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View Full Version : Thinking of cutting layers, need advice!



iluvmy67cuda
July 5th, 2009, 01:05 AM
Well, my hair is longer than my avatar pic now, about classic length now. It is wavy, a tiny bit curly, frizzy and dry. My hair is thinning because of my PCOS and stress. I want more body, more volume, but i dont want to loose much length. So....

Can i get layers and it still be long?
Would that give me more volume/body?
Like, couldnt i just get a few inches trimmed off, and then get long layers cut in? And if so, how do i describe this to the salon so they dont mess it up? I havent cut in many years. So im just wondering.


Like, Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic. it was long, but had long layers, that is my dream hair. what do you think?:confused:

ericthegreat
July 5th, 2009, 01:24 AM
To be honest, IMO layers are the absolute death of long, full hair. If you're really looking for thickness then simply blunt trim your ends. The shape in the back doesn't necessarily have to be a straight one length, you could also ask for a nice U-shaped back. As you know into order to cut in layers, the stylist must lift your hair up in increasing angles all around your head and then cut what will most definitely be several inches of the top sections of your hair. Are you sure you really want to lose that much length especially now since your at the door to classic length?

I sure you can easily figure out what I would do(or rather wouldn't do) if I were in your shoes. :D

iluvmy67cuda
July 5th, 2009, 01:27 AM
I totally get your point. I really dont want to loose any more hair. thats my whole dilema, im loosing so much hair because im sick and stressed and its thinning. I just need to find a way to get some volume without using a ton of expensive products, because i just dont have the money for anything. Plus, i bet if i cut layers, i might hate it. Im already growing out bangs i hated.

ericthegreat
July 5th, 2009, 01:44 AM
Oh wow. In that case I offer my well wishes to you. What I would recommend if your hair is thinning is to increase your intake of biotin. I myself don't take any special pills or anything, I just eat healthy, get regular exercise, and try to get enough sleep. I eat everything from broccoli, cauliflower, kale, whole eggs(scrambled of course!), fish of all kinds including salmon, and chicken and beef as well. Make sure you get plenty of protein in your diet so that you can grow the thickest, healthiest hair you can possibly grow.

And don't think for a second that layers will "thicken up" your hair. Its actually quite the opposite, the purpose of layers is to "lighten the load" so to speak. They make your overall head of hair even THINNER than it would be if it were all one length. I seriously would forget about getting layers and ask instead for either a blunt cut one-length or again a nice, soft U shape in the back.

manderly
July 5th, 2009, 02:12 AM
I have layers, they are not evil. But I also don't have a problem with thinning either.

You can definitely get long layers, I think they look great in wavies/curlies because it allows more of the curl pattern up higher, rather than just all at the bottom.

If you're really interested, get them nice and long, that way if you hate them you only have a few inches to grow them out.

You can see how layers look in my siggy pic ;)

noelgirl
July 5th, 2009, 06:18 AM
I like my layers, but my dilemma is rather opposite to yours - I got mine because my hair tends to get very "big". So they do create more wave/curl definition, but the trade-off is that they actually decrease volume. Which works out well for me, but it doesn't quite sound like what you're going for.

KarpatiiSiv
July 5th, 2009, 06:50 AM
I'm sorry to hear your hair is thinning due to illness and stress. Layers are a great idea if you hair is thick and can look lovely but as noelgirl said they do "decrease volume" which is certainly not what you want if your hair is thinning as this in itself is obviously adding to your stress levels. You would be better off getting the trim on its own and then babying you hair.

gmdiaz
July 5th, 2009, 07:10 AM
I totally agree with suggestions that Ericthegreat gave you! Your hair is just beautiful like it is!

I'd focus on getting well, taking a good one a day multivitamin, biotin, eating a variety of good healthy foods and pumping up your protein intake.

Your hair is so effectd by stress and illness. I know you want to "fix it" by making some quick cuts but really the beauty of your hair is so dependent on your body's health. It will thicken back up once your health has returned. It's just going to take a while.

If I were in your situation, I'd just concentrate on pretty updos and get a new hairtoy.

I've been using the Morrocco Method hair care system. Maybe checkout their website? They suggest the blunt cut as well for healthy hair.

Wishing you all the best.

Bunnyhare
July 5th, 2009, 07:45 AM
I totally agree with suggestions that Ericthegreat gave you! Your hair is just beautiful like it is!

I'd focus on getting well, taking a good one a day multivitamin, biotin, eating a variety of good healthy foods and pumping up your protein intake.

Your hair is so effectd by stress and illness. I know you want to "fix it" by making some quick cuts but really the beauty of your hair is so dependent on your body's health. It will thicken back up once your health has returned. It's just going to take a while.

If I were in your situation, I'd just concentrate on pretty updos and get a new hairtoy. .

I agree. I have layers and they definitely decrease thickness, alot. and i wish i had never gotten them..it was fun for a few days then i was over it. hard to braid, have to use tons of pins...:( Wear your hair up more, put pretty things in it and keep it! your hair is so pretty ! ANd concentrate on getting the rest of you healthy, your hair will follow..i don't know what your illness is(the abbreviations i mean) but i have a chronic illness and it sucks...:grouphug:hugs to you and keep your smile on, i have found that to be my best medicine!

heatherdazy
July 16th, 2009, 08:14 AM
Layers can increase the appearance of body on women with chin-bra strap length hair of medium density. This doesn't describe you at all! Imho, the best way to achieve the look of the most hair at your length would be to trim a nice, blunt hemline then set it.

Madame J
July 16th, 2009, 08:22 AM
Layers made my iii-thickness, APL hair look and feel thinner and lighter. In your hair, they would probably just make it look straggly. That said, if you want to primarily wear your hair down all the time, layers might make it look more "stylish," but will hinder the ability to put your hair up neatly. If you want to gain volume, you might want to just get a few inches trimmed off, so it's not as weighed down, and then wear it up until your length starts regrowing.

Also, if you're going out, and don't mind a little heat, you can let your hair air-dry most of the way, and then flip your head upside down and apply a warm blow dryer to the roots to get them the rest of the way dry. You could probably even use the cool shot, but it'll take a little longer. Or hang upside down to air-dry (that sounds unpleasant to me, though).

Isa-belle
July 16th, 2009, 08:35 AM
I agree with Eric's advice, too. Layers on very long hair most always ends up meaning straggly ends :(
I wish you all the best, iluvmy67cuda. Your hair looks lovely on your avatar pic.

pixiedoo
July 16th, 2009, 08:38 AM
Sorry to hear that your hair is thinning due to illness and stress I can totally sympathise as I have lost nearly half of my hairdue to ill health. It is now starting to recover but it is a slow process. Ericthegreat's advice is spot on. Look after your health and your diet and your hair will follow suit. I have made drastic lifestyle changes to deal with my illness and thanks to a incredibly healthy diet and loads of rest my hair is starting to make a comeback :)

My well meaning (I think?!!) hairdresser advised me to get layers to 'thicken' up my hair when it was at it worse and I so wish I hadn't listen to her advice. I'm still growing the stupid things out. Layers made my fine, limp hair look even finer and limper :confused:

Also my hair has a natural wave and the layers just stuck out at funny angles. Everybody is different I guess but in my experience having layers put in to give the illusion of thicker hair was a BIG mistake as it had the opposite effect.

Good luck and I hope you soon start to feel better :)

LaurelSpring
July 16th, 2009, 10:21 AM
To be honest, IMO layers are the absolute death of long, full hair. If you're really looking for thickness then simply blunt trim your ends. The shape in the back doesn't necessarily have to be a straight one length, you could also ask for a nice U-shaped back. As you know into order to cut in layers, the stylist must lift your hair up in increasing angles all around your head and then cut what will most definitely be several inches of the top sections of your hair. Are you sure you really want to lose that much length especially now since your at the door to classic length?

I sure you can easily figure out what I would do(or rather wouldn't do) if I were in your shoes. :D

I agree with ericthegreat on this one! I am growing out layers from years ago and its a total pain if you want long hair. Layers need work and maintanence if you want them to look right. They have to be curled to make them add any sort of a look of fullness but mostly they just look scraggly and thin. This could be different on really thick curly hair but for me layers are very work intensive and do mess up the updos. Then you get tired of the scraggly ends and end up cutting a huge amount of hair to even it back up again. Its a vicious cycle.

I would recommend henna or cassia to thicken up the feel of your hair and the other suggestions here also.

spidermom
July 16th, 2009, 11:19 AM
With your type of hair, I'd go with a blunt trim. I like the U-shape but straight across is good, too. You could perhaps try a bit of layering around the face to blend in the growing out bangs - see how how you like layers on a very limited scale. NOTE -- to be sure the stylist doesn't cut too deep into the hair, separate out the hair that you'd like to have layered and securely braid the rest back. I went with a 1-inch-wide section of hair from above the forehead going straight down to where the top of the ear connects with the scalp on each side. You can it yourself if you don't have a stylist that you trust; it's pretty easy. I can give you tips if you like. (I really liked my face-framing layers but have grown them out over the past year because it's so convenient to be able to secure all my hair back for yard/house work.)