Should I get an undercut? Thick curly long sweaty hair!

[BeGoldLemur]

I’m 46, menopause and thyroid kicking my arse, have quite long thick hair, and it’s often getting sweaty and knotted underneath even when I have it tied up. In the heat it’s uncomfortable and I feel like I want to shave it all off! Before I go ahead and do something I’ll regret (because I do love my hair), I want to know similar women’s experiences of getting an undercut, how high you got it, has it helped heat and sweat management, what happens when it grows back in, does it make a difference with washing, less hair falling out etc? I’m worried it might make it look thin and straggly? Thank you ☺️

My daughter wanted this but her curly hair hairdresser said not to. She has a lot of hair but it’s fine.her said it will look really thinned out and not nice at all. Maybe ask a hairdresser?

I have a friend with mega long thick curly hair and she's got an undercut. Her hair's so thick you can't even tell with it down but she says it makes a huge difference in summer!

Not curly, but same age and I love my undercut! Only thing it limits it tying up high, but I would only wear a style like that once in a blue moon. I get so many compliments on how it sits.
need to discuss with a hairdresser who is current and up for it though - mine is much cooler than me and talked me through it all. I can imagine the ‘long wavy balayage’ crew at my local salon would have said it was a bad idea.

I have shoulder length fine curly hair. I have a new nape undercut as I was frustrated with all the baby neck hair looking messy when I tie my hair up for the gym. I love it, it can only be seen when I tie my hair back but is so much cooler on my neck.

I have hair like yours and I had an undercut last summer. I really regretted it and wouldn’t do it again. It was fine for a couple of weeks until it started to grow out and then it was a far worse horrible frizzy mess for months until it grew out completely. Also, it’s not really that hot for any length of time in this country. Not worth messing up your hair just to feel a bit less hot on a few summer days. Instead, This summer I have:

1. Plaited my hair
2. Made a bun
3. Bought a back fan (bliss!)

I have exactly the same hair as you, and the same problems (WHY does it get so knotted underneath?!) and I had an undercut for these exact reasons. Never, ever again. I like the look of an undercut but it looked awful on me- I don't think curly hair is quite the same without the thickness, because you don't have the coverage of a sheet of straight hair. I actually didn't realise how awful it looked until I saw some photos of me taken from the back- the loop in the curls really exposed the baldy bits.

Growing it out was horrible, it got tufty and I looked as if I was wearing a curly wig on top of a bad haircut.
I am very attached to my long curly hair, but am having the same issues as you so will watch this thread for alternatives! Plaiting my hair gives me a tradwife, homestead, Little House on the Prairie vibe, and a bun kind of defeats the object of having long hair if it's up all the time. I sometimes play with the idea of getting a few inches cut off, but aaaaaargh I've made my hair my identity!

I can't wait magine a good hairdresser doing this, thinning it out properly and deep cutting will make the world of difference.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and opinions.
I can't do braids, I don't know why, but I find it impossible! It looks so cool on some people as well, but like @KimHwn I'd definitely look a bit tradwife!!
My hair has been every colour and length (apart from all shaved off), melted with sun-in, fried with hairdryers and straighteners, chemically straightened, chemically permed, and I did have an undercut when I was 16. I cant remember much about what happened to it, but it wasn't my biggest hair regret, so I just went for it last night and asked my partner to do a #6 after shaping (have to say, he's not great with a comb, there was some squabbling!) and cutting off this much (see pic). Annoyed there's no grey in there unlike the top of my head!! typical.
It instantly felt cooler and bouncier. I washed it and it took a lot less time without those horrible knots. I have had it thinned before but it made it straggly- blunt layers seem to work better (weird I know). Don't go to hairdressers any more, just get a friend to cut it. I used the hairdryer last night to dry it, and put it up in a bun overnight, and it's nice and bouncy today and seems to cover the shaved patch ok. I have felt less sweaty at work and once I tied it up I immediately felt cooler. this will definitely help when exercising! I know it will look different when I air dry it though 😐hopefully it's low enough to not show through. It'll grow back in the end!
fingers crossed x

Glad you went for it!

I've got thick, curly hair that I wear chin length (not quite shoulder length) and have had an undercut for years. Love it. I get a blade 1 done!
My curls are then cut really well and thinned out a bit and it keeps it all manageable. You really can't see it at all because my hair is so thick.

I have fine hair - just tonnes of it

Ive been getting an undercut for about 3 years now , couldn't stand the heat any longer going through the menopause. It really does help

I also have the top chopped into to thin it down and now I keep it short

Having a glorious Maine of hair is no fun during the menopause

This must be why women of a certain age seem (to me anyway) to cut their hair short! I’m not ready to do that though and short doesn’t suit me.

@Fitzcarraldo353 thank you for the reassurance! I was starting to worry I’d done something I’d regret. Wouldn’t be the first time haha.

I went for two reasons tbh, I had chin length before

I wanted the grey to come through with as little help as possible - so I got it chopped short

And then the undercut.

My hair is very fine, I just have tonnes of it

I work in a kitchen, I need to wear a cap. My hair is white, I have to wear a hat when the sun shines, my head is a sweaty mess and then add the menopause to the mix

Slowly the flushes are easing ( did I say SLOWLY slow enough ) so I am looking forward to letting it grow again. But for right here and now - I need it as short as I can bear

Never did I have short hair before, but this time of my life, it works, Ive a cut that suits me, and Im not having to blow dry every morning to look half way decent ( bit of wax works great )

Your hair sounds cool! And I sympathise with having to wear a hat- as soon as I see one I start sweating 😂