To Cut or Not To Cut

[KellyGormley]

So i'm thinking that do to the extensive damage to my hair and the problems its causing me of chopping it all off, and starting from my virgin roots, so yes a pixie cut would be the solution however I'm afraid I cant pull it off and it will look really bad until it grows out. I hate how unhealthy my hair is and the damage is only destroying the rest of my hair as it grows, so if i don't cut it I would only be continually trimming off all growth until I reached my natural virgin hair because the rest is so damaged it will all have to be trimmed or cut off anyway. So what do you think should I just start fresh with a pixie and watch it grow healthly and beautiful or leave it and trim it every other week because all of damaged hair will have to get cut off.
I was thinking like emma watsons new hair cut.

Here (http://celebrityhairstyle.hcetp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Emma-Watson-Hairstyles1.jpg)

And here (http://blogmyway.org/videos/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Emma-Watson-on-Regis-and-Kelly-1116101.jpg)

this is me: (pardon the bad quality my webcam is horrible)
http://oi51.tinypic.com/1256w06.jpg

Edit: I'm asking Because I feel out of options so maybe I should explain this a bit better, My hair was bleach a good 4-5 times and dyed about 5 this year before I got to this color. So the damage is not fixable, I have read the article, I've done small trims, and I've tried many many things to treat the damage, it is only temporarily treated. Every time I trim the new ends are just as damaged as the old, So the problem is I feel like if I continue to grow and trim giving the severity of the damage it will only further damage the healthy hair. I trim my hair every week, and I do a search and destroy everyday but the length all the way up to where it meets my new roots is damage, the splits are endless and the breakage is really bad. So I'm afraid leaving it will do more harm than good, and maybe starting fresh is a good way to go because the damaged hair also looks very bad. ( and my hair falls straight when its short so I don't have to worry about "mom" hair. the length of my hair curls so as it grows it curls more its weird.)

So opinions please? :)

[Roscata]

If you haven't read this, I suggest you do: Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79).

I regret cutting off the damage from my hair because I lost a lot of length, but it is a very personal choice so if that's truly what you want then make an appointment 2 weeks from now and give yourself that time to consider if that's truly what you want to do.

My advice is read the article and the articles linked in it and try to deal with your hair as is at least for a month.

I hope it all works out for you. :)

[jaine]

I had a pixie about a year ago and really liked it!

[Kherome]

Perhaps a chin length bob instead?

[shikara]

These responses are really good, but I really second the first response. You might also want to try a couple inches at a time before committing to a pixie. They do look fabulous on many people but not only would you be starting from scratch again, consider any different lengths that you may need to grow out. Someone on a forum here had discussed the very damaged hair they had, and with patience only gave themselves microtrims - but quite often - and the damage was eventually gone!

[Madora]

If you decide to cut, keeping to one length instead of several (i.e. pixie, etc.) would be a better option if you want to grow your hair long. As it grew, you wouldn't have the problem of dealing with ends that are every which length, not to mention fighting with odd ends if you're trying to put your hair in an updo.

[jojo]

Id advise against going that short, you are likely to regret it plus there are only very few people who can pull a pixie cut off. Id advise going to shoulder and doing monthly trims of say 1/4" so therefore you are cutting 1/2 your monthly growth and allowing your hair to still grow and be at some kind of length. Id also advocate weekly deep conditionings to help get your hair in a better condition.

[MissEarlGrey]

I grew out about 20 inches of damage over three years with regular trims, never leaving shoulder length. It can be done. It's just a lot of patience and a lot of consigning yourself to look slightly strange for a while.

[LaurelSpring]

To me it seems like you really think that cut is cute and really want to try it. Nothing wrong with that!

However, once I was totally committed to having long hair there was no way in the world I would even consider cutting it short no matter what cute cut I saw. I just microtrimmed my damaged ends and honestly even after 3 years there are still damaged ends from before but not so much now and you cant really tell anymore. I am at TB which I wouldnt have been if I cut the damage and probably never would have recouped the length after such a drastic move for me. But that is just me.

So, I think the real question here is do you really want that pixie and will you be happy unless you give it a try? Actually, it would probably look cute on you! If you want the pixie more than the long right now then go for it. If you get the pixie and hate it you can start over and know from experience how you feel about a pixie if the urge should arise again. Sometimes we just have to do these things to know. I sure have done my share of things like that and now I know.

[spidermom]

If it were me, I'd learn to put my hair up and trim off a little damage every month. No way would I go back to a short haircut. They are a pain to grow out - so many awkward stages! Putting hair up mimics a short-hair look without the haircut.

But that's just me. Do what is right for you.

[yellowflower]

I am looking, but where is the damage? YOur hair looks fine to me..

[Dorothy]

I would try an SMT (Snowymoon's moisture treatment) before you let the scizzors near your hair. It did wonders for mine, eliminating crunchiness and vastly diminishing the appearance of broken hairs and split ends.

[Photokissa]

I say if you really want short hair, go for it. But know that if you choose to grow it back out, it will be really annoying. I've had really super short hair before, and I can honestly tell you I will never have it that short again...just because of the growing out process. But again, if you really want it, then do it. :)

[curlytm]

I agree with being conservative with the cut for a few reasons. Growing out a wavy pixie will INEVITABLY hit soccer mom hair and stay that way from about chin length to shoulder. That's a LONG time to have "mom hair." I have curly hair that needs a good amount of length before it looks curly. So from pixie to chin, I had wavy hair that I just hated for soooo long. And that length is hard to pull back or put up, so you just have to stick with it.

And because of this, you will feel like you NEED to heat style it. Thus going back to all the damage you were hoping to chop off, right?

When I was in your position, I did go through with the pixie chop. I definitely could rock the pixie and I loved it. But growing it out was a nightmare. In order to cope with growing it out, I dyed it, heat styled it, and fried it. So I ended up with the same kind of damage. I wish I could go back and tell myself to chop it to a length that could still go into a ponytail, trim trim trim.

[lapushka]

The only good reason to get a pixie is because you want a short hairstyle. The absolute worst reason for a cut that short is growing out damage. You might end up disappointed instead of relieved, and unable to grow your hair back for several years, reason being you can't get past the many awkward stages.

I wouldn't do it, unless my hair was really, badly, severely, beyond repair, damaged.

Read the article that someone linked first, then give yourself some time to decide, meanwhile pamper your hair, see what that does.

[Debra83]

If it were me, I'd learn to put my hair up and trim off a little damage every month. No way would I go back to a short haircut. They are a pain to grow out - so many awkward stages! Putting hair up mimics a short-hair look without the haircut.

But that's just me. Do what is right for you.


Id advise against going that short, you are likely to regret it plus there are only very few people who can pull a pixie cut off. Id advise going to shoulder and doing monthly trims of say 1/4" so therefore you are cutting 1/2 your monthly growth and allowing your hair to still grow and be at some kind of length. Id also advocate weekly deep conditionings to help get your hair in a better condition.

I don't think you have the same "shape" as Emma Watson, so it might be hard if you get and don't like it. I agree with the above posters.

[jujube]

Do read the article about damage, and special-treat your hair very often. For now, I recommend just getting a nice trim (1 inch or so) and giving your hair a lot of attention and deep conditioning. You may end up changing your mind. A lot of members here have slowly gotten rid of damage by micro-trimming often, and your hair doesn't even look that damaged.

I have enjoyed a very short pixie for a year and a half or so before deciding to grow my hair out. Growing from pixie to chin, and even to shoulder or APL, takes a lot of dedication. And time. You get the mullet and the awkward flips, and you can't really do anything about it besides wearing a hat. You're going to hate your hair for growing so slowly and being so short.

I love the pixie style and it suits me very well, but I second whoever said you should cut your hair this short only because that's what you like. If you do it just to grow your hair out again, you'll probably regret it and end up losing hope. I wanted to shave my head, and I loved my pixie, but nevertheless it's a total pain to grow out - so imagine if you're not really sure you want short hair in the first place.

In the end, it's up to you. Do what makes you and your hair happy, but make a careful decision.

[dolphin]

I've been thinking of getting some sort of pixie cut as well to get rid of some serious damage. I love long hair but I don't love long unhealthy hair. I am aware that I'm probably going to look hideous for 2 years but I'm sort of at a time in my life where I don't really care about what I look like. I'm in my last two years of university so I'm sure nobody cares what I look like. I also barely have time to pretty myself- once term starts I just wear my glasses and no makeup because I'm just too exhausted from my crazy curriculum (in an Honours program). Anyways, I'm going to think about it for another month or so before doing it.

[kanaka]

i dont see any damage. dont cut ur hair, grow out. but if its damaged try get it trimmed. i suggest not to go for pixie instead go for chin length bob but if u really want it then go on. depends on ur interest :)

[dulce]

1 agree with spidermom!A little over 3 years ago 1 had a pixie,what a pain to grow out!!My hair is all virgin and not coloured to collarbone length,the rest of my hair to my waist has residual dye on it.1 extra condition the dyed section daily and treat my hair super gently,it is growing well,very few splits.1 am glad 1 didn't cut as 1 get to enjoy my long length styles now.1n 2 more years or so ,all my dyed parts will have been cut of with gradual trims and my hair will still be waist or longer and all virgin and 1 didn't have to put up with growing out short hair.It is not always the case that your damage will travel up and damage your new hair as it grows.My hair is proof of that.It all depends if you want to try short for a change,if not, don't cut.You don't need to cut .

[torrilin]

My general take is "eh, just chop already". My hair also grows fairly quickly tho, so even if I go pixie, the length of time I'm totally tortured by my hair is fairly short. It also looks to me like you're barely at shoulder length right now, and for me, that is still too short to be comfortable. That would push me towards chopping.

Thing is... I'm growing over 0.75" per month. While my hair is fine and delicate and all that, it's also pretty sturdy, and it is straightish, so I am not much tempted by blow dryers or curling irons. A lot of the stupidly damaging stuff is stuff where my hair will just not cooperate. What works for me will not necessarily work for you. You'll have to make the call based on what *you* can live with.