In your opinion, what does it take to look good with fairytale ends?

[Tangles]

Regarding FTE, I hear a lot of people say things like:

Fairy tale ends can be beautiful on some people and hideous on others

Or

Fairy tale ends are great but I could never pull them off.

In your mind what does it take to look good in them? A certain hair color or thickness or texture? A certain face shape or body build?

Actually I think FTE look cute on most people as long as they don't take up a huge portion of the length.

[Aisha25]

I think only natural fairytale ends looks good but that is my opinion of course:)

[DecafJane]

I like them best on thick, dark hair with a minimum of a bit of a wave. Also, if there is too much breakage up the whole length of the hair, I don't really like the look.
However, this is just my opinion. People can do what they want with their hair. :)

[Katurday]

I don't like Fairy Tale Ends at all.
I have a horrifiying memory of a
girl in my school with Veela hair-
that is, platinum blonde, tailbone
length, extremely thin, see through,
fairy tale ending hair. It wasn't damaged
but I think it was definetly a case
of where long hair did NOT suit a
person.

[Tangles]

I don't like Fairy Tale Ends at all.
I have a horrifiying memory of a
girl in my school with Veela hair-
that is, platinum blonde, tailbone
length, extremely thin, see through,
fairy tale ending hair. It wasn't damaged
but I think it was definetly a case
of where long hair did NOT suit a
person.

IDK, that sounds quite pretty to me.

[Tangles]

I think FTE look kind of good on me for some reason... but my goal is still blunt at waist just to see if I can accomplish that!

[Curlsgirl]

I actually think they look good on any head of hair it's just personal preference for me. One person might think they look great and others hate it. Ya know? I love it on blond medium wavy hair. Reminds me of a princess in the Disney fairytales. I tried it however and with curly hair it doesn't look so good to me. It makes my ends look ragged and thinner. I like mine blunt but not necessarily on anyone else.

[PseudoScot]

I'm not a fan of fairy tale ends, to be honest. They look best on curlies, though. I think the best fairy tales ones are the ones with just a bit of TLC. Meaning, they taper and go thin but are still trimmed into a shape, instead of all straggly. They are also not all splitty. I am not saying all fairy tale ends are splitty, to me they look better if they have been tendrf to a bit, be it with S&D or microtrims.

My favorites are blunt for myself, V or U on other people, especially straight hair.

Not sure if that helps but sort of explains what I think good fairy tale ends should be like, and maybe my way isn't natural enough to count...

[ajr]

They work on people that like the look and wear it with confidence.

[amaiaisabella]

I definitely think that there needs to be a bit of a wave, if not curls, for fairytale ends to look truly... magical, if you'll pardon the pun :) Course, I'm paranoid about my hair breaking, so I keep my ends blunt, thus no chance of seeing if they would look good on me!

[Tangles]

I also think they only look good on waist + hair. I once had them at BSL because I was being very negligent with my highlighted ends and not trimming; not so good.

[HairColoredHair]

I think it can look good on anyone, but they have to like it themselves!

And besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure some people think my hair looks horrid and I do not care. Period.

[mira-chan]

They work on people that like the look and wear it with confidence.

Exactly right!

Fairy tale ended hair owner here. No, they don't look amazing at all times (Whose hair does?) but I don't really care and I don't wear it down much anyway. :shrug:

What is the popular LHC saying? "I'm not here to decorate your world." ;)

I'm keeping mine, straggliness and all. :wigtongue

[RocketDog]

I think mira-chan has BEAUTIFUL fairytale ends - her signature photo is one of the ones I always stop to admire when I'm reading a thread :)

I think tawny-colored hair with good body waves that hits at tailbone length with fairytale ends is pretty much THE ideal head of hair - of course, being a tawny-curly-haired girl may have something to do with that bias :P

[camara]

For me, symmetry does the trick. I´ve let my hair grow without trims for quite a while, and it turned out the right side was growing more quickly. Thus, I suspect a kind of lopsided FTE were going to be the result.

And I agree on the waviness, IMHO fairytale ends look best on wavy /curly hair.
But then again, I´ve seen all kinds of ends here, and most of them look good to me, so, maybe there is no rule, really?

[Isilme]

I don't like fairytale ends that happened from neglect of care, they shouldn't be broken or damaged, if it's a natural taper, then it's ok. I still prefer it on people with TB hair, quite dark and curly.

[Poppy Seed]

I like the concept, and on our goddesses I like the look. However, while I can say that I do believe there are "bad" and "good" types of fairytale ends, I don't think I've got a good definition.

I suspect that a lot of it goes on the overall quality of hair - so if it's long and well cared for, but tapers at the ends that seems to look ok - as Isilme already said. Also, if the hair is getting towards long of average, beholders who are not in the know about FTEs are more likely to be impressed anyway.

I don't think colour has anything to do with it, although the darker the hair, the more obvious FTEs are.

As with most things, it's the attitude that speaks volumes, so someone who wears their hair down with the attitude that says 'I love my hair, and know it looks fabulous' is far more likely to be able to carry off the fairytale look than someone who shrinks into the corner and fiddles with their ends!

[basak]

I like fairytale ends because they look more natural than blunt ends. Some other person might have beautiful blunt hair, but my ends get too straight and straw-looking(despite being soft and healthy) when they are all one length, they tend to clump together, especially in braid tassels. But when it's fairytaled, ends aren't so heavy anymore and they even have some wave sometimes. I had my ends fairytaled with a razor when I had my last trim at the salon. It makes it easier to do updos, on the plus side.

[longhairedfairy]

Extremely healthy hair (or as healthy as something dead can be).

[Periwinkle]

I think the hair has to be really, really healthy, so that it's clearly natural taper and not just abused hair that's breaking off willy-nilly.

I also think that there needs to be a gradual fairytaling, rather than half the hair disappearing at once. (Oh wait, that's what I have...damn layers!)

[neon-dream]

I think they're cute, depending on the overall condition of the hair, and how much of the hair they take up =/
xxx

[LutraLutra]

I really don't think it matters what kind of lenght, hemline, colour, texture etc etc anyone's hair is as long been cared for and being worn with pride and grace. That's what's really beautiful.

[trolleypup]

So long as it is reasonably well taken care of, it is all good!

And really, none of my business.

[ktani]

So long as it is reasonably well taken care of, it is all good!

And really, none of my business.

Lol, you have truly amazing hair and I think that anyone with amazing hair has an opinion worth listening to (not that other opinions are not).

[EdG]

I think it is all in the eye of the beholder. I still haven't grown used to my taper. I had a classic-length blunt cut for years prior to growing to terminal length. :shrug:
Ed

[GlennaGirl]

I think fairy tale ends look cute sticking out of the ends of a 'do (such as braids). I think they look feathery, airy, adorable, romantic.

I feel this way about anyone's fairy tale ends.

I don't like the look of them on my hair only because they automatically make me think of when my hair was damaged. I don't know why I have that reaction to my own hair and not to other people's, it's just sort of a "thing" with me. I used to color and sometimes perm my hair and that was the only time it was "wispy" like that. It's piecy now, but not wispy, if that makes sense. When it was damaged, it sort of flew or floated all around and now when I see or feel that on me, it makes me cringe even though my hair is no longer damaged.

I often see fairy tale ends on other people and seldom think of it as damaged; go figure.

[Tangles]

I think the appeal of fairytaling is that it's organic and natural--at its healthy best, it's a far cry from damaged, flat-ironed, colored locks. It's cute, like something from the Lord of the Rings--not everyday and mundane.

[skay]

Hi Tangles, well, since you asked for my opinion (heh-heh, how's that for covering my butt :eyebrows: ;) ).

Seriously though, in real life, I haven't seen enough people with really long hair and fairytale ends to really notice too much the effects of fairytale ends on them. But, in my mind, I think a combination of long and wavy hair that's down to around the waist looks cool with fairytale ends.

The hair may or may not be thick but the waviness and length builds up a sense of volume. Hmmm. Basically, kind of like you see in fairytale books. :pegasus: ;)

[Honey39]

I peronally like them on longer hair (waist length plus), where they sort of fade out gently. They look (to me) very gentle and ethereal, and I like the overall shape of the hair with them.
But I have seen all sizes and types with gorgeous fairy tale ends, so I guess I like them generally!

[spidermom]

When I first joined LHC in 2005, I strongly disliked all fairy tale ends. However, over the years, I've come to appreciate most of them. The only ones I don't like so much is when most of the hair hits terminal at one length, with just a few scraggles growing longer than that.

[nappywomyn]

IMO, the curlier the hair, the better fairytales look. I like them all, but really gradual and graceful fairy tail ends on 3a and up hair is just :thud: worthy to me.

[CaraLynn]

I have never had fte even without trimming because the last few inches of my hair curls up, so even if it's thin there you can't really tell. On other people I don't like fte. But that's just me. :)

[Amara]

I really like any hemline that looks healthy.

[Sighridh]

If the ends are fairly uniform and with a nice taper I think they look really romantic and remind me very much of a lot of the long hair I've seen in "period" movies that have always made me jealous.

[rhubarbarin]

I dunno.. I guess I like fairy-tale ends best when they taper proportionately to the rest of the hair's thickness. If it's a very abrupt thinning I think it can look a bit strange when it's down.

I also like them a lot on curly/wavy hair, but Cinnamon Hair has my favorite fairytale hem on LHC and her hair is very straight.

[Meli]

I think they can look good on any hairtype and colour, but I generally think they look better on tailbone or longer hair. Healthy ends with natural taper also look better than scraggly, damaged ends. So, to be honest - I'm not very fond of my own fte at the moment... IMO, my hair is a bit short for fte, and I also have a lot of old breakage left. But I don't really want a blunt hemline either, and I'll be more forgiving towards my ends as they approach TBL.

[Katze]

I don't like the looks of them in most cases, but the state of my hair (layered, heavily tapered) could be affecting my opinion. Unless my hair is at its best, the bottom inches float down with no weight, are see through, and just look bad.

When I see someone with long hair down that has ftes, I think that she has damaged hair. When I see blunt, thick ends at BSL or below, though, I think that hair is healthy and am envious. However, I realize that my bias is based on really, really wanting blunt ends and seemingly being unable to get them!

[intothemist1999]

Wave, or curls.

I love the look, but wouldn't be able to pull it off.

[ilovelonghair]

I think they look best on wavy or curly hair. I find wavy/curly hair with a blunt cut a bit strange. I don't like fairytale ends on straight hair. But it probably all depends on the hair type and the person. And the ends need to look healthy.

[RavennaNight]

Im going to put a vote in for pinstraight fairytale endings. They are nice on curly&wavy too, but straight ones with gentle taper are just beautiful. The taper has to be right, and sort of be a smooth gradation, nothing abrupt. It makes me think of fairies. Especially if it's blonde.

[florenonite]

My flatmate's got WL, straight, blonde FTEs that are gorgeous. The taper's gradual and her hair's reasonably healthy. I think that's key for nice FTEs: gradual taper and healthy, not damaged, hair.

[sahiba]

They work on people that like the look and wear it with confidence.

Well said .Frankly I have started liking my FTE from the time I joined LHC. Other wise earlier I was not really comfortable with them. Now I would not even dream of cutting them. Though I do feel that they look better if you have long hair .

[jel]

I have to chime in too, as a proud owner of FTEs :D I like them so much, that I'm already thinking about artificially trimming them in once I reach my goal (tailbone) and start maintaining that length. I just can't see my hair with a blunt hemline... That is not to say that I dislike a blunt hem, just that I don't particularly desire one for myself.

Back to the question - does my hair look good with FTEs? Well, I think it does, and that's the opinion that really matters to me. My SO, family and friends also like the 'fairy-tale'* and 'feminine'* look of my hair, but it is entirely possible that I managed to brainwash them ;).



* Direct quotes about my hair from unsolicited compliments.

[Laila23]

As long as it is shiny and healthy and not dry and brittle looking, why not?? :)

[florenonite]

I have to chime in too, as a proud owner of FTEs :D I like them so much, that I'm already thinking about artificially trimming them in once I reach my goal (tailbone) and start maintaining that length. I just can't see my hair with a blunt hemline... That is not to say that I dislike a blunt hem, just that I don't particularly desire one for myself.

Back to the question - does my hair look good with FTEs? Well, I think it does, and that's the opinion that really matters to me. My SO, family and friends also like the 'fairy-tale'* and 'feminine'* look of my hair, but it is entirely possible that I managed to brainwash them ;).



* Direct quotes about my hair from unsolicited compliments.

You've got gorgeous FTEs!

[maskedrose]

I think thickness and waviness is key, personally. While I think some straighties can pull it off beautifully, the ones I stop and really admire go hand in hand with TB-classic, dark, waviness. Aisha's are my personal favorite!

[Deborah]

This is not a popular point of view on these boards, but I don't like them, period, so to me they don't look good on anyone. :couch: However, if other people actually like them, they should feel free to wear their hair any way they like.

I suppose it is just a matter of personal preference. Many people love their daily coffee, while I hate the stuff. They are welcome to drink as much as they like, but I don't see the attraction to that particular taste at all, and will never drink it. Some people really dislike the look of grey hair, while I think it generally looks fine, and on some women is downright beautiful. We just don't always like the same things.

[joyfulmom4]

Until I discovered LHC, I had never heard of the term "fairytale ends". It never occurred to me that anyone would intentionally go for that style, or even have it cut that way.

But I think that reflects the experience I had prior to now. Most people I see don't wear their hair long. When I see tapering ends like that, it's usually on someone who hasn't taken good care of their hair. They look like they're trying to attain length at the expense of healthy hair. Or that they just don't go to the salon often enough.

But now I'm gaining a new appreciation for the fairytale look and am considering leaving mine alone (instead of my usual blunt trim every few months). I've discovered that fairytale ends can look very beautiful and I have fallen in love with the look of several people's fairytale ends here.

I've also started wearing my hair up a lot more since I discovered some new styles and hair toys, so fairytale ends would be nice for that. I think my blunt, thick braid can make it more difficult to create some buns and other styles.

[Kleis]

Everyone has different preferences. :shrug: The blunt look has always been a little weird to my eyes, because I've had long hair pretty much my whole life and it's always been with natural ends. A blunt cut seems to abbreviate it somehow, if that makes sense.

Caveats to natural ends always make me roll my eyes. "You can have fairy tale ends if it's without damage." Gee, do you know how impossible it would be to grow down this long without having fragile hair? For those of you who make this rule, when you figure out how to do it, you can bottle it and sell it here. Lots of buyers, I'm sure.

[Aisha25]

I think thickness and waviness is key, personally. While I think some straighties can pull it off beautifully, the ones I stop and really admire go hand in hand with TB-classic, dark, waviness. Aisha's are my personal favorite!
Aww thank you so much:bluebiggr you made my year:cloud9:

[Thrasher07]

I have FTEs but eventually I'd like to have a blunt hem. I don't think my ends look bad, but I always get people telling me I need to take such and such a length off my hair to get 'good ends', lots of people seem to have a problem with them :S. Generally I think if they're not terribly damaged then what's the problem?? :D

[Tangles]

Thrasher, the people who said you had bad ends are the same people who would say hair that isn't flat ironed or curling ironed is bad hair.

[jel]

You've got gorgeous FTEs!

Thank you! :flowers: I'd normally say something modest, but in this thread we're bigging up the FTEs ;)

[florenonite]

Caveats to natural ends always make me roll my eyes. "You can have fairy tale ends if it's without damage." Gee, do you know how impossible it would be to grow down this long without having fragile hair? For those of you who make this rule, when you figure out how to do it, you can bottle it and sell it here. Lots of buyers, I'm sure.

When I say I like FTEs if they don't have damage, I mean the ones that are well-taken care of, rather than those that exist because the hair has been flat-ironed into oblivion, for instance, such that the hair all breaks off. Of course hair is fragile and there will be damage, even with blunt ends, but all the same I think there is a distinction between FTEs that are healthy with a reasonably small amount of damage and FTEs that are a result of poor hair care. Make sense?

[Kleis]

When I say I like FTEs if they don't have damage, I mean the ones that are well-taken care of, rather than those that exist because the hair has been flat-ironed into oblivion, for instance, such that the hair all breaks off. Of course hair is fragile and there will be damage, even with blunt ends, but all the same I think there is a distinction between FTEs that are healthy with a reasonably small amount of damage and FTEs that are a result of poor hair care. Make sense?

Oh, sure. :flowers: Don't mind my frustration. I did several sessions of split-end trimming this weekend. The blasted things number in the thousands again, with all the tender loving care one would wish for. (Okay, I was secretly hoping someone had a magical elixir...)

[Euphony]

When I say I like FTEs if they don't have damage, I mean the ones that are well-taken care of, rather than those that exist because the hair has been flat-ironed into oblivion, for instance, such that the hair all breaks off. Of course hair is fragile and there will be damage, even with blunt ends, but all the same I think there is a distinction between FTEs that are healthy with a reasonably small amount of damage and FTEs that are a result of poor hair care. Make sense?
Oh boy, oh boy - you described my hair to a T from before LHC and I had a false terminal length of bsl - though I didn't flat iron, I blow dried it straight with a metal barrel brush, then sometimes I'd curl it after :rolleyes:

[Tangles]

Oh boy, oh boy - you described my hair to a T from before LHC and I had a false terminal length of bsl - though I didn't flat iron, I blow dried it straight with a metal barrel brush, then sometimes I'd curl it after :rolleyes:

I've "double processed" (straightened + then curled) my hair a couple of times. It looks really good... realllllllly good. Hair equivalent of chocolate ice cream.

[nomadhome]

I'm in the very gradually tapered and relatively healthy/well-cared-for camp. I have sort of faux fairytailing from layers that are still growing out and I am ambivalent about it.

[Kirin]

I don't like FTE......... on myself.

I have extremely fine/thin hair, if my ponytail circumference made it an inch, I'd be amazed. Going scraggly and thinner at the ends gives a look that I am unkempt and balding.

[Cinnamon Hair]

In your mind what does it take to look good in them?

This is a touchy subject, but I'll give it my best shot. Since it's just my opinion, I hope not to offend anyone with fairytale ends that don't meet my criteria. I've had them myself, still do to some extent ...so I'm not being critical.

I think fairytale ends look their absolute best when

the person is confident about his/her hair
the ends reach at least lower waist/tailbone
the ends fairytale in a uniform shape, rather than being thicker on one side or the other
again, MOST IMPORTANT, the person is happy with how his/her ends look and wouldn't avoid wearing it down due to the condition of the ends


:twocents: Of course there is little you can do about making your ends fairytale in a uniform shape. Mine have always been thicker on one side, which bugs me. And if your ends fairytale before waist, again, not much you can do to control that. So that's why it is important to be happy with what you have. In a perfect world though...

[ladyshannonanne]

I think they look best on wavy hair. I'm not wild about them on straight hair and I've never actually seen them on curly hair--well, I've seen very short fairy tale ends on curly hair that's quite damaged, but I don't quite define those as fairy tale ends.