Layers for waist length curly hair?

[Curlsgirl]

Pros and cons? I have been thinking about this for a while and I just can't decide whether to try it or not. I have had layers at shorter lengths but never this long. Before it made my triangle head worse and hair look bulky but that shouldn't matter now.

This is why I am considering it:

1. I am bored with my hair
2. I thought it might add some "shape" to my hair
3. I thought it might encourage the curls that have been weighed down by length

If I did it any ideas on what to tell my hair styist and how many inches to layer?

[Honey39]

I suppose it depends as well on how you wear your hair - up or down, mostly? I think go for it, if that's what you want, hair should be fun and about you.

I'm very very happy because I've just grown past triangle hair syndrome, lol. I don't really mind losing the curl that much, I just tell myself I have Botticelli waves :) I battle hugely with frizz though, so am not sure.

Anyway, am sure it will look pretty on you - what about letting your hair 'naturally' fairy tale? My hair has been growing into more of a curve, and I don't really mind, I quite like that - seems to work well on wurly hair.

Sorry, am not being much help - you have such lovely hair though, I'm sure it will look equally fab on you!

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

My hair is pretty heavily layered with long layers which I am trying to grow out.. I liked them when my hair was shorter but now that I am near waist length it's become the bane of my existence. The ends look thin while my hair at around BSL looks super thick... it also makes my hair look like a V shape at times when it isn't shaped that way at all.. I'm just not a fan of layers for my hair at all. If you wan't your ends to look thinner then I'd go for it :)

I think you can see what I mean here?
http://www.septemberpixie.com/lj/hair/IMG_4631.jpg

[Curlsgirl]

I wonder if it HAS to take on a "V" shape or if they can cut it NOT to do that if I ask them?

[misstwist]

Curlsgirl, when my hair was shorter and curly I had good layering from my Aveda stylist.

You've gone back to Aveda for your color, haven't you? I would suggest booking a consultation with one of their stylists and asking her how she would cut layers to maximize the curl and give it more movement.

You might even end up with enough weight removed that you can wear it up with some comfort.

[Curlsgirl]

Curlsgirl, when my hair was shorter and curly I had good layering from my Aveda stylist.

You've gone back to Aveda for your color, haven't you? I would suggest booking a consultation with one of their stylists and asking her how she would cut layers to maximize the curl and give it more movement.

You might even end up with enough weight removed that you can wear it up with some comfort.

No, not going to Aveda, found out it wasn't a TRUE Aveda, just sold the products!!! I did find a new salon I LOVE though. I trust them completely. Haven't had a cut there but I thought I might ask for someone who is good with curly hair.

[Rohele]

I'm a fan of layers, but admittedly, I don't have very long hair yet.

I've been keeping mine confined to the last 3-4 inches of my hair and this seems to be working for me (my shortest layer is just above shoulders). When I go with any shorter layers, and wear it wavy I end up with what could only be described as "poodle ears" since the curls sproing up so much on the top layer, while the under part hangs (my underlayer is straighter than the canopy too). My stylist would prefer to start them this short, but I won't let her, for the reason stated above - I think it must be what they are taught to do.

Anyway the layers give me more of a rounded appearance to the way my hair hangs when viewed from the side (with the bulk of my hair several inches above the ends), but I get triangle head without layers, not with.

If you go for it my advice is to start slowly and be very clear about how much, since my experience seems to be that when you ask for layers (even long layers) they start off pretty short, above shoulder.

[redcelticcurls]

Curls tend to pop better with some layers, but not everyone likes the thinner ends.

I like my layers.

[Rohele]

I wonder if it HAS to take on a "V" shape or if they can cut it NOT to do that if I ask them?

I ended up with a "U" shape after my last cut - my stylist angled the layers so they were shorter in the front and longer in the back. She said it would help keep my hair from falling forward onto my face, and it does to a great degree. I think they could probably keep a straighter hemline if you asked, by how they cut the layers.

[Curlsgirl]

Where do your layers start RedCelticCurls? I like the way your hair looks from the back. Is it also a "V" shape naturally or from the layers?

[juliaxena]

I'm desperatly waiting till my layers grow out. My layers tend to look and feel more damaged, are you sure it would not happen to you? It's hard and long proccess to grow them ot too.

[misstwist]

Okay, the first two pages of this thread has details of how I remember my hair being layered to maximize the curl.

Note that I didn't realize she was layering it because she mostly layered under the canopy. That might not work well longer than shoulder, which was the longest my hair was with this stylist.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=27128

[misstwist]

No, not going to Aveda, found out it wasn't a TRUE Aveda, just sold the products!!! I did find a new salon I LOVE though. I trust them completely. Haven't had a cut there but I thought I might ask for someone who is good with curly hair.

'k. I think I would still book a consultation first.

[Curlsgirl]

I'm desperatly waiting till my layers grow out. M layers tend to look and fel more damaged, are you sure it would not happen to you? It's hard and long proccess to grow them ot too.

Well it stands to reason since you have more different lengths of ends. I wouldn't get any more than 2-3 inches layered which would mean I could trim them off fairly easily. I wouldn't get short layers at all if I do it.

[redcelticcurls]

Where do your layers start RedCelticCurls? I like the way your hair looks from the back. Is it also a "V" shape naturally or from the layers?

It's cut into a V on purpose. Even at my moderate length, I have poofy enough hair for it to still be sort of triangular if it were all one length with a blunt hemline.

My shortest layers are the ones around my face, they are APL-ish dry, with a couple of face framing stragglers at grazing shoulder. The longest layers are bottom of BSL dry. Wet, the shortest layers are BSL and the longest layers are hip.

I think I can pull off, or need, layers because I'm a M/C and a iii. I might look at it differently if I were a F/i.

[Teakafrog]

Mine is finally getting close to waist length, and I keep some long layers, just the last 2-3 inches of my hair. It's not V shaped at all. I do have a few shorter layers in front from growing out bangs, but the main part of my hair still looks pretty thick and blunt even with the layers. It just makes the curls look better on the canopy where they get pulled down from the weight. I say go for it, but only if you trust them not to do more than the last maybe 3-4 inches of your hair. If you hate it, that much won't take a terribly long time to grow out, you can just do mini-trims until they're even again.

[Curlsgirl]

Teakafrog, you have almost exactly my hairtype! Do you have pics by any chance?

And you all have talked me into a consultation!

[juliaxena]

Mine is about two inches layered (not totally sure). Maybe it looks so bad because my hair is short. Do you all think it will look better once all the hair is longer? If the ens dont't start splitting that is.

[Curlsgirl]

Okay, the first two pages of this thread has details of how I remember my hair being layered to maximize the curl.

Note that I didn't realize she was layering it because she mostly layered under the canopy. That might not work well longer than shoulder, which was the longest my hair was with this stylist.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=27128

I wouldn't want it layered under I don't think. The purpose would be for the canopy curls to be coaxed. They are longer and more weighed down. It's very curly (probably 3b) underneath, 3a at the ends (depending on wash day 3-6 inches and 2c throughout the rest.

Thanks so much for the thread! Did Kimberlily ever get layers I wonder?

[Cherry_Sprinkle]

I wonder if it HAS to take on a "V" shape or if they can cut it NOT to do that if I ask them?

No its not, when I wash it or brush it straight its a very sharp straight cut with sort of a U shape from the layers. I don't know that your hair will do that but my ends look very thin and I hate it! I have over a 2.5" pony tail circumference but the ends make it look like its far under 1".

It takes on the Vshape in my hair because the ends are so much thinner... and the curls sort of.. clump them together for lack of a better way of explaining it and they lump together and form the V shape instead of the U shape it's sort of cut in. She used to taper the sides of the cut and that made it worse so when I went back in talking about the shape its taken on she cuts it very boxy which helps a lot but it still does it. I'm just not a fan of them at all in my hair anymore. at BSL or so I loved them and swore by them but the longer it gets the worse I think it looks for me.

[misstwist]

Mine is about two inches layered (not totally sure). Maybe it looks so bad because my hair is short. Do you all think it will look better once all the hair is longer? If the ens dont't start splitting that is.

juliaxena you have your hairtype listed as straight, fine and thin. The op's hair is curly and thick and will behave in an entirely different manner than yours. Most of the posters in this thread also have curly or at least wavy hair, so we don't have much experience with straight hair and layers.

You might have better luck with your questions in a thread with more type 1's. Try here. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=22766

:flowers:

[Tangles]

I think light layering would look fantastic on you and provide some interesting updo options.

[Teakafrog]

Teakafrog, you have almost exactly my hairtype! Do you have pics by any chance?

And you all have talked me into a consultation!

OK, I finally uploaded an avatar. :cheese: Curls are a little flat today (too far from wash day apparently), looks much more 2C in this pic, but you get the idea. Pretty decent hemline, even with the layers. I've only got a few inches to go to make waist

[Curlsgirl]

How do the layers help you if you don't mind Teakafrog?

LOVE the pic! Beautiful hair. Our color is very similar too! Mine is not natural though. :D Mine also relaxes a lot the farther I get from wash day.

[spidermom]

After I reach my goal (IF I reach my goal), I'm thinking of the exact same thing - waist length with long layers. I think with your hair type it will look beautiful as long as the longest layer isn't left too thin.

[Curlsgirl]

Spidermom, okay you do it and I will see how yours look first LOL!

[Presto]

I just cut some layers into mine. I love it!
However, I'm not sure I did it in the manner you are after.
It is in my blog, I think two entries ago. I took anything that was on the top of my head and cut with the scissors at a slant at varying lengths. The shortest pieces are in the front, about shoulder length, and I sort of graduated the lengths towards the back of the top of my head. Some of the very back pieces only have 2-3" missing.

I can't say it was all one length to begin with, I have a lot of taper.
But yeah, the canopy on me is also the loosest, and I swear I have some 3b lurking underneath.
My goal was to lighten up the load on some of the loose canopy to get some spring back into its lazy loopies.

I really like the effect I got, and I have no one to blame but myself. I don't know if you are brave enough to do it yourself, but curls are very forgiving. :)


Oh yeah, the shoulder length front pieces won't stay in any do that I make at my nape if I sweep all my hair over my head the way I prefer. They stay if I put them behind my ears into an updo at my nape, but I don't prefer that look on me.
I guess that would be my only regret, escaping tendrils, but a few more months and they'll stay out of the way again. :)

[Altocumulus]

I had midback length with long layers for years. It worked really well to keep the curl and avoid triangle head. I didn't have a v-shaped hemline..more of a deep u. I'm growing them out now because I want as much thickness as I can get on my ends, but if I were to cut back to waist or shorter, I'd get them cut back in. I think they'd look great on you!

[spidermom]

Spidermom, okay you do it and I will see how yours look first LOL!

O.k., but we will have to wait about another year for me to get to my first goal.

[Backliteyes]

I had layers at below BSL (not waist, but it's the best I can do) and liked them. I didn't do the favorite styles around here at the time though. I imagine layers would cause ends to stick out of braids and updos. If that prospect doesn't bother you, then I'd recommend it.

[Teakafrog]

How do the layers help you if you don't mind Teakafrog?

LOVE the pic! Beautiful hair. Our color is very similar too! Mine is not natural though. :D Mine also relaxes a lot the farther I get from wash day.

My canopy is always looser than the underlayer, so taking a little off the ends helps the top layer curl better. I also think it just makes the ends lay better if there's not just one solid mass of curl there--not so poofy at the ends if there's less bulk. I've seen nice blunt curly hemlines, but I think mine lays better layered.

[darkwaves]

I think I can pull off, or need, layers because I'm a M/C and a iii. I might look at it differently if I were a F/i. rcc, my friend who has hair that looks identical to yours has a similar cut, with layers, and loves it! Her hair has incredible volume and never compresses or lies down/flat, and if it was one length, it would still be huge.

She keeps telling me to cut layers, without realizing how different my hair is. Fine, compressible, with a tendency to flatten after a day.

And maybe she's right... Maybe layers would be good -- but I really like simple, single braids, and I really hate all the ends sticking out! So for now, no layers for me.

But Curlsgirl, I will be watching!

eta -- I'll be checking back in a year for spidermom, too! I'm feeling about the same -- get it much longer (classic?), and then consider a different kind of trim/cut. So in a year, maybe all three of us will have layers!

[redcelticcurls]

rcc, my friend who has hair that looks identical to yours has a similar cut, with layers, and loves it! Her hair has incredible volume and never compresses or lies down/flat, and if it was one length, it would still be huge.

She keeps telling me to cut layers, without realizing how different my hair is. Fine, compressible, with a tendency to flatten after a day.

And maybe she's right... Maybe layers would be good -- but I really like simple, single braids, and I really hate all the ends sticking out! So for now, no layers for me.

But Curlsgirl, I will be watching!

eta -- I'll be checking back in a year for spidermom, too! I'm feeling about the same -- get it much longer (classic?), and then consider a different kind of trim/cut. So in a year, maybe all three of us will have layers!

It could be a f/m/c thing too. You have a really blunt hemline for a curly, but yet you still have really good curl definition with very little drag. That style seems to really work for you.

ETA, it probably also helps that I'm not a big braider, and more of a messy bunner.

[GlassEyes]

I'll definitely be cutting some different layers in when my hair gets longer. Actually, I'm hoping that my current layers grow out to form proper long layers, but I doubt it. xD;

[PhillyGirl1978@]

rcc, my friend who has hair that looks identical to yours has a similar cut, with layers, and loves it! Her hair has incredible volume and never compresses or lies down/flat, and if it was one length, it would still be huge.

She keeps telling me to cut layers, without realizing how different my hair is. Fine, compressible, with a tendency to flatten after a day.

And maybe she's right... Maybe layers would be good -- but I really like simple, single braids, and I really hate all the ends sticking out! So for now, no layers for me.

But Curlsgirl, I will be watching!

eta -- I'll be checking back in a year for spidermom, too! I'm feeling about the same -- get it much longer (classic?), and then consider a different kind of trim/cut. So in a year, maybe all three of us will have layers!

So your hair has no layers? I love your hair! And you have no triangle head!! Maybe there is hope for me after all. I really wanted to get rid of my layers because I don;t like the bottom part feeling thinner, I don't like the V it's grown in to, and with my layers I tend to feel like I have more damage than I do. Do you have a problem getting volume on the top?

[darkwaves]

It could be a f/m/c thing too. You have a really blunt hemline for a curly, but yet you still have really good curl definition with very little drag. That style seems to really work for you.

Thanks! And yes, it may be a fine-haired thing. My hair compresses with weight, so no poof right now. (But I lose the curl really quickly -- by day two, if I don't rinse, much of it is gone, so up it goes.)


So your hair has no layers?
>
Do you have a problem getting volume on the top?
You know, I realize that I really do have layers -- inadvertent, very slight ones. I get a lot of top/canopy breakage, while the under layers seem stronger.

But at this length, no triangle hair... and very little top volume, either, unless I clip up the roots at the top, or rinse it before I go to bed, then sleep with it arranged above my head, above my pillow. (That brings out more curls all over, as the effects of gravity are minimized.)

However, I find that wet hair, carefully arranged, interferes with my sleep, so that's not an every night thing!

[Roseate]

I like my layers a lot, but my hair is much shorter than yours. For me, the layers make my hair much less triangular, and they don't give me a V shape at all, just a gentle U, which I like. I have them in about the last 3" of my hair.

[Laylah]

I can't tell you if you'd like layers, but I hated mine. I have very wavy hair that forms loose spirals at the ends. For some reason the way they did my layers I lost the spirally ends- they just seemed to get thinner at the ends- kind of a "piecey hair" look. I'm so happy that I've finally grown out the last of my layers.

Then again, I've seen some people with wonderful looking layers, so it all really depends on the stylist's skill, I suppose.

[Starr]

I love my layers. I have long layers that start just around waist and taper into a wide v- it prevents the dreaded triangle head.

[serenitygal]

I have had long curly hair with and without layers. In fairness, it wasn't at all cared for when it was layer-less; I'd no idea what to do with it.
I will say that my current hair (BSL-ish, layered) looks darned good. There are certain styles that require a bit more aloe vera to keep in place (Chinese bun, for example) but well-cut layers add a dimension and moveability that I never had with hair of all one length. While I wear my hair up nearly every day, I care less about what it looks like up (eh, acceptable, okay for work) and more about what it looks like down for an evening with friends, so I'm willing to take the extra time for styling in order to make it look good for those rarer times.

[share801]

My hair is more fine that yours but layers are a problem for me. Incidentally, my hairdresser, who is a long hair, just cut layers into her own hair and said she regretted it. I think it is one of those things you don't know until you do it so just start slow if you must.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Thanks! And yes, it may be a fine-haired thing. My hair compresses with weight, so no poof right now. (But I lose the curl really quickly -- by day two, if I don't rinse, much of it is gone, so up it goes.)


You know, I realize that I really do have layers -- inadvertent, very slight ones. I get a lot of top/canopy breakage, while the under layers seem stronger.

But at this length, no triangle hair... and very little top volume, either, unless I clip up the roots at the top, or rinse it before I go to bed, then sleep with it arranged above my head, above my pillow. (That brings out more curls all over, as the effects of gravity are minimized.)

However, I find that wet hair, carefully arranged, interferes with my sleep, so that's not an every night thing!

Well one thing wouldn't be an issue for me, second day hair problems, yeah I never get that. I rinse and detangle every day, the days when I have tried for 2nd day hair I just got so many tangles and the extra time I had to spend just wasn't worth it. So that won't be an issue. I get more volume if I plop some of course so maybe I would just need to do it more or longer. I'm tellin ya my layers really get on my nerves. It seems the whole bottom part of my hair where the layers start feels damaged and dry. I may end up with some still, inadvertently like you because of breakage and the occasional S&D or trim that won't keep the ends totally even but I think I may just aim for getting rid of them. I want a thicker hemline.

[Curlsgirl]

My hair loses curl really quickly too and that really makes me think again about the layers. I wouldn't want to lose my spirals at the bottom when my hair compacts more because I like to go quite a while between washes. I also like a single braid, it's my most worn hairstyle actually. I am going to put this off for now. I am afraid I will be sorry the more I think about it and read what people with close to my hairtype/length say.

[misstwist]

Curlsgirl do you have a copy of Curly Girl?

If you are having problems mainly with the canopy I wonder if you would benefit more from some judicious dividing and snipping in the canopy than you would from layering?

If it were my hair I would be willing to get the scissors out and do it myself. I don't know what your comfort level on that is.

Maybe there is a Deva-trained stylist somewhere near you?

ETA--If you are going to continue pondering this for a bit, what about booking a cut consultation before you next color service? I would ask the stylist to go ahead and divide it the way she would for layering and show you with her finger-scissors where she would cut.

[Curlsgirl]

Curlsgirl do you have a copy of Curly Girl?

If you are having problems mainly with the canopy I wonder if you would benefit more from some judicious dividing and snipping in the canopy than you would from layering?

If it were my hair I would be willing to get the scissors out and do it myself. I don't know what your comfort level on that is.

Maybe there is a Deva-trained stylist somewhere near you?

ETA--If you are going to continue pondering this for a bit, what about booking a cut consultation before you next color service? I would ask the stylist to go ahead and divide it the way she would for layering and show you with her finger-scissors where she would cut.

All very good suggestions! No Deva-trained specialist around me, already checked. I am afraid to cut it myself. I do Feye's trim and my bangs but I wouldn't trust myself with the curl trimming. Yes I have the Curly Girl Book. LOVE it! Right now I think I have decided not to do anything.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

All very good suggestions! No Deva-trained specialist around me, already checked. I am afraid to cut it myself. I do Feye's trim and my bangs but I wouldn't trust myself with the curl trimming. Yes I have the Curly Girl Book. LOVE it! Right now I think I have decided not to do anything.
Plopping a few minutes really helps me will curl and fullness. I flip my head upside down and leave my head like that for a minute on my MF towel. Lately I have also been plopping for about 15 minutes in an MF turbin and my hair looks full and curly. Surprisingly though it hasn't really given me much more shrinkage.

[manderly]

My hair is not as long or as curly as yours, but I do have layers, which I love. It keeps my hair looking more uniform down the length, instead of a poof.

Here you can see them:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/astrauser/CIMG2209.jpg

As well as in my signature. They need some cleaning up, I've been trying to maintain them myself since 2006, so they aren't very neat anymore, but you can get away with so much with wavy/curly hair! :lol:


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/astrauser/CIMG2220.jpg
So you can see that they are very long layers, and I get more of a U shape than a V, which I dislike.

[Curlsgirl]

Plopping a few minutes really helps me will curl and fullness. I flip my head upside down and leave my head like that for a minute on my MF towel. Lately I have also been plopping for about 15 minutes in an MF turbin and my hair looks full and curly. Surprisingly though it hasn't really given me much more shrinkage.I have tried longer plopping many times before with bad results but if I just do it to get a little of the water out, it's okay. I wonder why some have good results and some don't. :shrug:


My hair is not as long or as curly as yours, but I do have layers, which I love. It keeps my hair looking more uniform down the length, instead of a poof.

Here you can see them:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/astrauser/CIMG2209.jpg

As well as in my signature. They need some cleaning up, I've been trying to maintain them myself since 2006, so they aren't very neat anymore, but you can get away with so much with wavy/curly hair! :lol:


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/astrauser/CIMG2220.jpg
So you can see that they are very long layers, and I get more of a U shape than a V, which I dislike.That is almost exactly what I was thinking of! I am just thinking with my length it might contribute to thin ends. At your length I think I may have gotten away with them. But my ends are not as thick as they used to be. For one thing I haven't had a trim in a while but also I think just from some damage and length. Mine is about 33 inches. I measured the other day when I had it straightened.

[Curlsgirl]

Oh and I know what you mean about getting away with a lot with curly hair. You can really not tell it's damaged at all even at the worst part on the ends! LOVE IT!

[manderly]

Have you thought of cutting your own layers?

Last trim I did to clean them up I used the ponytail on top of my head thing and trimmed straight across. I did it with wet hair.

It came out pretty well, and you get the LOOOOONG layers, which is what keeps us from having mushroom heads, but lets the curl pattern move higher up and it puts you in control :)

[PhillyGirl1978@]

We can get away with so much. The curls hide it all so well, I have a grey or two in there, I know...I;ve seen them, but I can't even find them now!lol I cut my own hair and no one can tell.

About the plopping, it seems if I do it for too long my curls dry too much in the shape of the turbin and get all wonky. 15 minutes is probably plenty for me, maybe a few minutes less.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I don't know if anyone else has had this happen but it looks like the top part the shorter layers don't seem to curl as much and I wonder if that is the key to any hair problems I have had. I don't have anything to do tomorrow so I played with my hair today, I combed it out while damp and put it in a scrunchi to try and make waves. The underneath, longest layer curled right back up even though I had completely combed out the curl pattern while it was drying. The top shorter layer though stayed frizzy, I'm thinking the length has something to do with that. Maybe I'm just meant have all one length hair.

ETA
Oh yeah, almost forgot, has anyone else experienced more frizz or a weaker curl pattern in the shorter layers?

[Naters]

curlsgirl you have absolutely GORGEOUS HAIR!!!! i used to have super long hair like yours which is also curly, and my stylist would tell me that long layers are a must. They basically add definition and body, because usually when your hair is just one length especially with us curly haired folk, it tends to just fall like a bush with no style whatsoever. I would definetely reccommend getting a few long layer added in, it would make a world of difference.

[curlytiff27]

My hair is more fine that yours but layers are a problem for me. Incidentally, my hairdresser, who is a long hair, just cut layers into her own hair and said she regretted it. I think it is one of those things you don't know until you do it so just start slow if you must.

I know I'm about a month late on this but have had a similar experience. Back in March and July this tearf I had begged my hair stylist to put layers in. I have curly. However I occasionally straighten it and curl the ends with a curling iron. I wanted to go for that "Jessica Simpson look". Well she had been telling me I wouldn't like them for about a year. Well...n July she gave in and addedv a ton of layers. Fast forwar about a month...keep in mind I wear my hair curly 95% of the time. Well the ends look thin and awful. I lost so much volume that I have been going through a stage of paranoia thinking a was loosing my hair. Granted...this is an extreme case LOL. But like others have said...I never would have know til I had done it...now I fully regret it. Now my focus is growing them out and going for waist length!

[Botticelli Gold]

I prefer to have a few long layers. The shortest layer is probably nearly waist length. But this is only because If it is all one length I end up with the dreaded "Triangle head". Lol! My hair not only grows down but out too!

[Olivia23]

Here are my layers I am trying to grow out. I have really thick hair so my layers kind of poof out, but my hair curls better with layers.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/wnddyer/length2.jpg

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Here are my layers I am trying to grow out. I have really thick hair so my layers kind of poof out, but my hair curls better with layers.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/wnddyer/length2.jpg

That cascading wave you have is so nice in the first picture, that is kinda what I would like the option to have, but alas...no such luck!

[manderly]

Phillygirl, I do have less curl and more frizz in my short layers, but I blame damage rather than layers for this. The shortest layers are in your canopy and that receives the most abuse :)

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Phillygirl, I do have less curl and more frizz in my short layers, but I blame damage rather than layers for this. The shortest layers are in your canopy and that receives the most abuse :)

Yeah, I get that the canopy has the most damage, but my hair is a little odd. I mean it looses curl the shorter it gets so having shorter peices around my face totally back fired on me..they are so much straighter than the rest. I wonder about the benefits of layers to those of us who have my type of hair. I mean if the whole point of shorter layers is to retain the curl, figuring that the weight will lessen and the shorter pieces will spring up, then what is the deal when your curls get less defined the shorter your hair gets?

[manderly]

Yeah, I get that the canopy has the most damage, but my hair is a little odd. I mean it looses curl the shorter it gets so having shorter peices around my face totally back fired on me..they are so much straighter than the rest. I wonder about the benefits of layers to those of us who have my type of hair. I mean if the whole point of shorter layers is to retain the curl, figuring that the weight will lessen and the shorter pieces will spring up, then what is the deal when your curls get less defined the shorter your hair gets?

I'm guessing it also has to do with where your curls actually start. Looking at all my hair photos, it seems my hair doesn't really start to curl until it reaches my ears (but it was always poofy when short), so the shorter layers are cutting off where the curl starts. I don't really know :D

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I'm guessing it also has to do with where your curls actually start. Looking at all my hair photos, it seems my hair doesn't really start to curl until it reaches my ears (but it was always poofy when short), so the shorter layers are cutting off where the curl starts. I don't really know :D

Mine don't spring out from the root, that's for sure. The weight does seam to make the top part straighter, but I do know that when my hair is shorter, it is kinda like a body wave...I may get it to curl if it is soaking wet and I don't touch it...but the curl pattern isn't very strong and it you look at it sideways it just becomes pouffy...the curl would definitely not hold all day...I would need massive amounts of product and I'd probably need to rewet it.

So that fact leads me to believe that, that has a lot to do with my canopy (which has always been shorter) is so diiffiicult, never quite as uniformly curly, and never forms into the tight ringlets that I get at the ends, because it is shorter. This just reaffirms my theory on how my hair would look with no layers. We'll see if I'm right.

[Curlsgirl]

curlsgirl you have absolutely GORGEOUS HAIR!!!! i used to have super long hair like yours which is also curly, and my stylist would tell me that long layers are a must. They basically add definition and body, because usually when your hair is just one length especially with us curly haired folk, it tends to just fall like a bush with no style whatsoever. I would definetely reccommend getting a few long layer added in, it would make a world of difference.Thanks for the compliment! I decided not to get layers for now at least.


I prefer to have a few long layers. The shortest layer is probably nearly waist length. But this is only because If it is all one length I end up with the dreaded "Triangle head". Lol! My hair not only grows down but out too!Still? It seems like it would stop that at your length especially!


I'm guessing it also has to do with where your curls actually start. Looking at all my hair photos, it seems my hair doesn't really start to curl until it reaches my ears (but it was always poofy when short), so the shorter layers are cutting off where the curl starts. I don't really know :DYes, I think I would have to start the layers a lot longer for that reason. Mine is mostly 3a even though I call myself 2c/3a and the top part tends to be much straighter which is typical of 3a hair of course. I would start layers probably about 5 inches or so from the ends if I did them.

Thanks for all the help everyone!