The Middy Thread

[crwritt]

Lareine, thanks for showing your middy cut, unstyled and air dried. This shows how well it works with natural curl.
When I had my last cut I went to a beauty school, and asked for my hair to be a six inch cut all over, with the ends
chipped a little. The instructor said it was a uniform layer cut, much as dmoran222 has described. As it grows out, I may have the back left longer, to get that U shape.
This cut works very well with my curly hair, just wash, add some leave in conditioner and scrunch in some gel, and air dry.
I like to part it to the side, but other than that, styling is very minimal.

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Hi all,

I'm going for the chop with a modified Middy on the weekend.

Currently my hair is all one length (approx 11") with Betty Bangs.

I really just want layers added so that my curl sets are more effective but I like the "slope" of a middy from the back towards the face.

Do you think it would still be effective in a vintage style if I kept the Betty bangs and the length?

Laura

 

[BoPeep]

AdrianLvsRocky - Absolutely!! Layers will just give you a bit more bounce and, hopefully, hold the set longer. With Betty bangs, you've got the instant recognition of vintage. btw, Gorgeous wedding photos! Especially the shot of you lounging curbside by the car and hubby looking so satisfied with himself.

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Oh thank you! They were good fun on a great day!

I shall go for the chop full of confidence of a headful of bouncing curls then! I'll try and stick some before and after pictures up once it's done!

Laura

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Another question if I may.....

Would I need my hair in a centre parting to have the cut so that it's even on both sides or doesn't it matter? I usually wear a side parting.

 

[Smuterella]

Hi

Its usually cut in a centre parting but then you can style it how you like. I have mine styled in a side parting but it was cut centre and its fine.

If you look at the diagrams of the middy and also a lot of period hair setting patterns, the bangs are almost treated as a separate part of the hair, cut to a different length and styled separately.

does that make sense?

 

[Tatum]

Would I need my hair in a centre parting to have the cut so that it's even on both sides or doesn't it matter? I usually wear a side parting.

The cut is pretty much the same either way. My stylist likes to take my part into account, but only because my hair is so thick and she thinks it makes a difference. I am not sure if it does, however

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Thanks ladies. I think I'll get a centre parted cut. That way I guess it'll add the impression of more layers on the big side of the part (not the technical term I'm sure!).

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

Sorry to keep banging on about this but....

....I've just read this thread through from start to finish and I'm confused about the direction of the layers.

Some people seem to think they are like standard layers (this is what I thought originally) i.e. hair on top is shorter than hair underneath so it goes like / from bottom to top....

....but other people seem to think they are the opposite and that the hair underneath is shorter so that from the top you can't actually see the layers and goes like \ from bottom to top.

Which is the right way? Does it matter? Will the effects be the same? Will I ever stop asking questions and just go for it?

 

[Octavia]

^^ So I don't know which way is the correct way, but I've tried both ways (sort of), and here is my two cents.

When I first had it done, I chose to get standard layers. This made for less volume at the bottom and I lost the gentle "U" curve in the back a lot, because the bottom layer would always poke out from underneath and sort of....not lay right. It looked like a pretty modern cut, to me, with tons of layers.

I recently had a trim, and I had my stylist tuck my bottom layer underneath my top layers. So the layers are still mostly standard, except for the very bottom which is the shortest. But this made all the difference in the world. I'll have to post pictures of examples. It gave my curls more volume and "bounce" at the bottom, and it makes the rounded "U" shape in the back stay much more uniform. My hair looks as if it keeps a curl better, too, because I don't have a heavier bottom layer showing where all the curls get pulled out from the weight. It's difficult to explain, but I do think the shorter layers underneath make for a much better effect.

Good luck! I love having a middy cut myself, and I'm sure it will work well for you.

 

[BoPeep]

Thanks for putting it into words, Octavia. That makes perfect sense to me! I have the typical layered cut (longest layer at the base of the neck). And I find that these curls always pull out the easiest and look pretty scraggly after only two days. I'll try your tip next time! Please do post pics if you can.

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

So I did it!

I am the proud owner of a modified Middy!

Now, bear with me, I've never used Photo Bucket or posted photos before so here I go....

Before (very unstyled obviously!):

After (freshly cut and blow dried):

Styled with a very, very quick heated roller set (had about 40 minutes to get ready and leave house!):

Haven't done a proper set yet but it's definitely holding a curl better than before. Really pleased with it!

 

[Stine Gry Hansen]

I want to get a middy tomorrow when im going to my hairdresser and i have copied some pictus and diagrams to show her. And i thought i understud how it was supposed to be but now im lost. after what i can see on the pictures here the layers are under the top layer of hair like the pics in the post above but then i watched lisafreemontstreets video and it looks like she has the layers untop and the longest layer under the layers like a normal layered hairstyle. what is right?

 

[AdrianLvsRocky]

I had this trouble too but in the end decided to ask for standard layers (longest underneath) with the slanted sides as you can see in my pics above.

I decided to go for this after seeing Lisa Freemont Streets middy. Ialso took a photo of Retro Chick's modified middy as it gave a good shot of it unstyled.

http://www.retrochick.co.uk/2010/10/20/retro-chick-and-the-modified-middy/

It may not be totally authentic and I'm still not sure which is the right way but I'm really happy with mine.

I've done a few proper sets now and the curls just fall really well.

 

[BoPeep]

I wouldn't fret too much about what's authentic. Although there was a textbook diagram to follow, I'm pretty sure most women of the 40s did variations on this to fit their own needs and hair types. Rule of thumb: do what's best for you. I've had a 6-7 inch middy-cut for over a year now. Just Monday I had it cut to the "official" middy length of 4 1/2 inches. After I get a bit more practice doing my pincurls (there's not much hair to curl anymore!), I'll post some pics. Overall, I think it will be good though.

 

[Stine Gry Hansen]

finally i got the picture thing to work, sorry for the large size i could not get it to make them smaller though i resized them.
here are some pictures from before my haircut and after. the curls are airdried and all my own, and my hair is not styled. i cant wait to see what it looks like when it has been in rollers. the curls are a bit thighter in the neck thats why the ushape isnt that clear(my hairdresser scrunched it up )

 

[Lillemor]

Stiny Gry, that looks like a good cut and I love your hair color. Yeah, hairdressers like to do that crunchy thing. My hair is straight but when I've had perms they've always insisted on transforming my hair in to something so stiff and crunched it's hurricane proof.

My bob that's slightly wedged is growing out and the hidden layers are sort transforming the cut in to a middy. I'm no good with rollers and setting and my scalp doesn't like styling products. Aside from that, there's snow here so I'm always wearing a knit hat and I'm not sure there's a point in setting my hair.

 

[Tatum]

Resurrecting this thread to say...my new stylist seemed to nail the middy perfectly! I haven't had time to set it (I also got a wave put in to make sets hold better, so no washing for me) but I will post pics when I wash and set it! Maybe the trick is finding a stylist that is excited about vintage hair.

 

[BoPeep]

Curious ... are there any girls out there with a 4-5 inch middy doing pincurls??? I've been playing around with mixed results. The short length seems to require more pin curls because they fall out easier than when my hair was 6-7 in (after one night, they're pretty flat). So that inevitably leads to tighter curls and more frizz to deal with. One day I swear I was channeling Eunice....

What are you'all doing to get nice curls that don't make you feel like a poodle?!

 

[Frenchy56]

Middy layers confusion- help!

Hello everyone,

My hairdresser's coming in a week and I've finally decided to take the plunge and go for a proper 40s-style middy cut. However, I'm a bit confused about layers and I hope someone can help me out in time!

As far as I understand it from reading this thread, a middy is basically a graduated cut going from short and the front to long in the back, and cut in a U-shape. This is basically what I want to go for.

I've been told that for sets to come out really well it's best for hair not to be layered. My hair is layered at the moment, and one big problem I have is that the shorter front and side bits curl up and stick out more, and the longer back and underneath bits just sorta hang there. I'm thinking that this might be due to the layers?

What I'm basically asking, then, is what should I do- is it possible to have a middy cut with no layers? Should I have a few layers? Help!