hair advice - how much layering?

I'm growing my hair out, and getting my first trim in 6 months tomorrow. I'm planning on only getting about half an inch off, keeping it at about shoulder length. My question is about layers. My hair is very straight and thin (but there's a decent amount of it), doesn't hold any kind of curl, and has a way of not looking layered even when it is. In the past when my hair was long with 2-3" layers, on good days it looked like it was basically one length and on bad days it looked like it was just thinner at the ends, but not purposely layered. So, should I be phasing the current layers out, or should I keep the current layers or even get more? Any inspirational photos of good haircuts for shoulder length, straight, thin hair? All feedback is welcome!!!

The first two pictures are how my hair currently looks. The others are old, to give you an idea of what my hair is like.

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14 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Kate, my hair is like yours - and I have a lot of it - and I found that i needed more layers, not less, while I was growing it out. Otherwise, it would hang very heavy and flat, and I couldn't really do anything to give it shape of volume.

I love your angled bob in #3. So cute!

Maya

I have fine hair and when I used to straighten it, I made sure to have a lot of layering. Some layers went as short as the top of my ear. It was the only way to keep it from looking lifeless.

Linn

Active Member

I've always been told that fine hair should be blunt cut (no layers) to add body. How long do you plan to let your hair grow? It would probably look best and thickest right above your shoulders that way the hair won't separate and will hang in an unbroken line plus it will add body. I would not recommend adding more layers - a one length blunt cut would work best with your hair type. Best wishes with your new cut!

Linn, that's interesting - I have lots of fine hair and the exact opposite is true for me. If my hair is blunt cut at exactly one length, then the only place where I have body is at the very ends of the hair. The upper parts of my hair, and particularly my scalp, lay totally flat with no body at all.

I'm curious about what our hair pros will say.

I think when your hair is fine in DENSITY it should be blunt cut, but when your hair density is thick, layering is good regardless of how thick the individual strands are. I have fine hair, and probably average or thick density, and I absolutely need the layers.

If you have less hair, it makes sense not to do a lot of layering, because there just isn't enough hair to layer.

If I don't layer, I end up with triangle-head: an overwhelming amount of hair at the ends, and total flatness at the top. This would happen regardless of whether I wear it straight or wavy.

The bob in pics #3 & #4 looks the best in MHO. Kate's hair looks thick & healthy.
It seems to me if the layers she already had didn't do much for her style then adding more layers would only thin it out more.
It would be much easier to blunt it off and let it grow to see how she likes it rather than to add more layers now and then end up growning it out because adding more layers didn't work. As we all know hair can take a while to grow out so get a blunt cut and let it grow a while and then decide if layers are wanted/needed.
I also have a decent amount of fine hair but when my hair was longer and I added layers it just hung there so unless you want to spend a lot of time curling/styling or generally messing with it I'd suggest no layers or very few if you must have them.

The bob actually has a fair amount of layering in it. Since it has grown out though, the grown layers aren't sufficient for the new length.

Maya you're right - the bob does have layers and it looks stacked in the back also the hair is above the shoulders and not weighed down by length so that helps give it body.

Kate

bumping for the hair pros!

Misia

I would go with more layers, and to really show them off maybe add some highlights to further define them so the show better, take a look:

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