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?

Wondering what Curly Girl business is….. Will do a search. I am so torn about the whole thing. I found it FAR easier to look after/style short (I think that only works if you go properly short). But can't get over the feeling that cutting hair off is what all women do EVENTUALLY WHEN THEY GET OLD. Hmm. Just too idle pressed for time to be blowdrying endlessly which is why current long hair is constantly shoved up in bunch or similar.

I'd say do it. I had my hair cut very short again recently (I'm in my late 50s). I wanted to leave it until I lost a bit of weight but then thought stuff it because I had a short bob and it looked awful. I suppose I have a longish neck (we are not talking Audrey Hepburn here) but am not thin at all. Everyone said it really emphasises my bone structure. If you're worried about frumpy, make sure you at least wear a striking lipstick even if you don't wear much other make up.

It takes me about 3 minutes at most to blow dry it in the morning and looks great all day so I'm a bit confused about comments that it would be harder to maintain. I get it cut every 5 or 6 weeks but I did that anyway when I had longer hair and it was a pita to maintain as I am not in any way the kind of person who is good at doing things with their hair.

Don't just think about young people - what about Judi Dench, she looks fabulous with her pixie cut and she's nearly 80!

Short hair does need more maintenance in terms of getting it trimmed every 6 weeks or so.

But what you do save on is time - less time spent blow drying (if I'm not in a rush, I don't even bother blow drying it), straightening and so on.

Bad hair days are much easier to deal with - clips & spray wax/hairspray are your friends.

Agree about Judi Dench. Big time.

Like you OP, I'm torn. I have a short bob. Had a fringe cut recently to add a little variation but really I want to go proper short. I just fear looking like a boy! I am short and very slim but nearing 40. Also, I currently have blonde highlights through my mid brown hair to blend the greys. Would I have to have an all over colour rather than highlights if I went short?

*BlueEyed" I have highlights in mine for the same reason as you and I've not changed that after having it cut. My hairdresser told me it was better than having a block colour with it being so short.

Interesting. I read somewhere that it was better to have a single colour (rather than highlights) when short. Who knows?!

The other concern I have is how it would look with glasses. Arguably less gamine and cool and more Specsavers advert for varifocals?

I wear specs. I'm sure it would look better without but I thinkit depends on the specs - mine are glamorous and expensive ones form Tiffany.

The highlights question is a tricky one. It depends where they're placed. If you have highlights in the back where your hair is shortest, it will look like dabs of colour, very unpleasant. If you're keeping the front longer then putting highlights there can look very good, but as you're saying "pixie cut" I'm guessing it's short all over, so I'd go block colour.

yes, whatever you do don't get highlights at the back of a short cut or you'll look like a cheetah . Very 1983....

I have short hair with a longer swept across fringe, a bit like Ginnifer Goodwin of you're pinterwsting). I had short hair in my 20s, grew it for my wedding, then gradually went shorter. Cropped it when PG with Thing 1, then grew it out again, then cropped again about 4 years ago, and it's great: I'm me again. I definitely have a much better sense of self with short hair, but having a good cut is key. I struggled to find the right hairdresser for years, but thankfully have had a gem for the last 5 or 6 years, and she cut the latest crop incarnation.

I find maintenance is less, as I had to spend hours drying my bob, trying to get height in my fine, straight hair. I couldn't do anything with it: it wouldn't sit nicely in a ponytail (too many messy wispy bits), couldn't take product because of being fine. I now never use any product, but it does what it should EVERY DAY. No such thing as a bad hair day.

As for colour, I have very discreet highlights throughout my hair, just enough to blur through the grey. A solid colour would be too harsh for me, but lots of colours (natural as well as fake highlights) give the illusion of texture and weight.

I love my hairdresser, and it helps that she's also my friend, so won't let me leave until I look tip top . What she's some for my hair apparently inspired quite a few others to crop, I give total credit to her rather than my ability to carry it off!

Go for it! I'm 55 with short, choppy, very fine hair. I've got highlights which I sometimes do myself, to give body. Mine's about 3-4 inches, though, so not very short. Just make sure you're wearing slap (so as not to be taken for a bloke) and balance out any jowliness with height and you'll look great-honest.

I say go for it. I'm 44 and a size 10-12, so slim but not not super-slim, and it's the best thing I've ever done. It's so much easier to style and everybody tells me how much better I look. I do have to wear more makeup though!

Have a look at Garance Dore's instagram page (photo of her reading a book in grey leather skirt) and it looks fab.

I think a pixie cut can be harsh & really requires youth & beauty. My hair is a bit like this:

VB hair

It has all the ease & quick drying of short hair but is a lot softer round the face than a pixie cut. You should be able to do a curly version - I sometimes put soft waves into my longer section.

Look at Robin Wright for inspiration. She's a short-haired fox.