I want to cut really short...but my hair is curly, what should I do advice on cuts?

[yellowflower]

I want to cut my hair short, as due to bleach etc it doesnt hold my curly very well anymore and its just so dry, I have interviews coming up shortly and I know I can straighten it for them to give me the confidence I need for one day so the colour doesnt look so bad, but what I would really like to do is cut it short and just start again, all my family are saying no dont do it....

I have 3b curls so quite curly I am worried about the grow out stage when they may just go poof and wont be able to do anything with it, has anyone ant ideas about short hair styles for curly 3b curls??

Currently it sits on my shoulder and when straightened its below my shoulder, I really want a pixie AKA Halle Berry, but I am worried it only looks good on her as she is so beautiful and I will end up just looing butch.

Does anyone have any views or any ideas on short hair... I tested a patch to recover dye with a darker colour but it snapped off like 3inches so re-dying is NOT an option.

I just wonder if anyone has any ideas about short curly hair styles and whether its a good idea or not?

Thanks in advance

[LovingLife]

short curly styles can be totally great. I think they are usually playful, tousled and sexy! i wouldn't recommend a halle style pixie only because that would require loads of straightening upkeep. i'd say go for a longer kind of mid length style thats veery tousled with a whole lot of volume. this will also help you while you're growing it out :) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Y8LjKDlKRkc/SiK8ZhAxp3I/AAAAAAAAAFk/jQbtPw9yBSk/s320/short-curly-hairstyles_+Black+hair+styles-738176.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4vXuOXjTqhc/TV3w3iM5q0I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/GMnNAoVMi_I/s640/short+curly+hairstyle-2.jpg

[yellowflower]

Problem with thos cuts although great, they still leave alot of hair, which means alot of the colour that i really dont like....I worked out will take 2 years to grow it out maybe a little longer as in 11weeks my hair has grown 2cm... which over 52 weeks in a year is 9.5cms there about.

I wear it up all the time now, like in a tight ponytail just so I odnt have to look at it... and i can seem my roots better that way

[yellowflower]

The more I look at Halle Berry's cut the more I want it...

[yellowflower]

83 views and not much advice? Are most people straight hair?

[lillylonghair]

Honestly if your hair is that bad of condition that it's snapping off,I say cut it. Give it lots of moisture and love after the cut,no heat styling,harsh dyes,etc. Also those tight ponytails are not good for your hair either.

You just need to ask yourself whether length or health is more important right.

[knoxkatie]

i love curly hair so my initial reaction is to say embrace your natural texture. do you have any pictures that you could post of your hair now?

[yellowflower]

There are some in a thread that were posted for me a while ago, its in one of the threads i worte... I dont know how to upload pics.

Its very similar to Halle Berry's hair in pic above maybe slightly looser curls, I am just wondering if there are any people with curly hair who could offer advice for when it grows out or if anyone knows that when it grows out will it look bad due to curls tryingto form?

It looks ok to everyone else, as I pin it in such a way that it hides the damage but underneath, it looks abit like cotton wool i suppose is a way to describe it, I think thats where the bleach has expanded each hair, if i pull out strands and run my finger down them, I can actually feel how rough it is where the cuticles must be standing up on end

[KrissyKitty]

I'm a 3a with a pixie, so here's what I can tell you--
With my hair super short it no longer curls. I have approximately 2 inches of hair, which isn't enough to allow my curl pattern to show it's self. At 3b yours might curl more.

My pixie is incredibly easy to take care of. Like you, I previously had long, badly damaged hair and decided that cutting it all off is the answer.

Now, while my hair is now so much less work, I have to say that I really dislike it. I want my long curly hair back really badly. And as it starts to grow out you will get a pouf. This what I wish someone had told me before I cut my BSL hair to a pixie in one chop. So I'm sorry if my post seems a little harsh, I just wish someone had been that way with me.

My best advice to you would be not to cut your hair but instead learn how to really baby your hair.

Stop dying it. Don't straighten it. For your interview perhaps pull in back into a classic chignon so that it is professional and still hides your color/damage or whatever it is you want to hide. Let your confidence for your interview come not from your hair but from knowing that you are right for the job, talented and good at what you do.

Then start doing deep conditioning treatments. A lot of them! Consider if your hair needs protein or just moisture. In a month or so, after you've been treating your hair super nicely, consider henna or perhaps a keratin treatment.

That's the best advice I can give you. I am not happy with my hair short, even though like you, I looked at pictures of halle berry and emma watson prior to my cut. Unless you have the drop dead gorgeous bone structure that they do, think really hard about cutting your hair short. As much as your hair may be damaged now, if you cut it into a pixie it will take probably 4 years to grow it back to its current length.

Ok so more on the growing out process- your curls will stick out in lots of different directions which can be really cute or not, depending on your taste. It will take a good about of upkeep and trims to keep it looking neat and tidy. You will go through a mullet stage, and a stage where your sideburns are way longer than the rest of your hair and stick out weirdly.

Really, if you want to cut it off it could be really cute. It can also be a pain, will go through an awkward stage and will take years to grow back.

There's a thread around somewhere for super-shorties... maybe give that a read before you decide?

[KrissyKitty]

ps. those mid-length photos could be a great option. you wouldn't get an awkward stage but would cut off a good amount of damage. sorry i didn't see that before. consider the bob! but if you do, embrace your curls and put down the chemical dye!

[yellowflower]

KrissyKitty, thank you so much for your post, your who I was hoping would reply....

Its been 2months of baby-ing, and about 3weeks of no hairdryer, which makes some difference not much, I think for my interview I will straighten it otherwise I will be worrying the whole time.

Hmm thats what I was worried about getting a pixie and then the awkward growing out stages, its hard to know what to do with hair that you hate, I am so mad unbelievably mad at myself for ruining it, it was so nice before and I absolutly wrecked my curls, the colour the conditioner confidence everything.

If you could go back, would you just have let the colour grow out instead, did you like the colour you had?

[yellowflower]

also I would love to embrace my curls, becuase i love my curly hair, problem is, the dye has ruined my curls, so that there is not much curl pattern left or it just curls for about an hour then it drys more and the dreaded dryness of the bleach shows

[curlytm]

Hi yellowflower. I went through this exact process. I chopped off my hair into a pixie. However, I had not made the commitment at that time to stop dying it. (I wasn't bleaching, just dying it dark brown). Upkeep for a curly girl in the pixie to chin stage is terrible. Typically, 3a/3b curls take more length to for a curl pattern, so you end up with random loops and waves. If I were you, I would wait until your virgin hair was around chin length. That way, you could chop it to that Halle Berry style you showed.

So how do you deal with roots and bleach? You could use a deposit only dye (like Elumen) to tone out the bleached ends to try to match your root color. Leave color OFF of your roots. Continue to take care of your bleached ends as best you can, but I think it would be okay to color them since you'll be chopping them off anyway. Elumen does not cause damage and it can be pretty long lasting considering that it's deposit-only.

And listen...try not to feel all "woe is me" about your hair. Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you.

[KrissyKitty]

My natural color is a dark blonde, which i went between bleaching baby blonde and dying coppery-red. I really loved it red but the dye faded really quickly and the damage really took a toll. Which is why I wish I had considered henna, because it can greatly help with the condition and feel of hair and the red color is much more permanent than chemical dye with no damage.

Have you been trying snowy's deep conditioning treatment? Those are very helpful, especially if you do them frequently (several times a week).

So if I could go back I would let my chemical dye fade for a month or two while doing lots of deep conditioning treatments (ps if you're using shampoo your curls will thank you if you give it a rest and switch to CO-- shampoo can be very drying). Then I would start using henna. I would maintain my length while trimming. My goal length was waist, so I never wanted it super long anyway. If I had maintained BSL for a year while trimming I would have cut off a good amount of damage. Then I could continue growing to waist and maintain there.

It's harder if you don't like the result henna give because growing out your chemical dye gives you two-tone hair. I really disliked that look, but henna can cover everything evenly while enhancing the condition of your hair. Check out henna for hair (read their free booklet on henna... everything you need to know as a beginner is in there). Also if you don't like firey red, henna + indigo can give you results in the brown to black range. But henna isn't for some people.

As for the dreaded dryness and the loss of curls... moisture and trims is all I can really tell you.
The recommendation to cut to shoulder length might be a good one.

You have to remember that this is coming from someone who would do anything to go back in time and not cut her hair into a pixie.

A salon keratin treatment can also greatly enhance the condition and texture of your hair, but it won't solve your color problems. Just know that commercial dye + long healthy hair is pretty much not going to happen. It took me years to finally accept this!

[yellowflower]

I really dont want to colour at all, not even henna I am actually scared of all dyes now, which my hair is probably happy about. I guess what i need instead of a pixie is patience, Its been 11weeks so far and oh gosh it feels like forever, I think I will just keep trimminh off damage untill my hair is longer, I am not to bothered about the two-toned hair look, I love my roots, I wear my hair back so you can see them more. I think I just need to put down the measuring tape and try and forget again for couple weeks. Before I know it two years will have gone by and I will have MY hair again.

I have a hair appointment booked for next month, I will prob get half and inch off then.

Thanks for the posts.

[enfys]

I have straight hair so I can't offer any advice on growing out curls, but ombre hair is very fashionable now, with lighter ends and darker roots. Just Google it. Anyone not in the know would likely think that's what you were going for. It's a good time to be growing out dye!

Also, I wanted to say that you can search members by their hair type. Go to "members list", then "search - advanced seach" and it brings up a screen a lot like you have to input your own stats. You can type in your hair type and see what other members might have pics of your hairtype at various stages of growing out.

[GRU]

Here's an example of my triangle head when my hair was shorter (and I was MUCH thinner! :lol:).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/brillohead.jpg

Just something to keep in mind....

If you don't want to try henna, have you considered cassia? It's not permanent like henna, but it offers many of the same conditioning aspects.

[jaine]

I think if you want a pixie then go for it! Curly hair has a graceful pixie grow-out phase in my opinion ... I've heard grown-out pixies start to look mulletty on those with straight hair, but on curly hair it just looked like an oval-shaped layered haircut as it gets longer. I think the pixie layers are helpful to prevent triangle-head at shorter lengths.

[McFearless]

I've had my head shaved and I'm a 3b. When my hair is long my roots are still 3b curly, like they are now. But somehow when I shaved it the hair was straight. I have NO idea why.

My logical side would tell you to maintain at shoulder as you grow out the damage, it shouldn't take too long, but a big change could be really good too. You might have to blowdry it straight or use many products to make it look sleek. Think about it for a couple of weeks until you are sure.

If you do chose to get a pixie please get Halle Berry's haircut. She is so gorgeous and I love her hair.

[McFearless]

Hey, hey, I remember you. I thought your username looked familiar. I remember your other posts.

I take back what I said!!! Leave that hair alone! I think you are being way too harsh about your hair. Let it grow!!

[sweetiepie]

You can look at pics in my album, I have a bob now. Also check out AnnaLynne McCord: 1 (http://annalynnefan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=35&pid=18300#top_display_media), 2 (http://annalynnefan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=91&pid=4215#top_display_media), 3 (http://annalynnefan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=129&pid=25905#top_display_media), 4 (http://annalynnefan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=59&pid=2176#top_display_media), 5 (http://annalynnefan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=65&pid=2661#top_display_media).

[Lianna]

Hey, hey, I remember you. I thought your username looked familiar. I remember your other posts.

I take back what I said!!! Leave that hair alone! I think you are being way too harsh about your hair. Let it grow!!

I agree. But even after that, I've seen posts from her that she wasn't happy with her hair.

OP: Seems like you're not afraid to cut, and you are hating on your hair for quite some time now. I know you don't wanna dye, so I'm gonna suggest henna+indigo to a light brown, or dark strawberry blonde. Henna doesn't open your cuticules so no damage like dyes. You might have a bit dry hair after. I'm not a henna fan but works for most people. You could try something like this pre-mixed henna cinnamon color (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/brunette/index.html).

Then you could cut a little bit (an inch?), because fresh ends always look better!

I give this advice because I didn't like my pixie and I don't like to stay with hair I don't like, specially color wise.