chopping off all my hair...

[Asteria36]

Has anyone else gone from long to super short? Please convince me that I'm not going to instantly regret it!
I have mostly had long hair, with the odd foray into bob territory, throughout my life. It is currently half-way down my back and I am crushingly bored with it. I have structural ishoos that make proper blow drying with a brush agony and because I have such thick long hair it takes hours to dry naturally. DH adores my long hair but I am beginning to feel like a scarecrow! I'm considering something drastic, like a long pixie cut (Meg Ryanish).
My only concern is that I don't want to look even remotely frumpy, or worse still - like I have gone for a practical woman-of-a-certain-age haircut (like my aunt the nun!). I'm rapidly approaching 40 and getting the "You look like your mum" fear. She has shoulder-length straw for hair and I am petrified of any more comparisons because she is a vile person

I did it recently and have no regrets. Yes a short style needs styling, but God it is so much quicker to wash/dry/run the straightners over add a bit of wax than the hours of blow drying and straightening involved with long hair. Mine is naturally curly/frizzy and thick. I got sick of looking like every one else, wanted something different.
Needs more regular trimming but being short means I can colour it myself so it means I'm not sat 3 hours in the hairdressers anymore.
IMO I look much younger with a pixie. I think you can be more experimental with colour too as glossy locks aren't so important when there ain't much there!

Oops , that wasn't meant to be insulting and I'm sure you look like Charlize Theron .

Willing to be shot down in flames for this but i'm afraid I agree with atticus. If you've got a slim face with good bone structure then fine, you might look okay with a pixie cut....

....Otherwise, I'd really not do it. If you want to go shorter, could you not go for a long bob?

Again, i'll get shot down I know but it really baffles me why women want pixie cuts, I can understand it from a maintenance POV, but I just couldn't do it. I know a few people that have had pixie style cuts and I'm afraid, IMO (!) they all looked better with long hair.

We were having a discussion about this down the pub the other day actually and all the men in our group said they preferred women to have longer hair.

THIS IS ALL JUST MY OPINION AND NO OFFENCE IS MEANT TO ANYONE WITH A PIXIE CUT- I'M SURE YOU ALL LOOK GREAT.

Good lord Tondelaya!!! Nobody wants to look like lulu
I don't want THAT sort of a cut - I just latched on to the smeg ryan because I don't really do celebrity and watched Top Gun recently

I had a pixie crop cut in about seven years back - partly because my hair was falling out from stress at work. I loved it, have never had so many compliments, and it was super-easy to look after although it did need trimming every five weeks or so. I kept it for about four years and now have a short bob (Louise Brooks style) but I do hanker after it when I see other women with lovely crops.

I think it's completely impossible to generalise about what is ageing/flattering/what men like without seeing every individual's hair/being an actual man. My DP always says that he liked my hair in the pixie cut best of any style I've ever had because he could "see my face and eyes". (He can see them now, I don't have a mop, but I think his general point is that there's nothing to hide behind with a crop!)

In short, go for it, OP. It's only hair, it will grow back if you don't like it - but I bet you will...!

We were having a discussion about this down the pub the other day actually and all the men in our group said they preferred women to have longer hair.

Did all the women there have longer hair

My DSis SIL DM and MIL all have short hair, all happily married

shutthatdoor the "men prefer longer hair" argument really gets on my tits, tbh. I'd prefer that my partner had a lush head of thick locks for me to run my fingers through, but the fact he's getting balder by the day is something we both have to embrace.

I generally don't give a toss what The Menz think, whether that's hair, clothes, shoes, makeup, whatever.

I used to have hair down to my bum, got utterly bored with it and chopped it off at home! (Then had it fixed by the hair dresser who was less than impressed )

I've grown it out again twice since then, but I keep coming back to a super short pixie cut, with a bit of a side fringe, like Emma in The Following. I am neither stunningly beautiful, nor have a fantastic bone structure, but it really suits me, and I get lots of compliments.

I agree with the PP who said that it suits slimmer better, when I was over weight, I too found it added to the general roundness. I also find that I look a bit too boyish if I go totally without make-up. Tiniest smudge of eye liner fixes that though, and I still take far less time to do my hair and face than I did with long or mid-length hair.

Do it! It'll always grow.

I've had a few crops in my time. Plus sides:

Feels delightful to wash and dry, and equally lovely to touch and run fingers through
Hair stays in excellent condition
Hair feels thicker (a biggie for me, cursed with fine / thin hair)
Easy to style
Looks fine after being slept on
Cool in the summer - this is seriously ace!
I do, personally, love the pixie look

Negatives:
Can feel very exposed if confidence is low / have blemishes
If hairdresser fucks up, can look terrible
Needs regular trims
Will suck to grow out

...on the whole, I feel quite positive towards short hair. I last had mine cropped in January this year. It's past my chin now and already I'm finding it annoying, but that is mostly just my hair type, it looks like shit unless I straighten it all to hell. I do envy those with naturally thick, glossy hair.

Incidentally, and not that it matters, but DP would also have said he prefers long hair. But he loved my last crop (and no he wasn't just being polite) - he said it was nice to see more of my face and that I had a lovely neck

I had a pixie cut for a couple of years and I loved it. I'm a size 14, good shaped face. I ended up with that cut because the hair dresser I'd seen before then had butchered it so there was no way out. But I loved it !!!! I've grown it now because I just fancied seeing if I could and luckily my hair grows very quickly. But I'd happily have it again. The cut is the most essential part though.

I love this picture, it's closest to how mine looked. It's minimal effort but as a side warning, with a short pixie cut you will never wake up looking cute or pretty. But a quick dunk under the tap will sort that out sharpish

Having already trapped a man into marrying me, I don't really care how sexually attractive my haircut makes me Anything is better than dragged-though-a-hedge-bag-lady!
I rather like this look - it works with my tendency to scruff up my hair a bit. I will never be the sleek, polished kinda person (well, I might scrub up for a ball or dinner party). I have a similar face shape to whoever it is in the photo, although my hair is darker. I hate the spiked mullety look that comes up in short hair searches

I went from bra strap length to Claire Underwood and dyed brown to my natural salt and pepper in one fell chop. My hairdresser tried talking me out of both as he was absolutely sure I was going to cry. It took 15 inches and at least 5 years off me and I love it.

I have a brilliant expensive hairdresser, so even though it's short, and it grows reasonably quickly, I only have to get it cut every 10-12 weeks because a good cut holds a good shape as it gets longer. I am brutal at doing any sort of styling, so I wash it every 2/3 days (I usually wet it in the shower or it gets puffy), throw in a blob of mousse or some putty stuff he sold me, and walk out the door.

And for all those claiming it's only for the beautiful, I'm not in bag over the head territory, but I'm not Charleze Theron either.

I say go for it!

It depends on your face, not your age... If you have a heavy jaw, or sizeable nose, don't do it... If you have fine bone structure it would be stunning. And I always think big eyes help.

my advice is go short, but not choppy or spiky...this is where the unflattering Prison Bitch/Denise Welsh comparisons come in.

Would love to see Denise Welch's face if reading this thread!

I agree that short hair should be decided by the type of face you have rather than your age. Emma Willis and her exquisite bone structure looks fab with her crop. But not everyone is blessed with her cheekbones.

It's definitely not about age, look at Dame Judi Dench, she's beautiful with a silver crop. It just depends on the shape of your face, if you are jowly or not (sorry, hate that phrase but can't think of another word).

It's definitely the cut, not the length that makes a difference. My usual stylist always makes it look good because he doesn't leave any fussy bits at the name of my neck. I went to a different one last time and look like someone's granny with a dodgy mullet. I'm trying to grow it into more of a wedge, for a while, as I have put on weight and do look too round in the face, at the moment.

My hair is very much like yours, OP. I gave up on having it long before I was 30.

Does anyone know if a photo of another angle of the first pic the OP posted? I think it looks amazing, but not sure about the fringe etc...

Go for it!
I chopped all mine off a year or so ago, and I wish I'd done it sooner.

Way up the thread, I was challenged on my statement about short hair ageing everyone. Unless you are very young or exceptionally beautiful, yes, short hair ages everyone, without exception. I'm not saying it can't look good but it's always ageing. The only concession is if someone is over a certain age and has hair down to their waist or longer. That's just as ageing.

I posted a thread like this in 2009, heavily pregnant, asking for short style ideas. I went ahead and donated the cut hair, but learned some stuff about myself in the process:

1. Freshly styled hair (with product) looks lovely. I do not 'style' my hair regularly and hate product so could rarely replicate glorious swishyness.
2. I miss being able to pull hair into a ponytail for practical reasons when I need to.
3. I am low maintenance when it comes to prettifying, and don't like the regular upkeep with trims at the hairdressers.
4. I discovered Pinterest after the cut. And rediscovered braids, and updos and half -ups and all manner of lovely stuff which made me crave my long hair.

My hair is back at waist length and I have made my peace that I can handle it better this way.

My best advice is to take a look on Pinterest for long hair that is similar to your own and see if you feel inspired. It is very easy to get stuck in a boring ponytail rut, but there is so much versatility with long hair.

I've also cut (and coloured) my own hair for 3 years, and am so very much happier controlling this myself than having That Feeling as you leave the salon...

I was the one who challenged you, Trucking.

Longer hair ages me because (like another poster has said) it drags my face down and draws attention to my jowls. When it's short, it's like an instant facelift because it highlights my cheekbones.

On the other hand, my friend, who's the same age, used to have her hair short but has just grown it to collar bone length - she looks way younger.

Whether your haircut suits you depends on so many things: the shape and size of your face, your features, your jawline, your cheekbones, the condition of your hair, your lifestyle.... I don't understand how you can believe either short or long hair ages us all, unless you think everyone of 'a certain age' looks the same.

HairyLittleCarrot - Sadly I'm not going to be discovering up-dos any time soon. I can only lift one arm properly and can't hold it up for long enough to do much more than a quick bun/ponytail. I simply don't have the energy (chronic fatigue) to faff for an eternity with long hair. I do love my long hair, but am desperate for a change.
My only other thought was to regain some of the fabulous curls that I had before pregnancy totally changed it. I had the most amazing thick curls back then and used to be able to pile it up like Helena B-C in a Merchant Ivory film!

Ooh, well, are you familiar with the Curly Girl Method? That might help bring curls back?
I love curly hair.

Never heard of it carrot - does it involve eating bread crusts?!