Forced to get the big chop, need help deciding on a haircut

[Maverick494]

Hello everyone,

I'm joining the navy, which is all very exciting but it also means I have to get my now between waist and hiplength hair chopped to a pixie.
It's the only military branch where they do this, but unfortunately for me it's the branch that has the job I want.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of the selection process, but I've jumped the biggest hurdles and I'm pretty confident I'll get it.
They told me the chop is part of bootcamp, of basically bringing everyone down to the same level.
No-one has ever been exempted from it, so I doubt it'll be different for me.

If I don't cut it myself the barbers there will do it for me, and I've seen the results and they're not pretty: basically a very choppy pixie cut.
The hair cannot touch the collar and in the front it's not allowed to get in your eyes. So an allover bob is out of the question.

One of my friends advised me to get a weave (which, for those like me who didn't know, means that your hair is tightly braided in tracks on top of your head, and the fake hair is then sewn into it.) I'm afraid that if I do that, it'll be noticeable and that I'll get hair mold because boot camp lasts about a month and they already told me there's barely any time to shower. Combined with the strenuous exercise, it creates the ideal environment for hair mold, which can get into your hair in as few as 3 weeks and then I might as well shave my head.

Soooo that leaves me with one option: cutting my hair. I don't like it, but I've basically already accepted it as being a new slate. My current hair journey has lasted 6 years, and it's basically been me battling my super damaged, bleached, dyed hair. I spent two years trying to get the color close to my natural one, then spent the rest of the time growing that out while going through a few massive sheds that meant me getting regular chops so the length wouldn't look pathetic. The fact I haven't been able to get from waist to solid hip in the past, well...3 years says enough I guess.

Anyway, sorry for all this babbling, but
1)what would be a good cut to grow out easily?
2)If there are people that have experience growing out very short hair, do you have any tips?
3)Where can I find good inspiration pics? (I've googled but all I can find are really sharp cuts that demand a lot of product and straightening irons). Or if you have some of your own, please post them here!

[Chocowalnut]

I feel like that's ridiculous. I'm sorry but if there are people willing to serve our country they should not be forced to cut their hair to do it... I mean, there is such thing as wearing your hair up... Anyways, that's my ramble.
1) No haircut that short would probably grow out easily, except an even-length bob.
2) I cut to a pixie and grew it out to apl. I did not do anything special, just kind of forgot about my hair and let it grow.
3) I would just look on google for short hair/ low maintenance, there's tons of pictures out there. Or look in hair magazines.
Good luck and congrats on joining the navy! I could never do it :P

[hannabiss]

If your gonna embrace the cut Id google and see what catches your eye. If its gotta be short do what youd like. I shaved my head and it really wasnt the end of the world. There was a time i had tbl hair and thought id just drop and fall over dead if it was ever higher than bsl. Not that parting isnt a sorrow. But try to make it sweet. :)

[katielea]

longer in the front and shorter in the back always grows out the best. Maybe something a little like Jennifer Lawrence's pixie, but shorter to keep it out of your eyes

[katielea]

Also make sure you go to a good stylist and bring a picture. I've gotten alot of pixies that were just boring and it's the worst.

[DreamSheep]

A few years ago I went through a lot of different short hairstyles- I can try and find out what styles I found were very comfortable to wear and grew out nicely :)

I'm sorry that the chop is an essential part of camp - but I guess in the end the important part is that you enjoy what you are doing :)

[Maverick494]

I feel like that's ridiculous. I'm sorry but if there are people willing to serve our country they should not be forced to cut their hair to do it... I mean, there is such thing as wearing your hair up... Anyways, that's my ramble.

I'm there with ya. I couldn't believe it when they first told me. Such a strange and outdated rule. At first they tried to sell it to me as being an issue of hygiene because there's no time to fuss over hair, which is BS of course and I told them as much. People in the army don't have to do it and I know a woman with tailbone length hair who wore it in a bun while getting her red beret and that's physically a lot tougher than what I have to do for the navy. I mean all I need to keep it out of my face is a couple of spin pins and that'll make a compact bun in about 5 seconds that's rock solid and basically unmovable for an entire day. Then they gave me the reason I already posted, which is probably the reason as far as they're concerned. I don't really know why they do it; growing it out is such a hassle, especially that in between phase it's hard to stay within regulation standards. But alas, a lot of women argued before me and a lot will argue after me, but the military is pretty boneheaded when it comes to their rituals. And if it's a sacrifice I have to make for a pretty cool job where I'm basically guaranteed employment for a good amount of years, I'll just suck it up and do it.

I'm thinking about cutting it to shoulder and then perming it and hoping the curl will swallow enough length for me to get through so I won't have to start over from scratch. Of course then I'll start out with damaged hair again.

[Maverick494]

A few years ago I went through a lot of different short hairstyles- I can try and find out what styles I found were very comfortable to wear and grew out nicely :)


Oh yes I'd much appreciate that! I've never had short hair in my life, so I literally have zero experience.

[Maverick494]

longer in the front and shorter in the back always grows out the best. Maybe something a little like Jennifer Lawrence's pixie, but shorter to keep it out of your eyes

Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind. And yeah I've learned the hard way to always bring pictures. My interpretation of a certain hairstyle often doesn't mesh with the hairdressers'.

[gthlvrmx]

Make sure you have a slippery silk pillowcase! You won't be able to put your hair up in protective hair updos when it's too short so your best bet in protecting your hair would be to prevent future damage from occurring. (wait i Just read a bit more of your post, sorry if this advice won't work since you are going to the navy!)

[Eastbound&Down]

If you do it on your own, make sure the front isn't too long, they will re cut it. Best of luck from a military girl!! If you have any questions, PM me.

[kganihanova]

I think you're taking just the right attitude to this. It's a really good chance for all new hair. I hope you get the cut you want.

[spidermom]

My daughter was in the navy, and they basically hacked off her hair at jaw length. It was pretty much a bob but a badly done one. She got it shaped up a little when she finished basic training, and it grew out just fine.

[Lyv]

I don't think you'd need to get a pixie. Most of the girls my husband went to tech school with (he's AF but it's a joint tech/AIT) had chin/neck length bobs and had no problem keeping their hair out of their face during boot camp. I would just avoid getting any layers. IMO a pixie would be harder to deal with because they can be hard to control while growing out (especially the bangs) and you won't have time to style it so they can make you cut it again before graduation if they decide it isn't presentable enough for dress uniforms.

[Eastbound&Down]

I'm in the AF, and there are no length restrictions, only has to be able to be contained neatly and off your collar. However, as OP stated, Navy requires girls to cut their hair (one reason I didn't join the Navy). My advice would be to go to a salon before basic, because to barbers on base at BMT are not going to be gentle or care what it looks like when they are done.

[Charybdis]

A really short pixie requires no styling except a quick wash and maybe run a tiny bit of gel through it when wet. Downside is you will need frequent trims.

I've grown out from pixie a few times, and it's not too bad if you have a hairdresser you trust to shape your hair without cutting away all your growth as you grow it out. But you will need some cuts during the grow-out stage unless you are one of those fearless folks who is OK with rocking a mullet for a while.

It *is* a great opportunity to ditch old hair damage, and I personally would steer clear of a perm for that reason. Anything that curls your hair enough to bring it up from shoulder to chin will leave you with tons of frizzy damage to grow out.

Wishing you best of luck with your new career!

[mz_butterfly]

My question is, are you sure you're going to get the job you desire after boot camp? Are you positive you can make it through basic training? What if you can't make it through and end up failing/quitting and then just have short hair in the end?

Isn't there something similar you can do in another branch of the service, where you can keep your hair?

I would stay away from a perm. With your hair that short, it's going to appear a little funky with very tight curls. I'd just go pixie and be done with it if you can't come to another solution.

I would never enter the branch of service that made me chop off all my hair. It's almost as if they want to take your femininity away and make everyone look like guys (with the short hair)

Good luck in whatever you decide. :)

[PinkyCat]

OMG!! Do the Kelly Osborn purple mohawk!! Or just a mohawk like that is soooo chic! :bowtome:

[spidermom]

I agree - no perm! I'd go for a different branch of the service if it were me. In fact, I did - air force.
Or try a bob. As I said, that's basically what they did with my daughter's hair, except hacked off, not nicely cut; not that it makes much difference when you're in basic training. Everybody looks like hell.

[Eastbound&Down]

OMG!! Do the Kelly Osborn purple mohawk!! Or just a mohawk like that is soooo chic! :bowtome:

Mohawks are faddish and are strictly not allowed.

[cherrybird]

http://www.ukhairdressers.com/style/index2.asp?r1=23286

If you're looking for a pixie instead of a bob I love these kinds of hair styles. Short, swept forward and low maintenance. They also still look feminine and pretty! It will be tough to grow out but if you aren't allowed a one length bob I'd go for this.

[dulce]

I was in the navy years ago with bra strap length hair.There were rules on how it had to be put up but we never had to cut short.Maybe it is different in Canada than the U.S.?

[Anje]

I was in the navy years ago with bra strap length hair.There were rules on how it had to be put up but we never had to cut short.Maybe it is different in Canada than the U.S.?
Yeah, I thought as long as it was containable above the collar and didn't interfere with a hat/helmet, it was OK. (Maybe that's just the army?)

A blunt bob you could pull back would be easy to re-grow from later and would have less of a crazy awkward stage than a pixie. On the other hand, the wash-and-wearability of a pixie would appeal to me if I had to go that route.

[butter52]

I say go for a pixie and rock it!

You will have time to think about regrowing and that if you still want to, remember is just hair, focus on your career, thats the important part.

[Merlin]

Do you want to double-check your sources? Could it have been misleading? I found this on the official canadian forces page for women
http://www.forces.ca/en/page/women-92

"Women members are required to keep their hair short or long enough to keep tied back and not obstruct their vision while on duty."

[hanne jensen]

The Navy makes you chop??? When I joined the USMC, long haired gals used a cheap wig to conform to regulations during inspections. For every day, the hair had to be contained above the collar with no visible pins or elastics.

[Vaas]

I can confirm US Navy does require chops, to a certain length. I'd do whatever was manageable for boot camp, that's really the biggie.

[Ennapic]

Wonder when they changed the regs? Admittedly it was the dark ages when I was looking into the USN (1973) the only requirement was the hair had to be kept off the collar. And then in 1975 when I joined the USCG it was the same way. I had a 3" silver colored barrette I used to keep my hair up.