Tempted to cut hair really short/pixie style. Please help me be brave!

[Alsoflamingo]

Now mid-40s with shoulder length hair. Looks lovely when blow-dried at salon so only done twice a year and most of the time looks frizzy and pretty rank.

Have had v. short hair about 10 years ago. DH loved it. But just wondering now if it will make me look frumpy and old. V. short, cute, pixie styles look lovely on skinny whipper-snappers. Worried about looking 'sensible' and sexless.

Have read some former threads on this which have lovely inspiring topics of Anne Hathaway etc, but often they have v. straight hair whereas mine is quite curly so need photos that would work with a bit of curl. Plus all those photos are of women in their 20s.

Can anyone inspire me?

Oh yes! Look at Sharon Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis, Judi Dench and Ellen de Generes for how to wear it well.

For balance, because you will get lots of 'go for it' comments - I think women always look better with longer hair. I know it's sexist, I know it's a faff to maintain and style, but it's a fact. Women in their 40s who go for a chop don't usually look like Anne Hathaway.

If it's frizzy - get better shampoo and conditioner and blowdry it a couple of times a week followed by some styling oil.

Sorry!

Audrey Tatou has wavy hair - google pics of her when she had a pixie cut.

Halle berry has curly hair too and looks lovely.

Before you give it the chop, make sure you still have good posture and a long neck. If you've put on weight since you had it short last, I'd rethink and get some clips and clip it up for a while to see how it fits in with your style now. A pixie cut looks awfully frumpy (post menopausal, and sensible for the hot flushes)if there's a short neck and even a hint of jowls!!!

When you are happy to go for it, get some length left in the top and front for a side swept fringe, so it can look like you're wearing a ponytail, just in case.....

Pixie cuts definitely have the potential to look sensible and sexless, so tread carefully.

I agree you need to have a long neck and be quite slender generally for it to work.

Yes yes - I agree that there is a real risk it can look post menopausal and 'practical'. Have good posture and decent long neck so that's ok. But equally am no spring chicken. Really tough. Have just stuck some Audrey Tatou crop photos on pinterest as inspiration. That French look is sort of what I'm after. But think being whippet thin helps. Am slim, but not Parisian skinny….

And glad to have some balancing comments rather than all 'go for it'. Hmmm.

I'd love short hair again but I have no neck and a fat face so it would look even worse than the frizzy bush I have at the moment.

I despair of finding a good haircut that suits me and is fairly trendy at the moment. 80/90s hair suited me down to a t!

I know someone who went to a wig shop pretending to be looking for something for a fancy dress ball. She tried on loads of different styles and found one that suited her, then got her hair cut. Anywhere you can go to try on some short wigs?

And another tip is to contact your hair salon in advance to check that your hairdresser is familiar with the latest pixie cuts - modern styles require up to date techniques and its easy for it to look frumpy instead of stylish.

Go to Whippy Cake's website and do a search on hair as she has lots of good tips.

I am mid 30s and a size 12. Cutting my shoulder length hair into a pixie cut last year was one of the best things I have ever done. Everyone on here said don't do it, everyone in RL said don't do it. But I did, and then everyone said it looked fab! I look younger and less frumpy than I did with shoulder length hair.

I am also in this quandary - I last had a pixie cut 8 years ago when I was slimmer and prettier. I am being seduced again by the memory of how freeing it was, how easy and light and and and.....but suspect I would look like my mum if I did it now

It doesn't help that Pinterest and Google Images are FULL of beautiful cropped women I scroll through thinking "Oh that's lovely...on her...oooooh that is just gorgeous....ON HER..."

Sigh...have an appointment tomorrow and just know I will get another choppy bob!

Also the maintenance.
I used to have a shoulderlength one length bob. Washed once a week, tied back. Used straighteners if I wanted a sleek look.(My hair has wave to it, but the length dragged it straight)
Nice but boring.

I went to a short cut after layered bob just didn't work.

I do wash/condition every other day but it needs to be soaked in the shower daily to style. I can use wax, gel, mousse depending on what I want. (Soft, spike, curl)

It needs cut every 6 weeks maximum and dyed (though now all the dark dye has been cut out and there is minimal overlapping, I can go lighter)

I do need to wear earrings and make-up (to avoid the risk of looking blokey) but that's ok.

I did this recently, went from the school gate standard bob to a pixie cut and coloured darker than the bob. I love it. Based on people's feedback it makes me look younger and much more funky. I am lucky to have a long neck and large eyes, these stand out even more now, to the extent someone stopped me in a shop last week to tell me I had beautiful eyes ( a lady), I haven't heard that for 10 years. So I say go for if. Tony and Guy are actually very good at this type of cut.

I am one of those women who look infinitely more feminine with a pixie and get asked about my hair all the time. I actually cut it myself in a choppy, textured style with height at the crown and fringe swept off my face with wafty bits over my ears. Very wiphairport inspired.

Not everyone looks great clinging onto their hair if it starts to resemble spaniel's ears. I don't think you need a long neck, be slim or have huge eyes in order for it to look good either. Curly hair is a bonus because it texturises really well unless it is really tight curls.

How do you dress and what do you look like?

If you are slim/elfin with good skin then its lovely Otherwise no

Oh yes and as an example of pixies only working if you are thin/beautiful there are some women for whom it is said fit that criteria but look dreadful with a pixie such as Kylie, Ann Hathaway, Liv Tyler and Emma Watson. Too flat headed.

Totally agree with the comment posted above. I think what happens is that women are expected to have their hair cut when the 'turn a certain age' and chances are, when you go to the hairdresser, unless they are up to the minute trained..you could get a very frumpy style. I tend to agree that women look better after a certain age with some length unless you are grey. Dont forget, these stars have help looking like that. I think it can look very harsh on women. I thought a good example of someone that looked fantastic with shortish hair was the women out of the Great british bake off. She looked youngish but had shortish grey hair and i thought she looked very pretty. Cant remember her name. It looked a soft style. She also had the difficulty of having an asian skin tone which can instantly make your grey hair look the sallowness looking very ageing against the skin. She got it just right imo. I am 47 and have long hair past my shoulder. I love it. I love putting it up, curling it, straightening it. Its really so versatile.

What does flatheaded mean?

I thought she meant the shape? really flat on top?

If you're going to do it, do it now or wait til after Christmas. If you don't like it, it'll have a chance to grow out a bit before the holidays.

I cut mine from mid-back to just below the jaw length and I really love it. Much easier to care for (frizzy, curly hair) than before. I can either blow it straight, or put some 'product' into it and let it curl. The curls look nice shorter, where when it was longer I looked like a crazy woman!

The shorter hair also seems to 'lift my face up' where the longer hair seemed to 'drag it down'. Gravity's already doing a number on me, I don't need any 'help' from my hair!

Agree it's a decision that needs to be weighed up carefully but am not one of those that think a long neck, huge eyes, and youth are essential to look good. Nor does my hairdresser, who is highly skilled and has a reputation for being 'on trend'.

Btw, as someone who is post menopausal, not very keen on the use of the term up thread as a lazy synonym for 'frumpy'. Is the idea that we may be biologically post-menopausal, but we must at all costs make sure we don't look it? Think you can be stylish at any age and hair length if you present yourself well and you don't have to be defined by whether you are still fertile or not!

Have you tried that curly girl business people often talk of here? I've poker straight hair so haven't looked into it but I've heard enthusiasm aplenty in passing.

But yeah, I reallY can't be doing with all the visits to the hairdresser that shorter-than-shoulder-length hair needs to look decent. Let alone the obligatory styling faff.

Oh, I wonder whether she meant flat at the back!

What Polyhymnia said.
Nothing to do with age. It is about skill of hairdresser and your head shape.
I am early 40's and have had a bob for about 5 years. Prior to that I had a crop for most of my adult life. Now hankering for another crop as don't feel bob is that flattering.
Pamela Anderson is another to add to the list of 'older' celebs who look good with a crop.
HTH

After seeing Frankie on strictly, I must admitt I've thought about going short for about 2 mins... She looks gorgeous & I love her hair, this coming from someone who always favours long hair & has longish hair & is still desperately trying to get it longer!

I did go from long to short about 16 years ago (gosh I feel old now!) I wouldn't do it again, it took a lot more styling time than long hair. I think it just depends on your features & your face shape etc as others have said, I have a short wide neck & very round full face so I couldn't pull it off again, I doubt I did 16 years ago! Frankie looks fab with it, but I dont look like Frankie!