Advice on transitioning from a hidden undercut to a hidden death hawk?

November 24, 2018 7:07 PM

I have an undercut that I'd like to turn into a deathhawk, but not sure how to go about it or if it's a good idea. Pics inside.

About a year ago I got a hidden undercut. Mostly for practical reasons, as my hair is very thick.

Here's a (very old) pic of how it would normally look without the undercut: https://i.imgur.com/xdwAEKD.png

Here's a pic from yesterday with the undercut: https://i.imgur.com/lSUPKlw.png

As a preface, yes I know layering is a popular way to thin hair, but on me it was just not working. When my hair is above shoulder length, it's actually somewhat wavy. The waviness adds a lot of volume, which defeats the purpose of wanting a flatter look.

So, I like the undercut better. BUT, upon getting the undercut, I've found that apparently the back of my head is very flat and it's not very good-looking when my hair is up in a ponytail.

Anyway, I was thinking of transitioning to a hidden deathhawk, but I'm wondering if I really need to grow my undercut out all the way before doing it? I've been growing it out for the past 2 months and now it's at an awkward stage: https://i.imgur.com/43nttXQ.png (my hair is usually not this frizzy but it rained that day)

I'm wondering if getting the sides buzzed and leaving the center alone would look even weirder, or if I should get a death hawk at all.

posted by picklenickle to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

I grew out an undercut! You only need to grow the undercut portion out enough that it will fit into the ponytail holder, and then have your hairdresser blend it into the rest of your hair. It's surprisingly seamless and would work fine with a death hawk.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:49 PM on November 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

I had to look up what a death hawk is! But anyway I think it shouldn't be a problem. Yes, when you put your hair into a ponytail the part that's growing out along your neck will be shorter, but all that will do is add volume to the underneath of your ponytail, which won't look weird at all. I know plenty of people with shaved sides and their hair looks cool as heck at lots of different lengths. You could have a stylist taper the underneath of your longer hair so it blends into your undercut as it grows out, or you could have intentionally choppier disparate lengths. Either way, shaving the sides and letting the back grow out will look fine. You might want to invest in a bunch of barrettes or pins to help you sweep up your shorter hair into your ponytail for a while, especially if you'd like to do a more refined style like a big twist (which looks awesome with shaved sides.)
posted by Mizu at 10:06 PM on November 24, 2018

I don’t have advice about undercuts but another thing you might consider is getting the nape and/or bottom inch of the back of your neck/hairline lasered. I started that six months ago and I love it. It’s changed the visual shape of my head, I’m more confident in ponytails and necklaces don’t rip my hair out, bonus!
posted by iamkimiam at 12:52 AM on November 25, 2018

I have really thick long hair and feel your pain! My hair gets so heavy that even ponytails can't hold it up! Plus, like you, when I go short it gets curly and somehow even bigger. I can't speak to undercutting/death hawks personally, because they always seemed like a lot of upkeep to me. But I can empathize with having 4x more hair on my head than the average person!

I had the best success with hairdressers thinning my hair with thinning shears. It's a little scary, it looks like they take out so much hair! However it is great! The volume of it is taken to a super manageable level and it doesn't require much maintenance. Now it's like I have normal person hair, I kept the length and avoid tricky grow out situations. Highly recommend!
posted by KMoney at 7:09 AM on November 25, 2018

This isn't a direct answer, but this is how I deal with my too-thick hair:

Like KMoney, I've had good luck just having my hair thinned with thinning shears (or some stylists use a razor blade). As long as your stylist has experience with this technique, it's effective and looks natural -- no buzzed scalp or visible layers, just less bulk. I had to try a few stylists before I found one who was really good at it.

Although if you want to be able to go longer between stylist visits and intend to buzz your deathhawk yourself, that's probably a lot easier for you to maintain at home.
posted by katieinshoes at 5:20 AM on November 26, 2018

My hair also gets wavier when shorter and from experience I don't think thinning shears will give the OP the result he wants.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:26 AM on November 26, 2018