Is a bob inevitable for fine/thin/flat hair?

[Millionprammiles]

Does anyone with thin/fine straight hair have a hairstyle that isn't a bob (assuming you're not elfin featured enough for a pixie cut)?

I've had a bob (no fringe) for decades and am utterly bored of it. Looking for inspiration from those on the 'thin' side...

Watching with interest.
I have thin straggly straight hair which is shoulder length .
I need a change and am tempted to chop it all off but I am fat of face so need some hair!

No, I don't think it is.

Any way you could post a pic? Be good to see what face shape and features you have.

Are you thin all over? Or is it more patchy?

Not brave enough to post a pic!

My hairs fine, not a huge amount of it, very straight, so thin all over rather than thinning.

Currently its in a one length bob that I have cut every 12 weeks or so to chin length. The bits nearest my face are cut slightly shorter so it 'rounds off' a bit instead of hanging in a straight corner if that makes sense.

Am not particularly chubby of face but its roundish rather than heart or oval shaped.
Wondering whether a fringe might relieve the boredom?

I would say yes. Mine is thin fine flyaway and I've tried
to grow it out of bob = straggly witch
Short almost pixie = so much product it would crunch
Everything in between. I have therefore give up looking for hair utopia and embraced the bob. I do however sometimes experiment with colour.

Same here. Hairdresser talked me out of a fringe. It would have been wispy and crap not at all like the chunky blunt one I imagined.

I have a long bob that I wear in an up do quite often.

Products in your hair and back-combing do really work to make it look thicker. On fine thin hair you won't end up looking like you should be working at spearmint rhino.

Any one or more (!) of dry shampoo, root lifting blow dry spray, mousse, that powder you sprinkle on the roots, blowdry "up", back comb, hairspray.

But ultimately, yes, its a bob if you don't have the features for a pixie.

Thanks for confirming my worst fears and saving me from a crap wispy fringe (I too assumed it would be lovely and chunky). Its just going to be rats tails isn't it?

Products do work but sadly also aggravate eczema in my scalp (even the so called gentle ones) so are limited to occasional nights out only.

Mine is short (verging on pixie, though I am by no means elfin ). I tend to veer between shoulder-length (but usually tied back) and short, because I can get away with not blow-drying in either case. Whereas if I have a bob, I have to blow-dry it or it looks crap. I had a bob for years but got fed up with the effort.

I think it's inevitable tbh. I've had a bob since I was born! Gone as short as a pixie and as long as my shoulders but always go back to a bob.

Things I do to relieve the boredom-
Side swept fringe
Inverted Bob
Disconnected Bob
Some highlights just sliced through the ends

At the moment I've got a heavy fringe-it starts quite far back on the top of my head so you might get away with it.

Ooh side swept fringe is what I've been thinking of...does it stay in place or does it just fall into your eyes the whole time driving you insane?

Personally, I think a bob is about the worst thing for fine hair (although I did it for years)

My short, layered style makes my hair look so much thicker and doesn't need much in the way of product.

Further - I'm worried about going short and looking like a round pudding face/boy though. And it'll presumably take ages to grow out/look rubbish while its growing too?

Extensions? My friend uses temporary clip-in ones to make a ponytail or up dos and they look really good.

Ask a hairdresser about short styles that will suit you. They will be able to advise you properly. My hair is very fine and straight and I don't have elfin features but I do have a pixie crop and I love it.

How do you look with your hair up? That gives a good indication of how a short style will look - better than limp "hangling" hair on most people IMO.

Mines fine and in a long graduated bob with a side fringe at the moment. I'm getting it all chopped off tomorrow as I'm sick of it! It looks ok as it is, but I can't get it long enough to wear up (and I'm crap at up-do's). I haven't got an elfin face, more like a big nose on a square face. But I just fancy a change. It did look nice and thick in a short bob shape, but very layered so I could get loads of volume in. So if the chop is a disaster I'll grow it back to that.

I have very fine straight hair, and a bob looks horrible on me, really frumpy. It won't really grow much beyond my chin, maybe just touching my shoulders, but requires a lot of timely blow drying to make it look ok ish.

I'm most comfortable with short hair. Not a pixie as such, as it's got a lot of movement on top (side swept fringe), and flicky bits at the sides (although sometimes I wear it smooth). It has much more life and body when it's short, and any vague ideas of growing it are soon blown out of the water when I see what happens when I'm due a haircut: all oomph falls flat.

What about this sort of thing?

Carrie - that sounds great. Does it need a lot of product to keep its shape?
Skoda - that looks great! Just can't imagine it with about half as much hair and half as thin...

I need volume at the crown, my hair feels very flat at the roots (its ok just after I've blow dried it but falls flat within hours).

I'm just scared short hair will look awful on me. I'd like a style that covered my ears (bit big for my otherwise small head). And something that doesn't need lots of product at the roots.

Skoda - that's lovely. I haven't even been to the hairdresser in nearly 18 months as I've felt so uninspired - have just been doing the dreaded mn cut and tying it back. I fucking hate hair in my eyes. That pic looks ideal - I'm going to book an appointment tomorrow.

Million-if you have the fringe short enough it won't go in your eyes.

If you fancy going short but aren't brave enough just do it very gradually then it's not a dramatic change and you can stop at a length that you're comfortable with.

Start by adding a fringe then get the back cut close into the nape of your neck and then it's just the sides that need to go.

I&'vet got fine, flat, straight hair though there is plenty of it. I've spent my whole life going between a shoulder length bob and short hair with various choppy bobs in between. It never gets past shoulders because it's so bloody fine, it starts growing upwards where the hair meets my shoulders which I hate.

I've recently had it cut into a similar style to skoda's picture and it looks great and is really easy to do. My hair sits better with less weight to pull it down and I've always had a fringe anyway as I have a massive forehead!

Right you've all inspired me. Am going for a side sweep fringe first with a shorter length gradually. Unless of course I bottle it at the hairdressers.

Yay! Go for it, it's only a side swept fringe-not much can go wrong with that and it'll soon grow out if you hate it. Let us know how you get on. Take lots of pictures of what you want to show the hairdresser.

I love that, Skoda! Go for it, Op. Mine's short and choppy with height to balance out any chubbiness. I hate my hair. I've considered wigs before now...

Bear in mind too you may have to wear a bit more slap to counteract any "masculinity"..

What sort of hairstyle do you like, OP? You need a style you like on yourself, not just one that other people like.

I kept trying a bob because people said it's better for fine hair, but although my hair looked better, I hated it. Shorter hair makes me look like my mother, so I feel old and frumpy. Also, I think a bob looks best on people with an oval or heart shaped face, but mine is square shaped and a bob accentuates my jaw line and makes my face look hard.

I have grown my hair back to shoulder length and I am much happier when I look in the mirror.