Ask Angie (and everyone): Hairstyle advice!

For Angie and everyone else...

It's time to schedule another haircut appointment, and I'm thinking of a significant change. I love my stylist and trust him to help me find the right new look, but I thought I'd get opinions here too.

Angie, now that you've seen me in person, I'd especially love your input. I've been letting my hair get longer since I started running, for ease of putting it back in a ponytail, but whenever I see pictures of myself with longer hair, I rarely love it. My hair is naturally quite wavy, so it takes a bit of styling to get it straight, but I almost always prefer it straight. I think straight looks usually work better with the edgier style I'm cultivating.

I'm also open to suggestions on color. For anyone who's seen the NYC meetup photos, you can tell I've got some reddish bits mixed in, and I think my next style will be more uniform in color, and darker (ie, closer to my natural color). Part of that is simple practicality -- my hair grows very quickly, and I hate how fast the roots and greys show when the color is very different from my natural color.

I'm open to all kinds of ideas. Lose the bangs? Short? Hmm. I do like to wear hats, so that's something to consider.

Thanks in advance!

14 years ago

Sarah

Veteran

Hi Janet, I just wanted to speak from my semi-recent personal experience. I have thick, wavy hair and wore it long for a while, then switched to an angled bob to make styling easier. Then in May I got the notion of a shag and it was the best thing I've ever done. It takes 5 minutes tops to blow dry my hair and another 5 to flat iron. I totally love it!

Good luck with your choice! I'll bet you get tons of great ideas!

Janet

(website)

Sarah, I have also found that layered cuts are the best! Thanks for the input!

modgrl

I have nothing to add to the haircutting decision. I saw your hair in person two weeks ago and I think it is just gorgeous. I love the length, color, texture and highlights.

Scarlet

Janet, I think you could do a short piecey do really well. Is it possible right now that your bang is a little heavy?

Elly

I will admit that I have super straight hair. That said, the one time in my life I have had wavy hair (my hair doesn't perm, but when short I can get soft waves and body) I cut it short with a longer top. A tiny bit of product kept it off my face and it was very edgy and fun while being very low maintenance. A thick headband like a bondi band (the thin goody type don't stay on my head) were great for keeping it off my face while exercising and keep sweat and product off my skin/out of my eyes -- I tend to workout in the evenings, so I still have goo in my hair if I use any.

Rita, thank you! You're so sweet!

Scarlet, you are right about the bangs -- my hair always tends to grow/fall forward, so it doesn't take much for the bang to look heavy.

Elly, I found a great headband for working out -- it keeps the hair out of my face very well! So I think I'll be comfortable running no matter what hair length I end up with.

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Janet, I think your hair looks stellar in the NYC meetup photos! That said, if you are looking for a haircolor that 'fades out' and blends I feel I can recommend henna with a couple of caveats:

- henna is a total PITA to use. It's messy and I always end up leaving it on my head at least 3hrs.
- it's inconsistent - some batches I get great color from, others I can hardly notice a change

That said, I find the red to be very natural looking and my roots are never glaringly obvious. It fades over time. Also, if you really hate it, you can often use vinegar to drastically reduce the effects if used right away.

tarzy

Janet - your hair is GORGEOUS in the NY pics!

As a fellow curly hair, I sympathize. I love myself with straight hair, but I do not have the patience to do it every day. I'm currently letting mine grow a bit longer and enjoying that, but we'll see how long that lasts. I don't feel quite as "cutting edge" with longer hair, but I'm liking it at the moment.

Just a caution about henna - definitely ask a colorist before you do it. From what I've read, henna is permanent. If you ever want to use regular dye over it, say to back off from the red a bit, you basically have to cut off any hair that has henna on it. It's just a completely different animal, and the two don't play well together. At least that's what I've read - I could be wrong. I'd do some research first before any henna happens!

Tarzy, I have read that too but my stylist didn't seem to think it would be a big issue *necessarily*. If there are metals left in your hair from dye, henna can react badly. But as far as totally waiting to cut it off, that's not been my experience.

Henna isn't a "dye" as such and IME (using it for YEARS) it is not entirely permanent. It coats the shaft of the hair and doesn't really penetrate it much. A vinegar rinse helps remove it if done soon after application. It will fade significantly in time and I've henna'd over some colored hair and didn't have an issue, though I did wait quite a while.

Tarzy is dead on though: It's always a good idea to consult your colorist when changing products and to do a test piece first.

Andrea - thanks for that explanation!

Of course, I've tortured my hair with "regular" dye, so that's not necessarily any better, lol!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I really like your long wavy hair, Janet! I think it suits your creative style and spirit.

That being said.

Here's a VERY radical change that I think could add edge to your look. Very short Anna Wintour bob with very straight front fringe. Think "Chinese Doll". With the red streaks running through the bob.

Wow, Angie! First of all, thanks for the compliment. I think I'm just feeling like my hair is shaggy right now, and the weather has been so humid here still that I've lost patience with trying to do anything with it!

And what an interesting idea about going short! Funny too, because my hairstylist mentioned something along those lines last time I was there. My main concern is how difficult it is to get my hair perfectly straight. It always *bends* at the very least, if you get what I mean.

But what a cool idea! Thanks for giving me some great food for thought!

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