Short hair owners - advice please!

[Asteria36]

I recently hacked all of my hair off, from half-way down my back to a long pixie cut for charity and although I absolutely LOVE it, I have no idea how to "do" short hair! Having never previously worried about styling and products beyond a bit of hairspray I am now faced with an unruly mop that needs a little assistance.
So far I have been getting by nicking ds's vast array of products, but the results haven't been ideal. The wax was a disaster and the fibre putty didnt last. I prefer my hair to look as scruffy as possible, but it prefers to settle into Lego hair. My thoughts were perhaps a bed-head/beach hair type spray and then something vaguely malleable (I fiddle with my hair a lot!) to coax it into just the right level of scruffy. Any ideas would be enormously appreciated - even more so if the products are as crap-free as possible.

Following! I get Lego hair too

Batiste do a XXXL body powder (can get in boots) it lasts well not sticky. Tap a SMALL amount in to finger tips massage into roots then twiddle your hair throughout the day as you wish

Pixie and proud here - I'm also generally a 'rough it up and go' type style and find a good amount of a fairly firm hold wax does a decent job of this - here's what I'm currently using, the amusingly-named 'deviation paste' from L'oreal www.amazon.co.uk/LOreal-Professionnel-Tecni-Art-Deviation-Paste/dp/B00375ZFXC

I'm also a fan of spray wax for a lighter look, currently using sprax wax (but can't find a link)

The thing with really short hair is you need to accept that:
a) you must use quite a lot of product or products to persuade it into the shape you want and keep it that way
b) for this reason it pretty much needs daily washing

Once you get to grips with these things it becomes the new normal and you just go with it!

My other tip, only recently discovered, is to get onto YouTube for vids of other pixie owners and how they style their hair, what they use etc. I'm planning a trip to Boots soon to experiment with a few more products so that I can be a bit more adventurous with my short hair - fauxhawk here I come!

I like vo5 texturising gum, and their matte clay sometimes at the same time. And lots of hair spray!

I don't need the volume so much, my roots are so relieved at not having a massive weight to bear any longer that the top is practically upright! Are their gums/pastes etc that don't feel claggy?

Chip what hair spray do you use? I used some good old Elnett yesterday but realised that I hated the smell of it, and it hangs around pretty much all day. I'd like to find one that actually smells nice!

(Sorry OP not trying to hijack your thread!)

Hijack away BaryMerry

Asteria when you say you "hacked" your hair (and well done on your charity contribution BTW . Will they use your hair to make wigs? ) was it done by a hairdresser or basically just chopped?

Might be worth taking your Lego hair for a proper cut/shape?
I embrace my short hair but I don't really use product.
I'm a Wash-h-Go type (as in I wash then go, not that I use that dreadful 1980s 2-in-1 )

I use good old Black and White hair dressing which I get from one of the local barbers. Used to use it when I was a punk to spike my hair! I use a lot less now and it really adds texture and my hair stays in place. A tub last forever - you only need a little bit.

When I had a pixie (I've a year of growth now) I liked Tigi Rockaholic spray gel. Good for an easy to achieve, textured messy look. Could (IME) be wetted & restyled if you got caught in the rain or similar.

Sorry, that's rocktastic, not rockaholic.

70 - it is indeed going to make wigs.
My lovely hairdresser cut it beautifully - but no matter how well cut, my hair has a rebellious streak!

Label texturing volume spray - like a dry shampoo and hairspray in one!

Short n spiky here .. This is the stuff i use ..Leave-in conditioner its easy to use, when hair wet from the shower (towel dry only and use immediately) keeps it spiky all day , is non sticky and you can rewet to get the look again .. Tip:dont use much .. a tiny dab works best ..

Never dry your hair with a hairdryer , just wash and leave , never use hair spray either.. short hair is easy!!

Berry I disagree,= about accepting you need to use a lot of product.. when you are next in boots do try the leave in conditioner above..

Laska thanks for the tip, I'll check it out! I confess I've fallen into a short hair rut recently and am trying to be a bit more experimental. I've not been using quite enough product and that's led to the dreaded Lego hair so I guess that's what I meant about more product!

I use a wax stick from the mens bit in Boots., I wash my hair everyday.

Omg this thread is so timely! Asterisk your post was brilliant! Lego hair - love it! I complained to my hairdresser only yesterday that my ( very short) hair is almost too soft and I struggle to style it. I joked that I should bl**dy well know what to do at 53 as it's been short for 30 years!

She said I use too much product - I tend to rub the wax through my hair to the roots but she said only to put it on the ends. But I might even try Laska's suggestion and leave it to dry....that would be a first!

You can get bulk building shampoos so make your hair feel gritty or like second day hair.

KMS texture shampoo is good.

Also I think if your hairdresser can't get you to achieve the new look at home or recommend products to work then you need to find someone who does!

Before the haircut, it should be discussed how it will be managed at home.

I love Lush's Dirty - it's a super-matte paste. I have tried every wax and paste under the sun and this gives the perfect sculpt-able hold. I also really like Bumble and Bumble Sumowax, but it's a bit lighter hold and more expensive (although it smells amazing).