A haircut, short and sweet

December 10, 2012 12:15 PM

HaircutFilter: I'm a female in my mid-20s. I'd like a cute, short haircut that a) doesn't require blow-drying, b) will grow out nicely without needing a cut every few weeks, and c) is simple enough that it can be cut by a friend.

I've had long hair for most of my life, and I'd like to make a change and get it cut. Other than it looking decent, the thing I want most is to not have to think about my hair. When I say I want low-maintenance, I mean: no blow-drying, no product, and going a few months between haircuts.

Since short hair grows fast, or at least you can see the difference faster, I'm thinking that the solution is to get a haircut that grows out well and is also simple enough that I can go to a friend to get it trimmed after going to a salon for the first cut. (Maybe the friend can watch the salon hairdresser cut it the first time, to see how it's done?)

Can you recommend a haircut that fits this description? And if you're near Boston, can you recommend a good salon that can do the first cut for under $50?

Specifics:
- my hair is mostly straight with a tiny bit of wavy, and is medium-thick but sometimes kind of wispy, see pictures here: one, two, three, four
- I've had a center part all my life... not sure how easy it would be to change that
- "short" means anything from chin-length all the way to pixie cut
- I'm in the Boston/Somerville/Cambridge area

posted by danceswithlight to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

I like your long hair. Have you thought of going in between, such as collarbone grazing? These photos remind me of your hair texture.

I have a short cut and I find that it requires more styling than longer styles. YMMV.
posted by Fairchild at 12:28 PM on December 10, 2012 [6 favorites]

Your face is round enough that I'd avoid a pixie cut, as that can emphasise roundness. Layers can de-emphasise this, and it might also be a good idea to add the illusion of length (e.g. a haircut that's longer in the front).
posted by littlegreen at 12:30 PM on December 10, 2012

I don't know about the style, but I can tell you that not only can you change where you part your hair, but it's also a good idea to mix it up. My hair tends to fall into a middle part, but I try to mix it up and when styling for fancy occasions I just part it on the side when wet and it stays. I was told (and I've noticed for myself) that moving the part improves the volume at my roots, because the hair isn't always bent in the same direction - also maybe less likely to break (I have thin hair and not much of it, so I need what I've got).
posted by jb at 12:31 PM on December 10, 2012

Having had hair all lengths you are thinking of, I would say there is no way you can go a few months between cuts with a pixie, or anything else in the shorter structured style department. Given your parameters, I think a simple, one layer bob might be your best bet, although I wouldn't trust a friend with no hair-cutting experience to be able to replicate a salon quality cut for even something that simple. With a shorter cut, you need someone with experience to help balance out the layers, account for your part, etc; mistakes will show more because the ends are around your face instead of down your back.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:31 PM on December 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

I think a fairly simple bob would suit you well, and be pretty low maintenance. They look good at a variety of lengths, and you can change the angle of the bottom of the hair to give you variety from time to time. (I am almost always partial to the angle being longer in front and shorter in back.)

Hair by Christine in Somerville is where I typically go, and I have friends who swear by DHR in Harvard Sq or Judy Jetson in Porter Sq. All should be in your price range.
posted by rosa at 12:33 PM on December 10, 2012

Parting your hair on the side is going to be much more flattering. Do it when wet, day after day. If you have some sort of stubborn cowlick, try the other side.

The way my stylists have explained it to me is that a center part is "hard to pull off' - it requires that you have nearly perfectly symmetrical features (think movie star perfect). For those of us normal folks with slightly asymmetrical (in ways we don't even realize) features, a side part is always more flattering.

Agree with a simple bob with long layers at right above shoulder length. Explain to the stylist that you want to be able to let it grow out for 2-3 months so that they will make sure to make it a cut that will work with that. One thing you don't want, if you're growing it out, is an angled bob (where it's longer in the front and shorter in the back, following the line of your jaw).
posted by amaire at 12:45 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I am on "chin-length bob" team. And be really frank with the hair stylist about your exact hair care routine, and be clear that you want something that will work with that.

In addition to the suggestions already given, Dana (a man) at M Salon just outside of Porter is very good with complicated hair textures.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:03 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I agree with a bob. With this caveat: the key to an easily maintained haircut that holds its shape and looks good for months is to have it cut by someone who is very, very skilled. That kind of rules out having a friend do it. I've always had good luck with Vidal Sassoon trained stylists.

The chin length in two of your photos is very flattering. I think a well cut bob at that length is probably what you want. Depending on how you feel about their current trendiness, you could always try bangs to change it up.

(My hair is very similar to yours, medium-thick, straight, fine. I wear my hair in a short, angled, graduated bob. Short as in, when it hits my jaw-line, it's time for me to get it cut again. If I'm feeling really self-indulgent, I'll get it cut every two months; more often, I'll wait three. It kinda looks messy the last couple weeks, but overall, it's fine. I wash it, I comb it, when it's below freezing outside, I blow it dry. That's all; no product, no fuss, I don't even do anything when I dry it other than tip my head upside down to get the bottom dry. So easy to take care of and I get compliments on my hair all the time.)
posted by looli at 1:08 PM on December 10, 2012

You are very pretty and romantic-looking! Your face is very sweet and soft and I wouldn't go for anything too angular or drastic as it doesn't seem to be your look. To be happy with a cut, one of the most important things to consider is what kind of "look" you're going for generally. What kind of style do you have? Tomboy, fairy-person, hard-edged professional woman, sexy librarian..? I don't know you get the idea.

IMO, you should play up your pretty, soft, romantic look with a jaw to collarbone length cut, some layers and a side part. I'm thinking looks like this: pretty, preety, little different. I think you'd look great with long side bang thingies, but they can be a little annoying, energy-wise. Also, I find that layered cuts are easier to style than blunt-cut bobs and more forgiving if you don't want to wash it everyday.
posted by Katine at 1:11 PM on December 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

I think bobs are the hardest to get right, and thus, a more expensive stylist is needed. Otherwise, you get Mombob. (I'm a mom, I've had a bob, trust me on this.) Personally, I think your hair is lovely, but I understand the need for a change. Unless you get a very short buzz cut, you'll need maintenance trims by a pro, not a pal, to keep the shape.
posted by Ideefixe at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2012

I was not even going to comment because I am no expert on hair but I looked at your pictures and I love love love your hair in the 4th pic. Keep it that length! You look super cute!
posted by orangemacky at 1:35 PM on December 10, 2012

My face isn't much like yours, but here is what I do with the same demands and a thousand cowlicks I refuse to do anything about:

1) Get my hair cut as short as I can stand it, bob-shaped.
2) Level with my stylist about how rarely I can afford a haircut. Mine knows me, and will do what she can to give me something that will grow out fine.
3) Ignore it until it's too long to abide, then go for another cut (this can be as long as 6 months, and my hair grows at an average rate).
4) I have bangs, so I trim them, and it goes fine.

I haven't had a real hair cut in almost a year, because we can't afford it. For a while, I was able to roughly maintain my original cut by carefully carefully trimming now and then. It's all out the window now, but I can't pay for a haircut anytime soon. If you can afford a trimming a few times a year, this plan may work for you, too.
posted by Coatlicue at 1:41 PM on December 10, 2012

I think you'd look great in a side parted, chin length angled bob, and maybe consider swept-to-the-side bangs. Trimming your own bangs is totally doable, and lets the bob grow out while not looking unkempt.

Here's an example (on me from a few years ago), though i'd go a bit shorter with the bangs. I've grown that exact cut out without any problems.

Anything shorter than that requires upkeep. Trust me, I have a pixie now and get desperate for cuts to avoid mullet-tude after 4 weeks.
posted by misskaz at 2:28 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I had a funky pixie hair cut for years in my mid-20's it was kinda longer in the front, and shorter and choppier in the back. It was awesome, I got lots of compliments, and my friends usually cut it. I have fairly thick hair with a roundish face, but I have other friends who have had this cut and it works pretty well.

Here's a couple examples here and here
posted by Rocket26 at 2:42 PM on December 10, 2012

PS the best part of this cut I never did ANYTHING to it.
posted by Rocket26 at 2:44 PM on December 10, 2012

nthing the people who point out that the less day to day maintenance and the longer you want to go between hair cuts the better the stylist has to be...stay away from friend haircuts unless friend happens to be a good hairstylist. In particular, a decent bob is unlikely to be achieved by a friend.

I have fairly thick slightly wavy hair and when I had shortish to chin length hair (which was most of the last decade) I had it cut every 4-6 weeks. The shorter the hair the more frequent the haircut. Reason was generally less the overall length but because the layers needed to be redefined, it needed to be re-shaped around my face and it needed to be thinned out. a. lot... so much so that less experienced stylists generally didn't thin it out enough and I'd need another cut sooner than with a more experienced stylist.

However, with my 4-6 wk intervals I'd wash and towel dry my hair, give it a shake, get in the car and drive to work for an hour. In the car I might twist different strands round my fingers to define the curl a bit more. On arriving at work I might give my then dry hair another shake and that was that. So truly low maintenance but at the cost of regular professional hair cuts.

My hair is below shoulder length now but still layered and I have it cut every three months or so. I do have to use some product now but still can't be asked to style it as such. Just needs extra moisture and anti frizz - normally a bit or Maroccan oil will do the trick. But I still air dry if at all possible and I still twist strands round my fingers because it seems to go a long way to nice, non frizzy waves.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:45 PM on December 10, 2012