What kind of hair cut should I get? (woman)

December 29, 2014 11:55 PM

Hi all. For the past few years, I have been cutting my own hair with whatever scissors available, keeping it at a little shorter than shoulder. How should I cut my hair? Here are some (poor quality, sorry!) webcam pictures of my face: Front Profile Profile 2 Bangs, kinda

I've finally realized that my DIY isn't "cutting it" anymore, but I'm at a loss for what to do. I'm looking for a wash and wear style, or something with limited styling. I'm not against variations of what I currently have-- after all, in a real hair stylist's hands, it probably will look much better. I am contemplating growing it out, but I probably won't if I am inspired by a great hair cut.

My face is round, neck is short, and my shoulders are really broad, so I doubt anything above chin length will look good (I don't look great with my hair up). Otherwise, I'm open-minded and don't care about length much. My style/aesthetic is pretty funky and I am just about 22 years old.

Hair details
-very coarse yet thin (each strand is thick, but my ponytails are wimpy).
-very, very straight, it dries stick thin.
-flat. If I blow dry it, it has alot more volume.
-tendency to look wig like
-in one length right now, growing out blunt bangs


Does anyone have any recommendations for flattering hairstyles? Opinions on whether I should grow out my hair or get a good cut? Pics would be great. Thanks for your help!

posted by flying_trapeze to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

For what it's worth, your face looks quite oval, and your neck and shoulders do not look short or broad to me. Combine that with your hair type and you have a lot of great layered styles at your disposal. You'll be able to pull off pretty much any layered or choppy hairstyle. If I were you, I'd go for a pixie (or an asymmetric bob if that's too short for you). I wish I had your hair, mine is fluffy and wavy so very few short haircuts will work for me without extensive hair product intervention.

Also, once you go short you will wonder why you ever wanted long hair at all.
posted by Anonymous at 12:31 AM on December 30, 2014

A long inverted bob would look great on you, and is basically foolproof in terms of styling (or lack thereof).
posted by a.steele at 12:37 AM on December 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

I actually really like your haircut just the way it is. I can't think of another cut that would look better on you, because I like this one so much! Maybe it'd look even better longer, but I'd have to see it to know.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:30 AM on December 30, 2014 [5 favorites]

I think a bob for sure. Have you considered some color or highlights? Could help with creating a layered look.
posted by Toddles at 3:52 AM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

I recommend going to an Aveda Institute or Paul Mitchell Institute. First of all, I pay $18 for a haircut, which I think is reasonable. Secondly, the educators there are VERY experienced and will not let your student mess you up.

If you go to a high end cosmetology school you can ask them to evaluate you and make professional recommendations for what cuts will suit you. They'll take into account how much effort you'll put into it each day. For sure, they'll recommend products that will help you keep the cut looking good.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:57 AM on December 30, 2014

I'm with a.steele and Toddles. Bob is the way to go; you won't regret it.
posted by 3dd at 4:58 AM on December 30, 2014

Best answer: Even if you're thinking about growing your hair out, a cut is still a good idea. A stylist should be able to give you a cut that will grow out well - e.g. help blend the bangs into the rest of your hair as they grow out, give you a cut that will hold shape as it grows to give you more time between cuts. Assuming your hair is healthy, you could keep it basically at its currently length but get more shape and movement out of it with long layers and a bang shape that's more side-swept.
posted by EvaDestruction at 5:22 AM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

I agree that your face seems oval, not round, and your neck doesn't seem short, not your shoulders broad. However, I disagree about the bob haircut - I work in a very busy retail environment in a very large city, and I see hundreds of bob haircuts every day - on middle-aged soccer moms. It's become a major cliche at this point. If you're 22 years old with a funky style, then I don't think you'd be happy with a bob.
My suggestion would be to search on Pinterest. For instance, using the search terms "hair" and "scene" returns results like this.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:28 AM on December 30, 2014 [4 favorites]

With your face shape and hair texture, you could easily pull off a bunch of different lengths and styles! I think your current hair looks great on you, and you might want to try a professionally-done version of your current cut before you shake things up too much, especially if you're considering growing it longer.

If you do want to shake things up, a pixie cut would look great on you, but they require frequent trims and are a pain to grow out. With a bob, you can usually afford to slack a little on the salon visits (though I agree with MexicanYenta that bobs can read a little matronly these days).

You'd be an excellent candidate for an asymmetrical style, too.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:37 AM on December 30, 2014

My style/aesthetic is pretty funky and I am just about 22 years old.

I was just reading this page about men's undercuts. Especially given your preferences, you could rock a longer shoulder-length version of it.

Just like for men, it seems like you could run the gamut of toned-down or wild, probably mostly coming down to styling.
posted by supercres at 6:55 AM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think your hair looks very nice the way it is. My personal taste would have the ends be one length, but that's my thing and if you describe your style as "funky" then this probably fits. A hair dresser might be able to offer suggestions to make it seem fuller if you think it's too thin, or to perfect the current style. But I don't think you need to go radically different. I definitely think mid-length hair is right on you.

Please don't get a Pixie cut; as others have said, they are high-maintenance. And it would be significantly less attractive on you than what you have now anyway.
posted by mysterious_stranger at 6:55 AM on December 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

GIS for "women shoulder length undercut".
posted by supercres at 7:00 AM on December 30, 2014