Haircut!

[LauraLongLocks]

And my stomach is still in knots! I am sitting under the dryer at a salon right now having a deep conditioning treatment after my cut. I lost an inch and a half of hair in the middle and a bit more on the sides because I went for a U-shape hem. Pics as soon as I get home. I think I won't need another trim for the rest of the year now that I have had this cut. I also had my bangs texturized so that they blend in with my longer hair a bit better. It looks better, less heavy. I like it. And my hem is perfect. So even, and the ends feel like a paintbrush. No more trimming this year though. I am good for a long while. It is nice I think I am finally rid of the last bits of layers at my hem. Oh my goodness, I am feeling weak and a bit ill though! I was so nervous getting my hair cut today. Now I just get to sit under the dryer and then be blow-dried (on cool).

[Auni]

I bet it will feel fabulous!:blossom:

[MeAndTheMaz]

Whew. I thought you meant a hair cut. I was worried that you lost your mind and went in for a big chop.

Sounds like it ought to be nice. :popcorn: Waiting for pics.

[MINAKO]

Gaaaah, i was so shocked as i started reading your post, like WTH happened at the salon o.O

I'm happy you like your fresh hemline. 1.5" isnt to much and totally worth it to make the ends feel healthy.
I love super blunt ends by the way they feel and and it looks so neat and full, i am tempted to cut all the time, but i wanna try and see what i can do with fairytail ends.

[leilani]

I went to the salon today and really did get my hair cut off. Short layered bob, the henna finally completely drove me mad.
http://i.imgur.com/oOBQvTa.jpg

[MINAKO]

I went to the salon today and really did get my hair cut off. Short layered bob, the henna finally completely drove me mad.
http://i.imgur.com/oOBQvTa.jpg

Ooopsie, thats escalated quickly :D !!
That was very brave of you leilani and i think the short hair suits you very well actually. Love the color too. Is it your natural shade or didyou get that done too? Either way, looks fantastic.

[LauraLongLocks]

Turns out I only lost an inch. Yay! Leilani, your hair looks so pretty. I am surprised by your cut, but it looks fabulous. My pics will be up as soon as I get home.

[Dessi]

I can't wait to see pics! I'm sure your hair looks perfect though! :)

[kidari]

I went to the salon today and really did get my hair cut off. Short layered bob, the henna finally completely drove me mad.
http://i.imgur.com/oOBQvTa.jpg

holy crap! comparing to your sig that is a MAJOR chop... so did you get rid of all your henna?? Also, we cannot wait for pics LauraLongLocks!!

[leilani]

It's at least 90% gone. The sun hasn't been out yet so I'm not totally sure. But largely gone. Thank god! I'm a hormonal pregnant mess and have gained 35 pounds already (not even yet in 3rd trimester!) so I just kind of lost my patience for the shudder I felt when I looked in the mirror with any natural light shining and the rust orange glow of henna ruined my day. I needed to be in charge of something with my body!
No regrets at all, I had waist length for 17 years and I'll have quite long hair again before my toddler and new baby are both out of diapers so I'm excited to enjoy various lengths that I've never experienced before (like this one!) or at least not in the last 17 years since I last cut off my long (hip) hair to non layered just -above -shoulder. I'm feeling refreshed to take a break and change up my style, and I know it'll be long again. I'm still a longhair, just taking an extended vacation from my long hair for a couple years to get my hair 100% natural and virgin!
That's my natural color in the evening indoor with flash. Looks very dark but it's actually level 6, not that dark, kind of a neutral in between shade although who knows what it will be when it's been in the world longer than 9 months and actually been out in the sun.

[leilani]

Sorry for the thread hijack, LLL! I'm sure your inch trim did wonders for your hemline!

[lapushka]

I'm glad it's only an inch, Laura; looks like it's less than you thought and that's always a good thing. :thumbsup:

Leilani, that looks so short! OMG. I do get that you got tired of the henna. I felt the same way after my chemical burn/cut, I just had to have the damage off.

[afinemess]

How did they blend your bangs? I am growing out heavy bangs and I'd love to do something with them that looks a bit less mullet-y. Did they point cut or something?

Yay for you having freshy freshy ends and being happy with your trim! :D

[LauraLongLocks]

The promised pictures...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.39.46.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.39.46.jpg.html)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.39.53.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.39.53.jpg.html)

Fire-red henna...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.16.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.16.jpg.html)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.09.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.09.jpg.html)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.25.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.25.jpg.html)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.38.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/2015-03-27%2015.40.38.jpg.html)

My husband was just being weird taking pictures of my butt, so I posed for him, lol, and then when I saw how shiny and glossy my hair looked in the pic, I decided to crop my butt out of the pic and share the hair.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/128e21ea-0259-4123-9e89-4cfb877988c3.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/128e21ea-0259-4123-9e89-4cfb877988c3.jpg.html)

[JadedByEntropy]

yay! taking off less and still getting a great result? i'm surprised.

awaiting the picture!

[Fericera]

That looks great Laura! Such nice ends!

Also my husband does that too whenever I have him take length shots, I guess it's a common thing. :lol: I always have to remind him that we're taking pictures of my hair.

[lapushka]

It's a nice U! And looks like your rid of all your layers now! :)

[JadedByEntropy]

that wasn't long to wait- as i was typing! haha

looks so shiny and that hemline is fantastic! like only a fresh haircut can do! <3 That last picture :p its funny how it came to be, but WOW. :thudpile:

[LauraLongLocks]

Thanks, I asked her to only do a very slight U, and that's exactly what I got. I couldn't be happier with the results. I felt so nervous going and having my hair trimmed, but I'm actually really glad I did it, because it really, really is exactly how I want my hair to look. Yay! Now I can just GROW! No more worrying over how much I need to take off each month to get nearer to my even hemline goal. I have the hem I want at last! I think I will go at least to the end of this year, if not longer, without a trim. I'm so pleased with this. I wasn't sure if I would be happy, but I really am.

[Lyv]

It looks fantastic! Very shiny and healthy!

[Nique1202]

That looks wonderful, Laura! I know you've been worried about the hemline looking thin, but that looks wonderful. Here's hoping you can stick to no trims for the rest of the year.

Also, leilani your hair looks great. I love that kind of style, soft but sharp and bold at the same time. Almost makes me miss my old pixie! (...almost.)

[LauraLongLocks]

I think I am finally rid of the layered bits at the ends. Now whatever braid taper I may have (which shouldn't be much) is mine, not caused by layer-thinned hair. Wow, it took just over 3 years to undo the layers. NEVER AGAIN! Now onto growing my bangs to my hem. Oh yeah, my bangs blend in so much better now that they have been thinned a bit. They just seem natural, instead of looking like I am obviously growing bangs out. I can wear ALL my hair down with confidence now, instead of feeling compelled to pull the bangs back in a barrette. Oh yes, I am so glad I did this. It's just what I wanted.

[MINAKO]

Wow, your hemline looks perfectly healthy and your hair overall does not appear any shorter than the last time i saw it.

[schnibbles]

Wow, Laura, it looks amazing! I know you were just joking around in the last pic, but the hair looks bananas! :hollie: :thud:
I love that very slight U shape too. Perfection.

[Wildcat Diva]

Yes your hair in the shake your booty pic looks badass! (Pun intended)

[spidermom]

Nice result LLL, you too, leilani.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow, Laura, your hair looks amazing! Beautiful u-shape, tidy thick ends, in fact just what I would want for myself! So shiny too! Now you can relax and grow without worrying about trimming - that's awesome! I hope my ends can look that way one day:) Bet you are so happy!

[Nebulae]

That's awesome! It's blindingly shiny and looks like you have zero taper, that must feel good. Happy that you had a great salon experience! :)

[LauraLongLocks]

Thank you, all, so much. I love it. I was so worried, but it really is great.

I just braided my hair to see what impact this trim had on my taper... and... well, there's really no taper left! The sharp taper I had in the final inches of my braid about 6 months ago is completely GONE. I do have a very slight, natural, almost imperceptible taper to my braid, but no more sudden taper at the ends.

It's over. I won the battle of the layer grow-out at last. Now I can just grow. I am so glad I got the gumption up to do this. I've thought about it many times and chickened out more times than I can count. I'm glad I microtrimmed and was able to watch my ends improve little by little, but it's really gratifying to see such a big improvement all at once. Here is a side-by-side for comparison, from last week to today...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/before%20and%20after%20trim%20march%202015.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/before%20and%20after%20trim%20march%202015.jpg.htm l)

[vega]

Talk about hijacking a thread lol lovely hair as always lll

[cathair]

It looks really great :) Lovely to hear you are so happy, fantastic result :)

[hinabelle]

Looks beautiful and healthy. It was a great decision! :D

[DKSABS]

Laura, it looks amazing! Congratulations! Did a student do this? I remember seeing you talk about going to a beauty school and maybe getting a Deep Treatment and head massage but not a trim earlier in the week. She did an amazing job!

Leilani, your new cut looks so cute. Congrats on finally getting rid of the henna that you hated so much.

[EdG]

Looks great, Laura! :)
Ed

[MeAndTheMaz]

Add me to the pile :thudpile: It looks wonderful.

However, are we going to have to wait three months for the braid pix? :popcorn:

ETA: Never mind. We posted at the exact same time. Congrats. It looks great.

[LauraLongLocks]

Thank you, everyone. No, I did not have a student do this. I called the beauty school and the stylist my husband recommended could not fit me in today. I felt that was probably a good thing. Then I shopped at a store next to the Fantastic Sam's in my neighborhood, and thought about the last time I went in there. A really nice stylist did my hair a couple times there and I remembered that she did exactly what I wanted. So, I called and found out she still worked there and could fit me in today. I think I can definitely trust her with the scissors. I just need to teach her not to cause tangles in the wash bowl by scrubbing my hair. Yikes!

So, check out my non-existent braid taper!!!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/braid%20taper%20since%20trim%20March%202015.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/braid%20taper%20since%20trim%20March%202015.jpg.ht ml)

[DKSABS]

Nice! Glad you found a hairdresser you can trust.

[Nic's]

Looks great Laura. What about some pic's of your bangs. Would love to see how they have turned out.

[Dessi]

Wow, just awesome! And your braid is thick and beautiful! Sometimes I can't wait to get rid of my layers as well but sometimes I do like them. :D And I can't get rid of them with cutting only an inch or two. :/ They're at Hip length while the rest of my hair is almost TBL. My plan is to grow until Classic length and then maintain there for at least 3 years. (Classic is my ultimate goal for now)

[DKSABS]

Looks great Laura. What about some pic's of your bangs. Would love to see how they have turned out.

Ditto!!!!!!

[ErinLeigh]

LLL your hair is absolutely perfect :) Great job trusting your instincts.
I am hoping to see a pic of the blended bangs soon. I hope I didn't miss them f already posted. WIll check again.
You hemline is just insane now. Everything rocks!

Leilani - I love the bob. I am sure it will be super easy for your busy life...and it looks darn good.
All the stages in the grow-out will be fun and give a great variety of looks to play with. You also get an awesome fresh start. Hair looks shiny and thick now. I could be biased though considering I have an inverted bob :)

[Doreen]

Looks amazing, Laura! The new hem nicely complements the ombre color effect you have going on, and I'm feeling some serious hair envy at how shiny and silky your hair is in those pics. I'm glad it turned out how you wanted!

[leilani]

Beautiful hair, LLL! Enjoy just cruising through the rest of the year and loving your hair!
Sorry again to jump on your thread, I just thought it was so funny we were at a salon within hours of each other and how different "haircut" can be interpreted!

[lapushka]

Laura, judging from the distance between your hair and pants' pockets, there's barely length that's been cut off! She did great!

[butter52]

Wow great results Laura! Looks so beautiful and healthy!

Leilany I LOVE that cut, I am a sucker for cute short cuts. Enjoy mantaining it short for a while also! Why the rush to grow it and suffer middle stages already?

[Nebulae]

Wow, that braid :crush: Congrats on getting rid of the taper!

[momschicklets]

LLL your hair is just magnificent! :crush::crush:

[LauraLongLocks]

Thank you, everyone! I am so glad I did this.

Leilani, no need to apologize. It's great, we both got our hair "cut" at the same time and posted simultaneously. ;)

Lapushka, it's a different pair of pants, but yes, I don't think she took off very much. She knows I want knee length hair, and she is really supportive of it. I can definitely trust her with the scissors. I just need to teach her not to scrub my hair back and forth causing tangles in the washbowl. I'm definitely going to return to her for my future trims. She's good. And I'm going to talk to her about the wash bowl, or just come in with washed hair and not ask for any deep conditioning or anything like that.

Okay, here are the bangs. Before she texturized them, they were just like a shelf or steps when combed to the side. They looked like I started to make a chin-length bob, but stopped after the first snip. Now you can still see them, but they aren't as heavy. The hair just sort of blends in without looking "shelfy."

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Bestbirth/Hair%20Gallery/Growing%20out%20bangs/texturized20bangs20march202015.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/Bestbirth/media/Hair%20Gallery/Growing%20out%20bangs/texturized20bangs20march202015.jpg.html)

[swearnsue]

What a beautiful braid! Mine will look like that in about 10 years, except it will be thinner and silver! LOL. I hope it will be as shiny though.

[lapushka]

Oops, oh yeah, I must be blind. Different pair of pants. But still... she can't have taken that much, and it makes such a difference!


Okay, here are the bangs. Before she texturized them, they were just like a shelf or steps when combed to the side. They looked like I started to make a chin-length bob, but stopped after the first snip. Now you can still see them, but they aren't as heavy. The hair just sort of blends in without looking "shelfy."

I get what you mean. Now they look more face-framing. They grew a lot, though! Last time I saw them they were not even nose length... if I recall correctly.

[DKSABS]

Love the new bangs! Mine look like how you described your old bangs - like being about to get a chin length bob and stopping after the first snip. Wish I could find someone as talented as you have.

[Nic's]

Very pretty. Your bangs are looking lovely.

[Federica]

Oh LLL your fresh hemline is totally jaw dropping!
And it doesn't look any shorter than before O_O
The stylist has made a very good job, and I'm so happy that you're finally satisfied with your ends and bangs, now you can focus on growing it without any distraction!
Congratulations on your cut!

[Micayla47]

Thank you LauraLongLocks for the inspiration and the pictures!!!

[kidari]

I just wanted to chime in that I enjoyed the pictures and agree that the cut was a good idea and your hair looks amazing!!! The condition of it is just... wow!

[LauraLongLocks]

How did they blend your bangs? I am growing out heavy bangs and I'd love to do something with them that looks a bit less mullet-y. Did they point cut or something?

Yay for you having freshy freshy ends and being happy with your trim! :D

Sorry I missed answering this in all my excitement yesterday. She used thinning shears on the bottom 2-3 inches of my bangs to help them blend, but she didn't just hack straight across, she cut into the bangs from a perpendicular angle while holding them up so they would fall at an angle. I don't know if I'm describing it well enough. It was almost like point-cut technique, but from the side rather than from the bottom, if that makes any sense. I think she did a great job helping them to look a part of all my hair rather than a stair step. I was considering cutting a face frame to blend them, and we discussed it, but she suggested the texturizing as an alternative and I knew I would not be happy if I lost all that hair to framing layers. So I opted for the texturizing and I am really glad I did. It helped blend the bangs without me losing a lot of hair in the process. Now when I wear my hair down, I don't feel compelled to pull the bangs back because they hang funny in the front. I can just wear it all down. As an added plus, my bangs don't fall into my face as much now. They seem to want to hug my length a bit more. I'm so happy about this. It was the perfect solution to the growing-out-bangs look that I hated.

Thank you, all, for all the very kind comments. I am really pleased with my hair now and don't feel like there's anything that needs to be fixed about it. I can just let it grow, grow, grow. Yay!

I don't think my hair is long enough yet to be an inspiration, but thank you very much for the kind words.

[Arctic]

I don't think my hair is long enough yet to be an inspiration, but thank you very much for the kind words.

Come on, take the compliment of being someone's inspiration :) There are different kinds of inspiration other than length inspiration. Besides, for many of us, your length is very long already!

[LauraLongLocks]

Come on, take the compliment of being someone's inspiration :) There are different kinds of inspiration other than length inspiration. Besides, for many of us, your length is very long already!

Ha ha, okay, thanks. My head is going to explode because my ego is so big right now.

[cat11]

Your hair looks very shiny! Congrats on the new cut. I just cut about an inch off of the tip of my hair so I know how exiting even a little cut can be! All those fresh ends!!

[DweamGoiL]

So glad it turned out so well, LLL. It looks lovely! ;)

[butterflybutton]

Your hair looks amazing LLL! And your braid is wonderfully thick the whole way now. Congrats on completing your grow out phase, it must feel wonderful to be able to just grow now ��

[Squiggy]

Laura, it looks great! The ends look so nice and thick, and isn't it just wonderful to finally get rid of layers?!? Loving your henna ombre, too; such a lovely head of hair you have. What sort of deep conditioning treatment did you have done?

Leilani, that is a great cut!

[yahirwaO.o]

That rewarding feeling about having the most or closest perfection in hair terms must be wonderful.

Your hair is just so pretty Laura. :o

[LauraLongLocks]

Thank you for all the kind comments, everyone!


Laura, it looks great! The ends look so nice and thick, and isn't it just wonderful to finally get rid of layers?!? Loving your henna ombre, too; such a lovely head of hair you have. What sort of deep conditioning treatment did you have done?

Leilani, that is a great cut!The stylist didn't ask me what sort of conditioning treatment I wanted... moisturizing or protein. After she applied the conditioner, I asked if the conditioner had protein in it, and she said, "Yep, it has all sorts of good stuff in it!"

So, no straight answer, and my hair seems dry, so I'm guessing protein. I prefer my Generic Conditioning Balm; it is so moisturizing, which is what my hair craves.

I didn't like the way the stylist washed and conditioned my hair. Nor do I appreciate her not even asking whether I wanted moisture or protein. I also told her I washed my hair that day and it didn't need washed again, but she said she was going to clarify it. Maybe in her mind clarifying before doing a deep treatment is necessary, but it's not mandatory in my mind unless the hair seems to need clarifying. I clarified a week and a half ago, so there was no need to clarify again so soon. I was also not appreciative of her ripping through the tangles with her comb, the tangles that she created in my hair while washing it. If I handled my hair the way that she did every day, I would not have any hair left.

However, this stylist is talented with the scissors and listens to what I want with my hair goals. She just doesn't know better on the handling of hair. Next time I want a good trim, I will go to her, and will skip the request to have anything in the washbowl done. That will solve the handling problems.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Thank you for all the kind comments, everyone!

The stylist didn't ask me what sort of conditioning treatment I wanted... moisturizing or protein. After she applied the conditioner, I asked if the conditioner had protein in it, and she said, "Yep, it has all sorts of good stuff in it!"

So, no straight answer, and my hair seems dry, so I'm guessing protein. I prefer my Generic Conditioning Balm; it is so moisturizing, which is what my hair craves.

I didn't like the way the stylist washed and conditioned my hair. Nor do I appreciate her not even asking whether I wanted moisture or protein. I also told her I washed my hair that day and it didn't need washed again, but she said she was going to clarify it. Maybe in her mind clarifying before doing a deep treatment is necessary, but it's not mandatory in my mind unless the hair seems to need clarifying. I clarified a week and a half ago, so there was no need to clarify again so soon. I was also not appreciative of her ripping through the tangles with her comb, the tangles that she created in my hair while washing it. If I handled my hair the way that she did every day, I would not have any hair left.

However, this stylist is talented with the scissors and listens to what I want with my hair goals. She just doesn't know better on the handling of hair. Next time I want a good trim, I will go to her, and will skip the request to have anything in the washbowl done. That will solve the handling problems.

She probably didn't ask you what kind of deep treatment you wanted because normally if she asked someone what kind of treatment they wanted they would probably look at her blankly and not have a clue what she was talking about :)

Your hair is wonderful now - no wonder you are so proud of it! You have just the look I would love to have (drool)...ETA: You will have to educate her on using a wide toothed comb and gentle washing/drying. In the end you will have the hairdresser of your dreams :)

[Squiggy]

Thank you for all the kind comments, everyone!

The stylist didn't ask me what sort of conditioning treatment I wanted... moisturizing or protein. After she applied the conditioner, I asked if the conditioner had protein in it, and she said, "Yep, it has all sorts of good stuff in it!"

So, no straight answer, and my hair seems dry, so I'm guessing protein. I prefer my Generic Conditioning Balm; it is so moisturizing, which is what my hair craves.

I didn't like the way the stylist washed and conditioned my hair. Nor do I appreciate her not even asking whether I wanted moisture or protein. I also told her I washed my hair that day and it didn't need washed again, but she said she was going to clarify it. Maybe in her mind clarifying before doing a deep treatment is necessary, but it's not mandatory in my mind unless the hair seems to need clarifying. I clarified a week and a half ago, so there was no need to clarify again so soon. I was also not appreciative of her ripping through the tangles with her comb, the tangles that she created in my hair while washing it. If I handled my hair the way that she did every day, I would not have any hair left.

However, this stylist is talented with the scissors and listens to what I want with my hair goals. She just doesn't know better on the handling of hair. Next time I want a good trim, I will go to her, and will skip the request to have anything in the washbowl done. That will solve the handling problems.

Well, that's kind of a bummer that she didn't ask about the conditioning. But I bet Sarahlabyrinth is right, most people don't know the difference, and most people who use heat regularly probably need protein anyway!

Granted, I haven't been to a stylist in about 2.5 years, but I do remember being shocked by the rough brushing and all the snapping hairs I could usually hear. I once had a great stylist who took the time to finger comb out my hair before she started with the brush, and she brushed so slowly and gently that I never felt her pull. She was great, but we have moved away, alas. I agree about washing before hand and skipping the bowl - show up with wet, just washed hair and they usually don't try to get you in there IME. Only down fall is that you miss out on the great head massage! Anyway, your hair looks lovely, and you have me thinking about going in for a real trim sometime this year, maybe after all the damage of summer sun and chlorine is over.

[Calaelen]

It looks gorgeous!

[Avis]

Wow LLL your hair looks soooo shiny and your hemline is perfect. Although I plan on trimming my own hair for a while, thank you for reminding me that not all stylists are scissor-happy. :flower:

[LauraLongLocks]

Thank you! I am really happy with the results. This stylist said to me that she knows how upsetting it is to have a stylist not listen to you, and she never wants to be that stylist.

I will definitely show up with freshly washed hair the next time.