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Considering going for the chop??

baby_butterfly

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Manchester, Uk
Latley I have become completly obsessed with short hair and I am talking SHORT!! Pixie and cropped hair styles ala Audrey Hepurn, Mia Farrow, Carey Mulligan and Corrin Baily Rae. I dont what it is that is appealing to me so much...but having short hair is definatly playing on my mind right now. So far I have come up with the following pros and cons:

Pros:
New Hairstyle
Be able to experiment more with colours
Would suit both my more boyish style and girlier days
Take less time to wash and style
Not having to wait 6+ hours for it to airdry
Use less products
My hair grows fairly well and fast so would grow back
No more dry ends!
Have a naturally slim figure so qould go with a short cut
Could experiment more with cute accesories and NOT have them get stuck in my curls!! (which would be a complete first)

Cons:
My hair is like my safety blanket
Could jsut look plain awful
I have a chubby face and you have to have great features for short hair (think our very own MissHannah!)
No more versatilty
I want a CURLY hairstyle not straight
Not confident enough?
Nothing to hide behind
Would mean chopping off 5 and 1/2 years of dedicated growing (hair is nearing waist)
Would have to get used to a whole new hair routine/products

Can anyone share there own experinaces from going long to short?? Regrets of the best thing you ever did??

Here are some REALLY old and thourgly un-vintage pictures of me from about 2 years ago. I havent changed much except my hair is about twice as curly (its still the colour od a copper penny though):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45484927@N07/4406572441/
(there are more in my flickr if you want to see)

and pics of the cuts I like:
Carey Mulligan: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/10/06/carey-mulligan-gets-an-education/

Corrine Bailey Rae:
http://www.long-healthy-hair-advisor.com/short-curly-hair-styles.html

Michelle Williams: http://beauty.about.com/od/celebritieswithshorthair/ss/celebsshort_5.htm

Be Honests Gals, am I just dreaming here?? (Sorry Bartenders if this is too long)
 

Amy Jeanne

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,852
Location
Colorado
I got a pixie cut in 1998 and it was the BEST most LIBERATING thing I had ever done. I remember going home, looking in my "hair stuff" drawer and thinking "Well I don't need these anymore!"

Then I went shorter into a chelsea and loved it. This was at that time, though, and I wasn't really fully into vintage yet. I was also younger :eek:

I did the pixie on last time in 2004 and I HATED it. I looked like my brother lol "Boyish" isn't a look I'm going for these days. Honestly, if I got a really short hairdo today I would regret it bigtime. I do not have the face for it and I like being able to do 30s and 40s styles whenever I'm in the mood. I guess I'm just old enough to know what I want now. If you are much younger there is no harm in experimenting with your hair. Your hair will grow back rather quickly, also. I'm glad I had all sorts of wild hairdos in my youth!
 

Paisley

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,439
Location
Indianapolis
baby_butterfly said:
Latley I have become completly obsessed with short hair and I am talking SHORT!! Pixie and cropped hair styles ala Audrey Hepurn, Mia Farrow, Carey Mulligan and Corrin Baily Rae. I dont what it is that is appealing to me so much...but having short hair is definatly playing on my mind right now. So far I have come up with the following pros and cons:

....
I have a chubby face and you have to have great features for short hair ...

I have a chubby face too, and have never been happy with a short haircut. Women who look great with those pixie cuts, like Halle Berry, Julie Andrews, and Audrey Hepburn, all have small, delicate features.

Having looked at your photos, I think a shoulder-length or longer style with bangs would look good on you.
 

Lilac Oak

New in Town
Messages
6
Location
Canada
baby_butterfly, I recently chopped off and permed my formerly waist length hair into a chin length bob, and it ended up looking a lot like Corinne Bailey Rae's in your picture of her. Like you, I thought obsessively about a much shorter style for a long time, wondering whether it would be great or whether I would regret it, and eventually decided that if I never went in for the chop I would never know. My hair grows super fast, and I figured that if I hated it I would just grow it out and never do it again.
Turns out it was one of the best hair decisions I have ever made... looks great, suits me way better than waist length ever did, and my hair is actually healthier than it has been in a long time despite the perm! I'm not sure about the pixie cut as I have never had anything that short, but chin length is really fun and if you have a long face (hard to tell exactly the shape of your face because of the angles of your pictures) it could be very flattering.
I say that if you wait a little while and you're really obsessing over it, you might as well go for it! One thing though, your hair is a lot curlier than mine naturally is but when I cut it off I lost most of my curl, and had to have it permed. Ended up loving the perm, but it was another scary decision to have it done:)
 

SheBear74

Practically Family
Messages
621
Location
FL
Well if you need fine features to look good with short hair then I must look horrible! lol My Chippewa heritage landed square on my face lol I have a very large nose! I love having short hair. I have grown it out to about the middle of my back, then chopped it all off again. I think it comes down to the cut, and how you carry yourself. So my vote is for getting it cut if that's what you want to do. ;)
 

Lillemor

One Too Many
Messages
1,137
Location
Denmark
To be honest, I thought of going much shorter this time but I can't afford the maintenance. On American sites they discourage round and/or chubby faces from having too short hairstyles. Many women with chubby faces here have pixies and I don't think they all look bad but some of them would look better if their face was balanced with longer hair, especially if they're tall and larged framed too.

It's a myth that long hair is a hassle compared to short hair for everyone equally. That's probably very individual and in part dependent on your hair texture. Unless I want to look like a hedgehog, a gorgeous pixie would only look gorgeous on me with very frequent trims, lots of styling products and I'd have to spend more time styling my hair. All of which also costs more than when my hair is longer and I have fewer salon trips and only have to buy hair care products.

Right now I just feel for hair above my shoulders and I my bicycle helmet and other activities ruin my "style" anyway so I don't really care. My hair just isn't a priority these days. I like that people can see that I'm an active woman.:)
 

baby_butterfly

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Manchester, Uk
SheBear74 said:
Well if you need fine features to look good with short hair then I must look horrible! lol My Chippewa heritage landed square on my face lol I have a very large nose! I love having short hair. I have grown it out to about the middle of my back, then chopped it all off again. I think it comes down to the cut, and how you carry yourself. So my vote is for getting it cut if that's what you want to do. ;)

Oh I did not mean for it to come out like that please don't be offended
 

Ada Vice

One of the Regulars
Messages
133
Location
London
I think having short hair is about having the confidence to carry it off and little more! :D If you have a strange shaped head then of course don't cut it all off, but I think a short bob with your curls would look fabulous! :eusa_clap

I've had pixie cuts ala hepburn but right now have an undercut as I'm trying to grow the top long and I want to able to do some curly short dos. I currently wear it with a large quiff. :)

I'm sure there was a site online that taught you an updo which showed how your hair would look if it was cut short. :rolleyes:
 

CherryWry

One of the Regulars
Messages
139
Location
New Hampshire
I think the Corrine Bailey Rae style would look great! Your hair is a gorgeous color, and if you go too short, the color won't have as much impact. BTW, in the pictures of you, your face isn't even remotely chubby.

I've gone from shoulder-length hair to a pixie cut before. Bad call for me, as my features are somewhat androgynous...I had to wear a TON of makeup to look feminine and I never felt pretty with that haircut. I can wear a cheekbone-length bob with confidence, however.

It's easier to start longer then go shorter, so if you get a longish bob and like that, the next time you get it cut you can take more length off and it will be less of a shock to you.
 

SheBear74

Practically Family
Messages
621
Location
FL
baby_butterfly said:
Oh I did not mean for it to come out like that please don't be offended

I'm not offended at all! :) That's just my goofy sense of humor coming out. lol
 

Black Dahlia

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,493
Location
The Portobello Club
Baby butterfly,
You have a great face for a shorter cut, but looking at your pics I think a chin length bob with fringe would look AMAZING! A nice deep side swept fringe would look great.

Then after having that for a while and styling it, you may want to consider a shorter more daring cut.

I think you'd look good with a styles like this:
tim-hartley3.jpg

2009-wave-bob-with-gentle-flow1.jpg


Of course I'm biased, as I often sport a curly bob!
X
BD
 

40'sfetish

Familiar Face
Messages
72
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Do a search on google, I know there is a site somewhere that you can (for a price) download a pic of yourself and try all sorts of hairstyles on it. There is a free option where you choose the shape of your face and do the same thing.

Found it
http://www.thehairstyler.com/

I love short hair, makes me look taller and doesn't drag my face down like long hair does and I've had every length from the Sinead O'Connor look to midway down my back. I'm growing it out slightly from my avatar look at the moment cause I'm playing with pincurl sets and it needs to be a tad longer.

One thing with short styles...get a GOOD hairdresser. An excellent cut versus a bad one is very apparent a week or two into a shorter cut. A bad cut as it grows can look very scrappy.
 

HadleyH

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,811
Location
Top of the Hill
I agree with Black Dahlia, baby butterfly, instead of a pixie, a chin length bob would look nice on you, you have pretty curls!

Something like this

curly_medium_hair.jpg
 

Lillemor

One Too Many
Messages
1,137
Location
Denmark
If you have a strange shaped head then of course don't cut it all off, but I think a short bob with your curls would look fabulous!
- Ada Vice

We usually think of someone's face shape and hair texture when considering a flattering hairstyle. Yes, you need to take a person's head shape into consideration as well if a very short hairstyle is being considered.

My sons have uneven backheads (probably inherited from me, not caused odd sleeping patterns in infanthood) so half ways through cutting their hair you'd think their hairdresser got her license from a slot machine until she fine tunes their cuts at the end so it appears as if their hair was cut over a more rounded skull shape in the back, if that makes sense. I suppose similar adjustments can be cut on a woman's head.
 

Black Dahlia

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,493
Location
The Portobello Club
Lillemor said:
tim-hartley3.jpg



I've met a few natural curlies who have cuts like these and I'm quite frankly jealous!

I think with a bit of toying with my natural curls, I could get this look to work. Must try next time I go out! Only, my curls don't like being 'beat into submission' so much. *lol*

yardsalefinds094sm2.jpg

18049101523009879129100.jpg

01%200162sm.jpg



X
BD
 

User25159

New in Town
Messages
28
Black Dahlia said:
Then after having that for a while and styling it, you may want to consider a shorter more daring cut.

I think you'd look good with a styles like this:
tim-hartley3.jpg

2009-wave-bob-with-gentle-flow1.jpg

I agree with you BD! Baby butterfly, at least if you cut your hair to a shorter length before going ALL the way to a pixie-type cut, if you don't like it you will go through a less-awkward growing out phase. I've been completely shaved-bald before and had a few awkward stages, none of them were very fun, but they didn't last long:)
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
I'm in the same boat. My hair is about mid-back length and frankly I am tired of it.... a little bit. I think that short hair, about chin or shoulder length fits me better, especially when I wet set it and have bouffant curls or even finger waves. I was thinking about getting a short wig and alternating it with my own hair.
 

baby_butterfly

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Manchester, Uk
you are all so great thank you! Im sorry I didnt get back to this thread earlier. I just spent for days at the pride celebration here in manchester, surronded by short hair and I am even more convinced its what I want to do. I think I might go for something like the Corrine Bailey Rae style. I feel like if i dont do it now, then I may never do it again, like when I had purple hair and my SO loves short hair. Plus theres always cute headbands and clips if it all goes wrong lol.

Hopefull I'll have the cash for a decent haircut soon! watch this spce gals! ;)
 

MissHannah

One Too Many
Messages
1,248
Location
London
Lillemor said:
- Ada Vice

We usually think of someone's face shape and hair texture when considering a flattering hairstyle. Yes, you need to take a person's head shape into consideration as well if a very short hairstyle is being considered.

My sons have uneven backheads (probably inherited from me, not caused odd sleeping patterns in infanthood) so half ways through cutting their hair you'd think their hairdresser got her license from a slot machine until she fine tunes their cuts at the end so it appears as if their hair was cut over a more rounded skull shape in the back, if that makes sense. I suppose similar adjustments can be cut on a woman's head.

This is VERY true! My head is completely flat at the back - it doesn't curve outwards from the neck at all, so when I have short hair I have to make sure there is enough at the back to fluff out and create body.
 

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