my hair reeeeeeeally wants to part on the left side–when it was long, the part stayed very stubbornly in the middle (probably because it was so heavy). So whatever you know about your hair now, be prepared for a few surprises when you go short.

Also, you will be seeing more of your face. So if you’re self-conscious about it, just know that it will be very exposed. As will the back of your neck–after I got mine chopped, I had to wear scarves for about a week afterward because it was so chilly! It was summer, but my work is super air-conditioned, so I found myself shivering despite my thick sweater. The back of your neck will also need to be razored.

As for products, generally any kind of thicker gel or paste will work for styling. I use Redken’s Rough Paste (which costs about 12 bucks), but if you find something cheaper than that, it will probably work just fine, just as long as it’s thicker. I don’t flat-iron mine (though I’m thinking of getting one just for shits and grins so I can experiment a little more) because the gel does most of the work for me.

But have fun! I’ve had this length for about two years now and I have no plans to go back–it’s awesome!

13

Well, I don’t have too many pictures of the back of my head :smiley: , but here’s one of the side:

August 2011
This is pretty much the shortest version.

May 2010
This was the day after I reached my WW goal and chopped off my hair for the first time in about 15 years. So it’s still a little rough. I keep it much shorter on the sides now.

I got what I call “GI Janed” once, when a stylist got too free with the clippers. When I went to my cousin’s wedding two days later :eek: , I made sure to wear a lovely dress and big hoop earrings. Now I make sure to say I want something to spike up, and I specifically say, “short, but not GI Jane.” :smiley:

Sometimes I wonder if people think I’m fresh out of chemo. :smiley: But this style just feels so right for me. I’m a klutz with any kind of hair-styling gadgets.

14

Dang, I KNEW there was something I was forgetting! I, too, have been mistaken for a dude, especially when I don what I call my lumberjack look (flannel shirt and jeans). I also have a deep-ish voice. I don’t even bother to correct people anymore, and it doesn’t happen that often anyway. You can make it more feminine by wearing long dangly earrings and a dress, but you don’t have to.

(Heh, and the short hair was actually my boyfriend’s idea! He prefers short hair on women.)

I’ve also noticed that I’ve gotten less attention from creeps. I mean, I’m sure if I was walking past a bar at 4 AM I’d get it anyway because drunks is drunks, but generally the rate has dropped. I am more than okay with this.

15

Yeah, I’m not butch, but I’m not a girly-girl either (though I do prefer to wear dresses in the summer when I’m not running). I guess I’m kind of androgynous (only with goofy earrings and a purse, heh). Don’t really care about fitting into gender norms. I just wear what I like. As should we all!

16

The pic you linked second in your OP is a cute cut, probably way too much bang up front for you. A super-short shaggy/chunky cut is probably what you’re looking for. This one is fairly versatile with the extra layers around the crown, they can be flat ironed down for a sleek look, or gelled and punked up, with bangs off your face, for fun. Looks fairly wash and go. This site has a ton of short cuts to look at.

I had hair down to the middle of my back for years, all one length. I always wore it up, and was always hot in the summer. A couple years ago, I had my stylist go to town and do what she had been suggesting for about three years. It ended up just brushing the shoulders in what she calls a long, bi-level shag. I’ve never worn it up since, except for the day I moved. The many, many layers and thinning she does for the shag look does wonders for keeping me cool while still wearing it down all the time. Mine’s a lot like this, but brown and bangs above my eyebrows. I have a heart-shaped face, but a very full one due to extra chub. I think the roundness doesn’t go well with really short hair - I had it really short around 2001, and immediately grew it back out. People who have seen pics with my short hair have all commented that I look better with my face framed with some hair. My cheeks just look chubbier without a frame. As always of course, YMMV.

Do you have a stylist you know and trust? It goes both ways, and if you go to a stranger in a new salon, they might hesitate to do such a drastic cut on a new client. If you have someone who’s been doing your trims and re-shaping for a while, s/he will be much more comfortable that you won’t freak out after you see yourself “after.”

17

Did this, regretted it. Haven’t had it short since. Fortunately, it’s just hair, and if it’s a mistake you can grow it back, so I’m not saying don’t do it. But for me, cutting off the hair somehow made the dark circles under my eyes much worse.

But I definitely think it’s best done all in one whack, so to speak. The long, to shoulder length, to chin length, that’s just wimpy.

18

If you are cutting off more than 10", have you considered donating to Locks of Love?
-D/a

19

No, do not donate to Locks of Love. They don’t give your hair to cancer patients. They sell your hair to alopecia patients.

20

You look gorgeous!!! I cut mine almost as short last year and love it. Of course, stupid me did it just as Winter set in so things got a bit COLD. Still I really like it.