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

In My Humble Opinion
21

All good things to know! I am actually trying to find my glasses (I don’t need them very much, I’m very slightly nearsighted, and I misplaced them) so there is something on my face to distract from my face, once the hair is gone. I don’t wear jewelry or makeup, so the glasses will definitely help. Although once people can see my neck from the back, I might start wearing scarves. That would be cool!

I also have some redken leave-in stuff (in a green bottle, it’s like a spray gel for curly hair) that might work.

Thank you for the images! I think that’s a little shorter than I’d want to go on the sides, but the overall look is very nice. I’m still trying to learn how long the longest possible length is when getting a clipper-trim.

Thank you for that link! I’m going to surf styles and see what I like. The one you linked is definitely interesting, although I’m not sure about the bangs. They come around too far on the sides; it makes her look like a cupcake.

I actually don’t have a dedicated stylist. Because my hair is long and curly, and I never heat-style or brush it, it stays very healthy even if I go a year between cuts. I’ve gone to a nice salon a couple times in my life, but didn’t think it was worth the money. So usually I just head to Supercuts or Hair Cuttery when I need a trim (or wherever I can use a coupon). I’m not too worried about it, though. I’ll bring a couple pictures with me and say, “Make my hair look like that!” And if she doesn’t cut it short enough, I’ll tell her to keep going :smiley:

Yeah I’ve donated to LoL once before. My hair was so long that they cut off 12" and it was *still *long afterward, heh. Oddly enough, for this time I was thinking of chopping off a bunch of my curls before hitting up the salon, so I’d have my own ponytail hairpiece to use later (during the growback phase, just in case I don’t like it short). I dunno though, maybe that’s too weird.

Yeah I’ve heard they do this if there isn’t a high enough demand for your ponytail. It doesn’t matter to me though, unless I’m keeping it myself. I still think it’s better to sell it, rather than letting it rot in a hair dumpster somewhere.

22

Okay, I tried to trim this picture to figure out my face shape and I am still stumped (I trimmed out the fat too, because it’s not part of the bone structure). Oblong or oval maybe?

23

Just stating my opinion…which IS the namesake of this forum, correct? We all have differing opinions on every subject known to man. I personally find short hair on women unattractive, and long hair on anyone over 20 something equally unattractive! I work with a young guy who wears puts his hair in a ponytail on top of his head!! Creepy!!! By all means don’t let the opinion of a stranger stop you from having short hair…as if!!

24

Thank you! :slight_smile:

But nobody asked for that particular opinion. The OP was asking for advice on what short style to get and what sort of hair products to buy, not whether anyone thinks that short hair on women or long hair on guys (or people over 20? really?) is “ewww!”

Go start your own thread to make your pronouncements on hairstyles in general. The rest of us are here to help the OP. Your comments don’t.

25

So women over the age of 20 should … what, exactly? :dubious:

26

I cut my hair about two weeks ago. It was a dramatic cut. I had it in layers years ago, and then waited for the layers to grow out. Unfortunately the shortest layer only reached to my shoulders when I cut it.

My hair is extremely curly, so it is even shorter than that when dry. I miss my long hair…but hair grows back! And that’s what I came in here to say. The nice thing about hair is it grows back! So if you cut it in a pixie cut or whatever and hate it, it’s not the end of the world.

And in the interim it takes me about one minute to wash and shampoo my hair, as opposed to what it used to be. So much less tangles and knots, and easy to comb out.

For the curly hair, I admit I always always always keep my bangs short. I can’t stand hair in my face, and the second it starts touching my eyes I clip it back.

Anyway good luck with whatever you decide! I just wanted to say it really isn’t the end of the world. Oh, and for people who think they know what women’s hair should be like - well, I’ve been told that at 36 it’s “time” for me to cut my hair into a respectable, short style. I say, I’ll keep it two feet long even when it’s white if I want to!

27

I love long white hair on super old ladies, like Rose in Titanic and Grandma Death in Donnie Darko. It’s really cute!

My hair grows fast anyway so I’m not worried about hating the 'do. I actually emailed my sister last night because she’s had short (and occasionally butch–she’s a lesbian) hair for a long time. She told me what kind of products do what, so I’m pretty much set. As soon as I choose a style, ofc.

28

I guess we should all just get mom hair.

29

Consider an A-line bob (also known as a “swing bob” or “asymmetric bob”; just Google it). This is basically very short in back, but a little longer in front. I think it would look good with your face shape, and it’s really easy to take care of. You can style it up if you want to, or you can wash and go.

30

I am just afraid mine will get that yellow tinge. :eek: But we’ll see, I guess…here’s hoping!

31

I see blue rinses in your future! :smiley:

I do like the body that would add to the sides of my head, but all the styles I see are longer than I want to go. I worry if it’s that long it will start getting wavy or curly, and I don’t want to have to straighten my whole head of hair every morning.

32

I’ve gone from below the waist to around 2-3" long and was a happy camper. I had quite a bit of curl when it was long, it went flat for a few days after the cutting, then it went wild with curl. I loved it.

If you have a fair amount of natural curl, add an inch to whatever length you go with. I discovered that the hard way when I ended up with the most hideous spit curl bangs.

33

I’ve done a pixie before and liked it. Right now, I have the asymmetrical bob because I wanted a little length. Anything past my chin or so and my hair looks straggly. I have fine, straight hair which I usually bulk up with styling paste or wax and just finger style it into place when I had the short hair. I used Short Sexy Hair products and they worked just fine, you have to find the right product for your texture hair. I would think that when the stylist cuts your hair, she/he will be able to recommend products.

34

I went short a few years back and have loved my decision, but a few words from the wise :wink:

  1. Pay for the best cut you can afford. Don’t just go to the old stylist your mother uses, or nearest place round the corner, as you could end up with a horror story. Short hair is unforgiving, and a poor cut can look either butch or frumpy (or both). Find a stylist who is youthful and talented (and probably expensive as a result). It’s an investment.
  2. Brace yourself for having your hair cut often. What you save in daily time you will spend in $$$. You will need to get a cut every 4-6 weeks or you’ll end up with some weird curly carpet on your head. Short hair loses its style quickly.
  3. There’s a myriad of short styles and it will take some time to find your perfect cut. Don’t fret if you don’t like your first cut. Leave it 6 weeks and try a different stylist.
  4. You’ll also take some time to find the right hair product. Both my girlfriend and I (yes, lesbian alert) have short/shortish styles, but our hair texture and styles are very different and we don’t share hair products as a result.
  5. If you have a natural wave in your hair, brace yourself for some surprises. Your hair could be brilliant when short - easy to style - or it could spring back into tight or strange curls. If that’s the case, you may realise you will need to go a little longer to control the shape (and maybe use irons). You just won’t know - my hair is fine in a pixey cut, but needed controlling with irons when it used to be a chin length bob. For others it’s the other way round. You just won’t know til you try.

Good luck! Short hair is liberating.

35

All great advice, thanks very much! Re: number 5, I have had very short hair before, although I was 10 years old at the time. From looking at photos from back then, it was very relaxed and would be easy to style. Will I still have that kind of hair once I cut it now (at 27)? Or is it possible for hair texture/curliness to change over that much time?

36

Certainly! Your hair will probably be thicker (and darker), but who knows…

37

I don’t think anyone else has addressed this, so I’ll say that the problem with this idea isn’t so much that it’s weird (IMHO it is kind of weird, but that alone shouldn’t stop you) as that it probably isn’t practical. I don’t think loose hair can be turned into a hairpiece, you’d need to bind/braid it before cutting, and I don’t think it would be cheap to have a hairpiece custom made even if you provided the hair. Unless you know how to do it yourself, the odds are you’re just going to end up with your saved curls gathering dust.

I’ve gone from long to short several times, and my only real warning is that people who don’t know you well might not recognize you after you cut it. I did a big chop one summer when I was in college, and also got new glasses in a very different style from my old ones. When I went back to school I felt like a number of my acquaintances were snubbing me and wondered if someone had started some horrible rumor about me. It took a little while for me to realize that people I only knew casually did not recognize me!

*I spent a number of years growing my hair out, cutting it all off and donating it, and growing it out again; I went though this cycle four or five times. It was mostly because I have thick hair that grows out well but that I don’t really care about styling or maintaining, so I figured it was just as easy for me to wear it in a ponytail for a few years at a time and then let have some kid with allopecia have it.

38

I found a coupon on Yelp (yay!) and made an appointment with a fairly fancy salon for Saturday. They’re small, very highly reviewed, and not a chain. I’m thinking I will probably just go in and say, “I want hair that’s pixie-short, but I entrust the particular style to you.”

Should be fun :smiley:

39

You should post some before and after photos. I bet you’ll look very cute. Good luck. I hope you are pleased with the result.

40

You could even give the salon a heads-up that you’re doing a drastic change. They may want to take before and after shots for themselves. My salon posts some of them on facebook (with client’s permission, of course!). Here’s where I go: Website and Facebook