Undercuts for the thick haired

[Becky9679]

I have a friend who keeps her hair in an undercut because it's so thick - the undercut goes right up to her crown so she only has hair on the very top of her head and even then when it's in a ponytail it's just as thick as my whole head of hair! When it's loose it comes to about BSL and you can't even tell she has an undercut, there's that much of it.

Does anyone here on the board do this to keep their thick hair under control? Or do you love your hair too much to shave any of it off?

[elbow chic]

Not me, but I saw a lady at the pool the other day like that. A really high undercut with a strip of hair at the crown. It was probably hip-length? I tried not to stare but it was incredible.

I'm solidly iii by LHC definitions but she must've been like iiiiii. I can definitely understand the desire to loose some mass but I think if that were me, I'd probably go for something a little less radical than an undercut.

[feralnature]

I would not do that. I had enough crazy hairstyles in my lifetime. I don't mind looking at other peoples' interesting hairstyles though. Freedom of expression and all.

[Carolyn]

I can only dream of hair that thick. All I can say is I wish I had that problem. Truthfully, I don't find it a particularly attractive look so I'd never do it even if my hair was that thick.

[Venefica]

My hairdresser have wanted to do such cuts but I say no, I want my thickness as it is.

[Kathie]

I don’t think I would be happy with that look- it’s a little harsh for me. I think I’d opt for heavy layers if my hair was supper thick.
But I’ve seen it done on a girl who had very thick curly hair. She never wore her hair up but I sat behind her a couple of times in lectures and could just make out that the underside was shaved. Not as high up as mentioned above, more like half way up the back of the scull.

[QueenJoey]

Before I knew about LHC and cared about the health of my hair, a hairdresser gave me an undercut on only one side of my head. The side where my part was. She said since my hair was thinner on that side, the undercut gave me more"volume". It actually made my already super thin hair even thinner. And she didn't even ask before she did it, she told me about it after she had already done the deed.

[Kathie]

Before I knew about LHC and cared about the health of my hair, a hairdresser gave me an undercut on only one side of my head. The side where my part was. She said since my hair was thinner on that side, the undercut gave me more"volume". It actually made my already super thin hair even thinner. And she didn't even ask before she did it, she told me about it after she had already done the deed.
EEEK! It doesn’t take much to realize that if someone’s hair is thin you shouldn’t be taking any more away from the volume. Gah, hairdressers sometimes- some can be like mad scientists.

[spidermom]

I've seen it and strongly dislike the way it looks. If I had the too-thick problem, I'd go for lots of layers, I think.

[lapushka]

I had one once, a tiny one, just the bottom layer. Many many years ago. Kind of by accident from cutting it wrong. :oops: :lol: Never again.

[UltraBella]

Before I knew about LHC and cared about the health of my hair, a hairdresser gave me an undercut on only one side of my head. The side where my part was. She said since my hair was thinner on that side, the undercut gave me more"volume". It actually made my already super thin hair even thinner. And she didn't even ask before she did it, she told me about it after she had already done the deed.

That is just bizarre. Most stylists I know aren't even comfortable giving an undercut when it's asked for ! It's one of the most often regretted hair decisions.

[jacqueline101]

my hair is sort thick then when it grows out its thinner. I wouldnt let someone do that to my hair. I have no problem with different people. I just dont want to have my hair done like that its not my style.

[QueenJoey]

That is just bizarre. Most stylists I know aren't even comfortable giving an undercut when it's asked for ! It's one of the most often regretted hair decisions.

Oh yeah, she just did it. I was 13, so I didn't even know what an undercut was at the time. She turned me around to face the mirror and said, "I noticed your hair was very thin so I gave you an undercut on this side." When I asked her what the heck an undercut was she said, "it's like inside out layers. See how much volume you have now?" It was actually just backcombed, and after the tease was gone, my hair was soooo thin on that side.

I will admit, my prettiest layers I've ever had came from that haircut. Always a silver lining. :)

[Elysium]

I have an undercut on both sides of my head, just past my temples. I have it because I like how it looks and feels, rather than to take away thickness :D

[ericthegreat]

To each their own. Around here in NYC, I see many long-haired men with the undercut hairstyle, but they purposely want to look tougher and more masculine. They keep their top half permanently tied into a ponytail and shaved off everything below their ears. I haven't seen any women with that style though.

Aesthetically I honestly have to say its not a very good look. At best it looks half-way decent when the bottom is always kept clean-shaven.

[turtlelover]

To be honest, I can't imagine this looking good on anyone. But, to each there own I suppose!

[BlazingHeart]

When my hair is between chin and shoulder, I get undercut layers - that is, the inside layers are slightly shorter than the outside layers. It makes my ends curl under and lay nicely. If I try to get more traditional layers, I end up...horribly poofy. Horribly, terribly, 80s country singer poofy.

[Madora]

Over my dead body! However, every summer, when I was small, my mom used to take me to the barber and have them thin out my hair. I remember that so well! No harm done as my hair always came back, thick and full!

[elbow chic]

When my hair is between chin and shoulder, I get undercut layers - that is, the inside layers are slightly shorter than the outside layers. It makes my ends curl under and lay nicely. If I try to get more traditional layers, I end up...horribly poofy. Horribly, terribly, 80s country singer poofy.
When I see the word "undercut," I think shaved down to the scalp. nothing slight or subtle about that look. :laugh: Kind of a tough "punk" look.

But I understand the other kind too, where it just makes your ends curl under.

[Mesmerise]

My DD9 has an undercut. Why? Well various reasons. She has very fine, thick hair that is very, very prone to tangling. She really can't brush it out on her own, but she is at an age when she HATES me trying to get all the knots out. She also wanted her hair cut shorter (to a bob). I knew the bob would be a major triangle and she'd STILL find it hard to brush!

So, I suggested an undercut. It helps her hair be less boofy (but it's still boofy lol), and she finds it easier to brush herself, which will help her learn to groom her own hair as she grows up. When I was her age I was easily able to do my fine, less tangly and much thinner hair...and honestly, I'm used to long hair (my own) that I can wash, condition and then comb out with hardly any tangles! Hers used to take me a good 45 minutes to detangle.

Her undercut is only to the top of her ears. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't (because it's different). I said she could grow it out if she likes, but she knows it makes it easier, and thus I don't have to comb her hair or brush it for her (at least when majorly tangly) so she's decided to keep it for now.

I once had an undercut when I was about 19... I did it to get rid of the curls underneath my hair!! My hair is so much wurlier underneath than the top that it never sat right and annoyed me lol. However, my hair is too thin for it to work well, especially when it gets long. Now I'm just trying to deal with the stupid curls... (they wouldn't be stupid if they were all over my head lol).

I think it's a way for people with very thick hair to have thinner hair without having to have lots of layers put in, or having it "thinned", and it removes some of the weight from the hair too. I guess if you really like complex updos it doesn't work, but if you like to wear your hair loose, or you like to show off your shaved underhair, I don't see a problem with it. If I had iii or iii+ hair, I'd probably get one!! That way I could satisfy any desire for short hair while still having it long lol.

[Toadstool]

I really like the look of them. Unlike Eric, I have seen women with this hairstyle. Funny really, because I live in a small town in rural Wales, and he lives in New York!

[MonaLisa]

I think they are kinda sexy. But not for me :)
Or my DBF..

Hmm I also feel a bit sad when people dislike thickness, and I really long for it..more and more...

[Mesmerise]

I think they are kinda sexy. But not for me :)
Or my DBF..

Hmm I also feel a bit sad when people dislike thickness, and I really long for it..more and more...

I do get what you mean about disliking thickness... I have thin hair myself, and envy thickness. But, I had no idea how difficult it was to look after fine, thick hair like my daughter's until I had her! It still confounds me WHY her hair is so darn difficult!!

Mine is almost waist and it takes me literally a few seconds to detangle...my daughter's hair at the same length would take a good 45 minutes... despite slathering in conditioner and letting it soak in before rinsing, and being careful not to get it tangled etc. etc. For her, an undercut is really beneficial at her age, because she CAN learn to care for her own hair this way!

[neesalena]

I had undercuts when I was growing up (10 - 13 yo) and my ability to take care of my own hair was clearly lacking. Now, I'd never get it again. Another horrible experience I had was a stylist thinning my hair. I came home with a tuft of hair on the back top of my head that was 3" long and standing straight up, while the rest of my hair was shoulder length. How miserable I was!

[Chetanlaiho]

Oh how I wish I had this problem xD But if my hair was thick enough I think I'd get the Asian mullet kind of haircut, but alas, my hair isn't anywhere near thick enough >_>

DBF shaves the sides of his head and sometimes it feels like he still has more hair than me D=

[julliams]

A hairdresser once did something like this to me - she went through my hair horizontally and took cm thick line sections and cut them to my scalp. She did about 4 lines like this and it really took alot of bulk out of my hair without being visible. At the time, it didn't bother me but subsequent hairdressers have been shocked when I tell them about this technique. It must have been something she learned from somewhere. Funny that she didn't ask me if it was ok to do it like that...

What I do like about this technique is that you do lose the bulk without having the look of an undercut if you want to do updo's and I have such thick hair that you never did see weird lines in my hair. Don't know if I'd want to get it done like this again though.

[Mesmerise]

A hairdresser once did something like this to me - she went through my hair horizontally and took cm thick line sections and cut them to my scalp. She did about 4 lines like this and it really took alot of bulk out of my hair without being visible. At the time, it didn't bother me but subsequent hairdressers have been shocked when I tell them about this technique. It must have been something she learned from somewhere. Funny that she didn't ask me if it was ok to do it like that...

What I do like about this technique is that you do lose the bulk without having the look of an undercut if you want to do updo's and I have such thick hair that you never did see weird lines in my hair. Don't know if I'd want to get it done like this again though.

Wow that's...different! So she just cut random sections of your hair to the scalp?? I have never heard that one before! I would think that when it grows a bit, those hairs would start sticking through when you did updos and stuff?! I guess it would thin out the hair... but errm... I think I'd be a bit upset if a hairdresser did this to me! Of course, I don't have masses of spare hair :D.

[julliams]

I was in my early 20's and I wasn't as precious about my hair as I am now. Actually I never noticed it growing out. I know that it did, but it never caused any problems. I actually liked the way the short hair felt when it was really really short - I would run my fingers over it all the time - like carpet. Yes it was really weird but it did do what it was supposed to I guess.

It wasn't completely random either. It would be rows of thin even horizontal stripes starting near the top and then every inch or so down to the bottom. I know, it's totally out there!

[Drynwhyl]

Actually I do this.
At first I just did it to cut away the few dreadlocks I had, then I liked the style, and now I'm maintaining it because I really really like it!
Recenlty I posted some pics in the "neon, punk goth etc hair" thread, if you want to see.

[Lilli]

When my hair is between chin and shoulder, I get undercut layers - that is, the inside layers are slightly shorter than the outside layers. It makes my ends curl under and lay nicely.

Yes - made my bob lay nicely. But only 1 cm undercut. Not that early 90s nape shave that the tough girls rocked.

[free_hug]

Julliams, you were amazingly patient with a hairdresser who gave you a cut you didn't ask for. I am still shocked by these stories. A haircut is a long term issue, why would anyone, especially a professional, give someone a look they don't necessarily want? Giving an undercut to someone without them asking for it is way past the limit of OK :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Becky9679]

Actually I do this.
At first I just did it to cut away the few dreadlocks I had, then I liked the style, and now I'm maintaining it because I really really like it!
Recenlty I posted some pics in the "neon, punk goth etc hair" thread, if you want to see.

I've just been and had a look, it really suits you!

[Dr. Girlfriend]

I've had an undercut before in my teens when the Texas heat got to me. I did not care for the cut and it was a pain to grow out. Kudos to those who can pull it off, though. :)

[gthlvrmx]

That just sounds so amazing and fun to have such thick hair.

[Persephone94]

I would never wear an undercut. With the right kind of products, you can have thick hair, thin hair, any hair and be without layers or undercuts. I had loads of layers when I was younger and it didn't make my hair more manageable.

[Isala]

I think the undercut can be very pretty, but I'd only try it if I liked having shoulder length hair. It seems... cheating? to be trying for very long hair and have half of it missing... lol
At least it feels that way to me :)

[McFearless]

There is a member on here with an undercut. I can't remember her username but I think she posted a recent album about it. It looks freaking amazing.

I had half of my head shaven, years back. It looks horrible growing in but it looked great when it was fresh. Don't nobody dare say "its not a good look". :cool:

[Mesmerise]

Well I don't mind the undercut look at all, and yeah, if I had thick hair I'd probably do it! It stops that "triangle" look so many thick haired people get (particularly those with waves), and it also removes some of the "heaviness" that many long haired/thick hairs can suffer from.

I mean, you can have layers put in long hair to make it "lighter" but what if you prefer the blunt cut look and don't particularly want layers?? Well, an undercut is a great solution, as you can wear your hair long and blunt cut, but it isn't quite as thick and heavy! This can also help it look less triangular and boofy too.

The other thing is it can satisfy that desire some of us have to "shave it all off" lol. Even if you don't shave all your hair, you can have a half shaved head lol!!

Of course, it's all a very personal choice! It doesn't work at all for my thinner hair... but it works for many others.