I want to do something drastically different with my hair

[BikeRunSki]

I have had the same hairstyle for about 25 years on and off. More on than off. It’s a mess and I am bored of it. I have never known what else I could do with it.

My hair is naturally curly. Shoulder length. All one length. Can be beautiful ringlets if washed and left to dry naturally. Can be frizzy and dandelion-y otherwise. Layers look awful and make “steps” my hair I use very few products due to psoriasis on my scalp, and generally only wash it once a fortnight or so. I try and follow “curly girl”. I usually pull it back into a loose bun and pull out a few strands at the front. This doesn’t particularly suit my round face.

If my hair is too short it goes poodle-y. Thus was cute when I was 4, but looked like a granny wig when I last cut it this short 15 years ago at the height of summer.

My hair is often under a helmet - hard hat or cycling helmet. I hate straightening it. Straightening makes it very floppy and sucks out too much volume and also makes it very dry - my hair is thick, but very fine. I sold my straighteners years ago!! It also takes about 45 mins to straighten my hair. I really don’t want to go down this route, trying to get to work and get the dc (10, 7) to school in the mornings is fraught enough as it is.

I’m 48. My hair is dark blonde and highlighted. I wear fairly boring Breton tops/jeans/jersey dresses. I dress more for practicality than fashion!!

I there anything I can do to my hair which is low maintenance but vaguely interesting?

TIA

@SimplyPut and @myidentitymycrisis. / my hair is much curlier than that. It “sits” to a greater or lesser extent when it has some length to it, when short, the curl is very tight - think Airedale!

Where do you live? I know a curly hairdresser near Nottingham.

What about these? My dd has very coarse wavy hair but has it cut in a very short pixie crop which looks amazing. She never has to brush it and only has to wash it every 7-10 days it's completely envy inducing.

I'm thinking your curls are more of a corkscrew variety, op?

If so I'd be wary of a short cut tbh.

You could end up like the woman off Wallace and Gromit

simplyput thank you. OP my hair corkscrews too, but I’m imagining yours are much smaller? A lot of the pics I see are for much looser curls. Can you post a pic?

Gosh, this has been active overnight!!
@managedmis is right, short styles do not work at all as my curls are too tight. They need some length/weight to pull out the curl to lie down.

The texture of my curls changes depending how long my hair is. Very short my hair just curls up short and tight, poodle like. Up to about earlobe length, it is corkscrewy, and as likely to stick up as down. It’s only by getting to about shoulder length that it becomes loose enough to hang (mostly) downwards. Even then, it is still very curly rather than loose waves.

Much as I love the Tilda Swinton haircut, i know in my heart of hearts that even if I, or the best curly hairdresser in the world, forced my hair into that style with a lot of product and heat, it would last a couple of hours at most. It would probably take almost as long to straighten it enough!!

Matters are not helped by having psoriasis on my scalp. It is almost non existent now, but reacts to so many products and heat!!

I’ll try and post a pic. All the pictures I have of myself I am wearing a hard hat (work), cycling helmet or woolly hat. This is not entirely coincidental.

Hair pic

I know you would like a change, but it sounds like you have tried lots of things over the years and now know what works and doesn't work.
Maybe try using some interesting accessories or do some clever styles with plants and such like?

I think curly hair is tricky and you largely have to work with it and not try to force it to do things it doesn't want to do or you will spend half your life trying to tame it.

Looking at your pic, I think your hair is great and you should just let it do its thing, but you could do something really interesting with the colour and that might give you a new lease of life, as it were. Can you see yourself going copper red, or chocolate brown with a couple of flash caramel highlights, for example?

I have your hair .. I'm fearing as I get older a long at try front and short at the back style .. I'll see if I can get pics ..short curly hair can look amazing !

May be worth investing in a salon that specialises in curly hair.

Springs in Birmingham, for example.

Like this but even longer at the front .. I've got an undercut as I have such thick hair and it makes me think I could just lose the bulk and have the long bit at the front .. I currently have a lob and I know it won't work forever as I get older . More the time and effort it take more than anything .

@hugoagogo and @lurkingfromhome, unfortunately I think you are right, which is why I have had the same hairstyle fir so long. I might try copper highlights, my dad had red hair and I look like him,

@ImTheRealHFella - yes, I’m considering a couple

@gubbsywubbsy - that is very much like a curlier version of the Tilda Swinton pic posted early on in this thread. I’m not sure my sides would stay very short for very long. I fear that I will look like Dr Martin’s Auntie Ruth when I get older!

My hair grows soo quickly too and outwards .. if you undercut the sides it would help as you can shave them yourself or get a partner to do it ( you just follow the lines already there. )

And I think the key to making it stylish is having the front long ..the pic below is very short around the front.

I have an amazing hairdresser in the south who has cut my hair for 15 years .

bikerunski you’re hair is similar to mine. I thought it would be much curlier.

I think from your photo your hair would look great short. It’s easier to sort out post bike helmet and would lose some of the wispiness. I find the only problem is you have to have regular cuts and make sure they cut the sides short enough.

@myidentitycrisis, it gets much curlier if it’s above earlobe length.

yes mine too, but I think looks much healthier and has bounce, that's why I insist they cut the sides and back really short, and have to have it cut regularly. Once it starts to grow the two bits in front of my ears form ringlets.

I had it cut today, here's an example

New hair, same hairdresser

@MrsKrabbapple hi who's the curly hairdresser in Nottingham that you mentioned upthread? I live near Nottingham and have curly wavy hair