For years, I’ve worn my hair so that I can basically take a shower and go. I’ve had the same hairstyle since I started growing my hair out–parted on the side, all one length. I am a terrible hairstylist, and I wanted something I didn’t have to bother with.
So now, I have this hair down to the bottom of my shoulder blades, and it’s old and boring. I want something new. I remember back before I started growing it out–I had it cut to my ears, with the back shaved, and I used to have strangers coming up to me on the street asking me where I got it cut. I don’t want my hair quite that short anymore–shoulder-length is about as far as I’m willing to hack it, but I do want something a bit more professional. I’m going to graduate from college soon, so it’s about time.
Now, here’s the details. My hair is pretty fine in texture, VERY straight, and there’s a lot of it. It doesn’t hold a curl well, and doesn’t deal well with lots of styling and processing. I also don’t have that much time in the mornings to deal with silly things like hairstyling–in fact, right now I usually shower at night and then just brush my hair before I go in the morning.
Do you all have any good ideas as to what I should do? I tried some of those websites with pictures of hairstyles, and everything looked too busy and hard to do.
Oh, and here you had me worried you were about to lose your virginity or something. Glad to see you’re as pure as always.
I just comb my hair straight back, since it’s short and curly. Dunno how it got that way, either - 2 years ago it was straight and much brighter. Then it slowly got wavy until I got tired of trying to part it, so I just combed it back. Works well that way now.
I decided to cut off all my long hair as part of my growing up phase and now i continue to keep my military style High and Tight. Buzz my sides and back with a number 1, and a number 2 for the top.
I don’t think you should do this, you’re way too pretty for that. I like your hair the way you have it in your picture with Satan. That’s how my hair used to be, like Satans. hehe. Funny memories.
Drain, I’ll all grown up, so I’ll try 'n help! (If you want help from an ungroovy MOM.)
You said you don’t want to go into full-hack mode, but I’ve had mine shoulder length for the last five years and a couple weeks ago I went in and told them to give me the Wynona Ryder Treatment. The result
I don’t really have the Kevin Coster bangs thing going any more; I brush them off to the side. But it’s so easy! A little gel, blow dry for maybe 3 minutes and squirt with a little hairspray on the top. My hair is just like yours, perhaps even finer because I could never wear long hair. (Don’t remind me of the 1980s, when I had Big Hair, curls and lots of 'em.)
As you know, my hair is fairly similar to yours. When I had it real long and had it cut into a different style, one of the ones I went with was a relaxed bob. It is where it is shorter in the back and longer in the front (like you said your hair used to be). It wasn’t the real bob-cut that you had since it was not all the way shaved. It was basically cut to the growing point in the back (it looked good when it grew out too) and went at a slight angle until it was a little past my chin. It was nice and didn’t take a lot of work. (I have had almost every conceivable hairstyle, so you know.)
Another mid-length hair style that I had (since my hair wouldn’t do much of anything unless I did the mohawk things…shavings… etc) that was nice looking (not ghetto) was a row of fairly tight corn silk braids. It will take forever to put them in (have it done professionally) but after that it is a wash and go style. It looks nice when they are fairly small. Also, many of the black (African Americans…whatever you prefer) people here have the french braids into designs (both men and women) that I think looks pretty nice. I think the corn rows look more professional though. I had them with the long mohawk (when it was down) and I was complimented on it quite often. I think you are looking for a more professional look though.
My younger sister, who has hair just like mine, had her hair cut into a business woman’s type of look that made her look a little older when she married her husband. It was basically to the end of the neck but not quite shoulder length in the back and covered her ears. It looked professional and was quite nice. It was also a quick fix up in the morning. After the shower she would blow dry her hair and brush it back and it was ready to go. Also, in a quick pinch she could put some hairspray on it and it would look like she was ready to go out to an upscale ball. It was quite a nice style.
My hair was all one length and reached the middle of my back until this May, when I got annoyed with it and got it cut into a shoulder-length angled bob. It looks more professional (though I work from home, so the only people to be impressed are the 3 year old, the baby, and the UPS man) and styles very quickly.
Oh, my hair is baby-fine and pretty thin too - that’s what having kids does to ya! This cut makes it look quite a bit thicker.
I’ve got the same thing going. It was something of a relief when the Marcia-Brady-stuck-to-your-head unstyled look came back in recently.
I don’t know about you, but I have found that a wash-n-go girl cannot be reformed into a hairstyling girl. I lack the patience, I lack the skills, I lack the commitment. So I’ve started to look at other people who have hair similar to mine who look groomed and try to figure out what they’re doing. This is better than looking at people with very different hair and then cursing the gods (or attempting to get it via a new cut or technique)–this very simple truth took me 20+ years to figure out.
The right length seems to matter. There is this magic length that seems to look good for longer hair that still looks professional, somewhere between chin length and shoulder length–I have to have a stylist determine this. Regular cuts seem to matter (here I fail). Keeping it brushed throughout the day also seems to matter (also something I forget to do). Finally, a little bit of ‘styling product’ applied at the roots for a little lift seems to add something. Especially if I blowdry it. But I usually don’t.
Geez, as I reread this I realize what a Hair Loser I am. It’s no wonder I have a job where I stay in a little office all day seeing no one…
Cranky seems to have the right idea here. “I don’t know about you, but I have found that a wash-n-go girl cannot be reformed into a hairstyling girl. I lack the patience, I lack the skills, I lack the commitment.” Wash-n-go types never convert to fuss and fix, you’ll always resent those wasted minutes fussing and fixing seems to take up.
Keep it wash and go but tell the stylist you want three styles in this one cut - one where you wear your hair up, one where you can pull back a few strands from the front, and one where it just does nothing and still looks good. They can do a demmo for each style for you.
My aunts argue about how old a woman has to be to have an older woman’s hair style. Most have past shoulder length hair and the three choices listed above and think their hair is “young” for them. The final decision came around this year when the oldest turned 50 and had it styled to the base of the skull, permed and dyed blond… What a woman!
She says it takes her longer to put on make-up and she doesn’t mind the extra time to fix the “do.”
I have hair that’s a fe inches past my shoulders, and i just wash it, dry it a bit with a towel, put a little gel in, comb it through, and let it air dry. I am so bag at blow drying my hair that I cease to see the point in trying it. That and my hair looks better when I don’t blow dry it.
Well I’m all grown up and I still have long hair. It’s thin and straight and doesn’t hold curl. I cut it off very short a few years back, and I found it was high maintenance. Because it is thin and straight, I had to spend more time on it trying to give it some body with gels, sprays, teasing, blow drying. I need a bit of height in my hair (not big hair) - I had a pic taken with the short hair, it was flat on top and my son took one look at it and said “flat head!” To look good with no perm, you need a good cut – how often are you willing to go/pay for a good cut? That was another issue for me – I don’t want to have to visit the hair stylist every 3-4 weeks. So, my hair is long again - about half way down my back (BTW, I’m over 40). And it’s very versatile. I’m a professional woman, and days when I have meetings, or need to look more “professional” I put it up in a French twist – takes about two minutes. I have bangs, and the hair behind the bangs is shorter too, so i can fluff it up and add some heighth and width (for softness, it doesn’t look severe). Some days I put it in a French braid, which takes me abougt 5 minutes but I love that look. Some days I wear it down, like today; some days in a pony tail high on my head or low at the nape. I think long hair is much easier to deal with and certainly versatile.
I have babyfine straight hair that usually hangs down past my waist.
When i want to look grown up this is what I do:
i pull what would be my bangs into a small barette at the crown of my head.
I pull all of my hair into a pony tail. (the initial barette makes this easier because the hair doesn’t slide as much where it shows.)
I braid this or put hair colored holders every 3 inches down its length.
I wind the braid around the center barette and pin in place.
It takes 5 minutes, and i do this with wet or dry hair.
You can’t get much more grown up if it is done right. Sometimes i put a fancy hairnet on the bun or a fluffy bow to match my outfit in the center. It is similar to the way my adopted grandma wore her hair.
Long straight hair is fine. Guys like the way it looks and the point about ready to go appeals to guys as well, waiting to drag you to a basketball game and you are still in the bathroom messing with your hair.
Hi Drain! I’m not sure what websites you have tried, but http://www.hairdos.com is worth a look. It is pretty easy to navigate, but set aside at least a half an hour to look at all the styles. You can print out pictures of a couple of the styles you like and then take them to a hairdresser to give her an idea of what you like.
If you keep your hair somewhat long, with a little learning, at night you can (with slightly damp hair) do about 5-10 french braids. (yes it takes learning) sleep on it and in the morning all you need to do is take out the braids and shake a little with your fingers, wash your face and go. Try it on a weekend first so you are comfortable with it.
Of course I am biased now since my hair is longer – past my bra strap (not for long I will be cutting it up to just past my shoulders soon) but pulling your hair back with a nice clip about at collar length. This is cool cause it leave a little body to the front and doesn’t look like you are trying out for the New York Ballet.
My hair seems similar in texture to yours. I have used hot rollers, and they actually stay curled. I would blow dry my hair, wind it up in big rollers (only a couple of minutes it doesn’t have to be perfect, larger rollers on top medium on the sides) brush my teeth, put on some makeup, take them out, fluff with my fingers, add a little hairspray and go.
Oh, with my fine and textureless hair, I always blow dry my hair upside down. I don’t use a brush, only my fingers. This may help you a lot. It does give you some body.
When I say I suck at hairstyling, I mean I SUCK at hairstyling. A French braid is a no-no. I can barely do a regular braid right, and then only with my hair wet, and it takes me forever. A French twist? I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to pull that off. A bun? Forget about it. I don’t even own bobby pins. I’m lucky if I can pull of a ponytail that doesn’t look all lopsided and icky.
So all this stuff about braiding and buns and ponytails and anything French? I really don’t think it’s going to happen.
I put in the barette to pull back my bangs first. I use a fine wire “slicker” brush to smooth it. I bought it in the pet section, because all the ppl brushes have little balls on the end that pull the hair and you can’t use it to smooth our the hair. I have a normal brush for regular getting out the tangles brushing.
2)I then put in a pony tail in. The barrette helps me to put it in the right place. I also don’t put the first elastic on too tight and then pull the hair it to adjust it. The barrette prevents that pulling make the top all lopsided.
3)I then put another elastic right over top of the first and make that tight. The pony tail won’t slip then.
For a bun, I put the elastics every 3 inches down to the end. I do use hair pins–The kind that are plastic and about 3 inches long and a wavy U shape. I find if i wrap the pony tail into a bun I can hold it into a bun with 3 pins now. I used 6 at first. It is quite easy.
After i am done i use two mirrors to check the back and use the slicker brush to smooth any stray hairs.
I can’t french braid or do a french twist. I don’t spend a lot of time on my hair each day. I could not put in a pony tail with a single elastic, that is why i use this 3 step method for the pony tail.
Drain, you’ve got a beautiful face, one that looks very thoughtful. You could go with a short style, but with fine hair you’ll just end up having to get it cut alot. With your face, I would agree with people who said to stick with longish hair. Leave it down some days; put it up in a bun with tendrils on other days, etc.
What’s that? You don’t wanna learn to mess with it? Make Satan learn. That’s what my mother does. He gets to play with your hair; you get to have your hair messed with (MMMMmmmm…see thread on ‘unusual’ things that turn you on.) Makes a nice morning ritual. And I don’t see anything wrong with being high maintenance.
