Going short with wavy hair

[MyDuvetDay]

Should I facilitate my DD’S desire to cut her hair short (bob length)? She’s 8 years old and has been asking to cut her hair short for a while. I have short hair myself and there are a couple of girls in her year with bobs who look great. But they all have super straight hair… whereas my DD’s hair is wavy and very prone to frizz, and I’m a bit worried how it will respond if cut short. It would be too short for a ponytail at her desired length, so always down.

In my shoes would you go ahead and let her cut it? And does anyone have any tips for managing and styling short wavy hair? The mains issues are frizz and tangles. Eg how would we fix bedhead in the morning without brushing and turning it into a frizz ball?

I have straight hair myself and have never gotten the hang of wavy/curly hair, but really want to support my DD if I can.

Will you be taking her to a hairdresser? Maybe see what they think? Personally I always just think hair will grow back so even if it turns out disastrous it will grow it soon enough!

True, that’s always been my philosophy too.

But I’m curious to hear from wavy/curly people if this idea is clearly bad so we can avoid the whole experiment

You can go for long bob that will look great on her. And they would fit in ponytail easily. 😅
I also love to have short hair but I am not allowed to so please fulfil her wish. 😓

I have wavy / curly hair. If I want it to curl, I need to keep it quite short and in layers. At bob length, the weight of the hair drags out all the curl and most of the wave, leaving me with frizz. On the other hand, if it's too short, all the curl is cut out. It took a lot of trial and error for me to find the length that works. and I think the question is whether an 8 year is ready for all that faffing about.

You can only explain to her and see what she thinks. I had similar to your daughter and wanted a pageboy cut at that age 😄

My took me to the hairdresser and I'm sure there were a lot of side eye 👀 looks between them. But, it's one way to find out. If she can't put it into a ponytail for a while, you can use clips.

I love a sleek short bob.

My hair, however, does not.

It is wavy and thick and frizzy and any attempt to have anything even vaguely bob-adjacent has ALWAYS left me looking like I have an electrocuted mushroom on my head.

Honestly OP if you can talk your DD out of it I really would. Hair does grow back, it’s true, but I can’t see how a bob would be a success on that hair type. And from an 8 year old’s point of view, several months of growing out a hairstyle is a long time…

Sounds like my hair and it's definitely easier to manage with weight in it. You're looking at experimenting with products such as jelly, mousse, serum etc. It's trial and error but the good thing is this is a journey she'll be on her whole lifelong and finding out what works and what doesn't will stand her in good stead.

I have thick, wavy hair and it’s been short almost all my life. For a while it was in a longish bob - I put a product in to enhance the curl and keep it shiny. Sometimes I’ve had it really cropped at the back and looking like a curly bob at the front. Very easy to finger dry and style.
I would go and talk to the hairdresser. Maybe ask them to show your daughter images of what her preferred style might look like given its curly? That may (or may not) put her off

I’ve got short curly hair, don’t need to use product and just air dry it. My hair goes curlier when short.

I have wavy / curly hair and a bob suits me but it needs layers to stop it being a triangle shape.
Take her to a hairdresser who specialises in curly hair, or is recommended by someone with curly hair.

Different techniques work well for different people bit for me it's:
Brush hair in the shower with conditioner in.
Curl cream and gel on sopping wet hair, with hair flipped over and product scrunched in.
Then gently blot with a microfibre towel to get out some of the excess water.
Either air dry in summer or defuse dry in winter.
Never brush or comb when dry - I run a comb down tne top couple of inches in tne morning but never all the way down.
Reform the curls with a tiny bit of curl cream mixed with water on dry hair.
Wash twice a week - every 3 days and then every 4 days with a double shampoo to remove scalp build up.

I’m not sure if the style will work or not - I have similar sounding hair to your DD and am currently having this dilemma myself! However my DD (7 almost 8) also has quite curly hair, although long, and what we do is whack detangling spray and curl cream in it when wet, sometimes some gel as well (all from Only Curls, who have a kids range) and brush it through - agree with PP who said try to avoid brushing dry (I only do that to get it in a ponytail or plait). Then in the morning just spray with water and brush again, the products reactivate and it dries into tidyish curls and waves. It’s not quite a proper routine as someone above described but it’s quick and easy and fairly effective.

She still comes home from school with no bobble in and looking like she’s been dragged through a hedge, but at least she started off tidy!

I had short hair as a child. Not by choice, because DM seemed to think it would be easier to take care of. It was not. It was a bitch to get ready in the morning for school. I needed to wash & style it every day. What kid really wants to do that? I'd never have short hair again.

I've had short hair for much of my life, which is wavy/curly. I do literally nothing to it, other than wash it once a week. I don't comb it, brush it, or style it - if it needs anything I just run my fingers through it. It really couldn't be any easier to care for.

It would be a no from me.

My hair is curly and it needs to have length in it not to look utterly stupid.

How fast does DD’s hair grow? Mine hardly grows at all.

My DD has a wave and she looks fabulous with a bob, like a 1920s flapper dancer.

It's summer, let her get what she wants, it'll have grown by the start of school.

I think its great your daughter wants something that isnt "long princess hair" and should be encouraging

I have thick curly hair at 11 I thought it was just thick and frizzy, I had a chin length bob with an undercut as was the fashion, I looked like a mushroom, but it grew back and I learned my lesson. I now understand I have curly hair and I think it got curlier as I got older, I tend to keep it long with layers

@EverydayProfessionalwhy are you not allowed?

Was just coming here to ask the same thing... who says?

I’m really, really hoping it’s not a partner!

Well all curly hair is not the same and just because one person has had a bad experience with a particular cut doesn’t mean that style is off limits for everyone with curly hair. There are different curl patterns, no ?? ( I only have wavy hair myself not curly so I don’t know all the different types but I watch too much Tik Tok ). There are some amazing hairdressers who specialise in curly hair and the consultation might be worth it for you to understand going forward what the issues are. Also how to get the most from the curl… no brushing while dry, air drying or diffuser etc and the best products for her type. It will probably save you money and angst in the long run. As for the bob I don’t know but I have seen some women with some amazing Bixies and similar short hair which look amazing on curly hair. Some local hairdresser who just lobs it off like a straight haired bob is probably going to make it look horrendous.

Apologies for quoting myself but I wanted to add that, now I've got my hair at the length that works for me, I have it cut every 6-8 weeks and, in between, I wash and go. No products, no brushing or coming. It's a dream. But it did take time to find the right length, and also the right hairdresser.

I have wavy hair and it's a pain. I had a bob once, but unless I straightened it religiously there was always a part that would kink. Then I had it really short (grade 2 at the sides and cut in on top) which wouldn't grow down, only up and outwards so I looked like a dandelion clock a few weeks after the hairdresser's and I had to go every four weeks which cost a fortune.

But let her have the bob. It will grow out if it doesn't work and her type of hair might be perfectly all right. I'm just a bit scarred by my experiences...

I have wavy, frizzy hair, and I had a bob once. It was about an inch below my ears. With some good layering, it looked great. Like this, except a bit shorter. Wavy hair can have amazing body in a bob. Work with its natural texture by getting it layered well. If it's a good cut, all she'll need to do is let it air-dry with perhaps a bit of mousse scrunched in. And don't touch it while it's drying! Then shake it out when dry.

What's the right length?