Long and dark, to short and blonde

[iwantgin]

Am bored of my hair. And get frequently annoyed by it.

Currently below shoulder length, dark brown, with a fringe. If i can be bothered to wash daily, blow dry, straighten and keep a check on it all day then it looks good.

However - i do a lot of exercise, so I often end up just washing and tying it up in a ponytail.

The length means that if I am trying to get dressed or undressed in hurry, it gets caught in my sports bra. If it is windy outside then I look like Wurzel Gummidge.

Also am noticing a few 'silver' hairs sprouting. (I am late 40s, so done pretty well really).

So fancy a total change.

To go from .. um a Davina hair on my best styling day

to short, blonde and totally different.

Something like Charlize Theron. Unfortunately I am not quite as pretty as her.

anyone else done anything so drastic?

I know, it's only hair -and will grow again - but I suppose you get used to having long hair. It was quite a big deal getting a fringe cut in!

I have posted a pic of hair on my profile page.

It's a bit longer now - and is usually straighter. (had been coiffed by the hairdresser for that photo!)

I used to have a very similar pixie crop (but not blonde) and really loved it. Go for it! It's super-easy to look after, basically wash and go, but on the downside you need to have very regular trims to keep it in shape, so it's actually high maintenance and expensive compared with longer hair. I was going to the hairdresser every 4/5 weeks which cost a fortune. I felt like I needed to wear a bit more makeup to avoid looking "boyish", but this may have been in my imagination, and also that there was nothing to "hide behind" so on bad days (eg spots or whatever) it felt like my face was really exposed, which was sometimes tricky.

You're right, it's only hair, and it grows!

I can't get into your profile page, you need to adjust your settings.

But I wouldn't. I have very long dark hair and once chopped it all off to a short bob. It was very drastic and was a bad move. I started growing it the next day. I think you have to be stunning to pull off a crop a short as that. You're basically saying, "look at me, I'm so beautiful I don't need hair".

I went from dark brown to blonde after Christmas, but kept the length. It cost me a small fortune and still don't know if I like it - and my hair feels pretty awful now. Loosing the length is the hardest bit - would you miss your hair?

yes cut it all off! I've done this many times, it's good fun. it will grow back and can be dyed again if you don't like the colour. I agree with the poster who said you do need frequent cuts for upkeep and that is annoying but I think it's balanced out by how easy it is to do day to say. and I don't agree at all one has to be stunning for short hair - you do have to have the right cut for you though so it's worth finding a really good hairdresser.

I did exactly the same thing, albeit in stages. I had never, in 38 years, had short hair, and two days after my sister's wedding I went from below shoulder length, to a crop. A year later, I went platinum blonde. I really like having statement hair for once in my life!

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't know how to make my profile visible? I put a photo on my gallery. I will try and figure it out.

Divided opinions then.

I think one of the things I want is to change the colour, but don't want long hair if it will feel dry and chemically treated. If it is short then I won't care so much as I won't have to tug a comb through it.

My hairdresser is just around the corner, and is pretty good value - and I have lots of time to go and get it touched up every few weeks.

Hmmmm...

I had mine bleached because it is short now, so the ends are cut regularly. I did go gradually with highlights, until I went the whole hog.

Do it. Take a look at Jean Seberg's hair from Breatheless.

Work out if you are warm or cool toned and make sure your colour fits your skintone.

It would probably look best if you have a darker blonde base colour with different shades of blonde woven in to blend grey and just look more natural.

I went from below-the-shoulders length to quite short (but not as short as your pic) last summer. I didn't change the colour though. I absolutely loved it, and so did everyone else (including DH).

I'm growing it again now, however this time I'm keeping my layers (I can now deal with layers, thanks to BBH) rather than all one length, and I won't go much longer than collar bone length. I'm doing this because I feel more feminine when I've got more hair, and also because short hair isn't quite as low maintenance as I expected, I got a real shock when my newly cut short hair decided it wanted to curl!!!! Prior to this, the length of my hair had negated any curl. But getting rid of annoying kinks in short hair is actually more time consuming than blow drying longer hair IMO.

But I certainly don't regret last year's short cut, I got soooooo many compliments. And there's every chance I'll do it again in the future.

Jean Seberg's hair is great in that movie.

I have had similar before But it is a big step from growing that out for the past three years.

Am hoping to have a tan in a couple of weeks too, so will look less washed out and pasty.

Would be ideal to get it done before my holiday :)

I think my pic should be visible now.

I think you've got the right face shape to pull it off. Go orrn be brave! my hair is currently just below shoulder length and bleached to fuck - you're right to think it feels disgusting and it's a bugger to wash because it's so dry. i'm going to get it all chopped off soon i think, and then bleach it even more!

You have a lovely face and a crop would suit you - do it! I do, however, disagree with the post above that having this type of haircut is saying "I'm so beautiful I don't need hair" - I am a million miles from beautiful, I just don't give a damn what other people think.

Aticus- some people look like they have a pair of spaniel's ears pulling down their features with long hair. Your view is very old fashioned. A lot of people look more feminine with shorter hair or just more stylish as it suits their features.

I find this whole female = must have long hair to be attractive,weird.

Hmmmm, I don't think that hairstyle particularly flatters the lovely Charlize Theron. It's just a bit too short even for her. It looks like a Victorian convict haircut.

Michelle Williams often has short hair but it's still got a bit of length. Softens the look a bit.

But it's only hair and hair grows back so go really short if that's what you hanker after.

Jean Seberg and Mia Farrow were the queens of pixie cuts.

I did it (well the chop bit) about 10 days ago - pics on thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/2316020-To-chop-or-not-Honest-opinions-please

Still getting used to it a bit (been about 30 years since my hair was this short) but all in all I am really glad I did it. I have had loads of compliments. Quite afew people say "Wow, I really like your hair. I really mean it." As if to emphasise that normally if people say that they done really mean it

You could tackle it another way though. Go blonde - and if you are not keen/condition is not great then chop it off.

When I went to the hairdressers I took a pinterest board of stuff I liked and also one of stuff I hated - so he could see what I would cry at if I ended up like it. Then I just let him "go with it" as it were - for him to use his experience/knowledge of hair etc to judge the best cut. And it is a great cut.

Think carefully though - if you are bored and you have told your current hairdresser this - and their response has been to do the same old cut/style - then do you want to risk them giving you a total new look? If they haven't read your cues thus far are they actually scared of/not confident in their ability to do a fab crop.

I love Mia Farrow's hair here:

www.elle.com/beauty/hair/tips/g15/best-celebrity-pixie-cuts/?slide=7

Mine was a bit like this (but without her stunning face!) and could be worn mussed up or more sleek, depending on my mood.

www.short-haircut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Michelle-Williams-Short-Blonde-Hair.jpg

kissy I didn't say that to be feminine you have to have long hair, where did that come from? . I said that to have a cut as short as charlize is sporting there (which actually looks to me like she's growing it out of a shaved head for a role) you need to be beautiful to pull it off properly. Even on her its not her best look and she's clearly very beautiful.

You said you have to be stunning to pull off a crop as short as Charlize's one. That's bollocks.

If you have a sense of style and get the right pixie for your features - it can work.
There are plenty of beautiful women who don't suit short hair (Liv Tyler, Emma Watson and Kylie off the top of my head) and plenty of quirky looking ones who look absolutely lovely. So it's not about being stunning.

Op- I think a Tamsin Grieg pixie would work for your features.

here

Greig even...

I did this a year ago. I had nearly shoulder length hair and cut it into a pixie. Its not too drastic if you've had short hair before. I've been blonde for a few months.

My hair is nearly identical to this, unfortunately my face isn't