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New haircut :/ - update - closer? Or not?

pil

Veteran

Update- new photos 6-7-8 after using a Devacurl product prompted by 3style and Molly Mac’s recommendations. I see a little more definition.

Frizz is still an issue though. I have to get a handle on the styling tricks suggested by Aida and need to find a diffuser as recommended by marija and Robin. And as Mainelady said - leave.it.alone! That is Soooo hard for me.

My stylist just texted me this morning, said it needs more fluffing and some detailing so I’ll be following up with her before my next appointment.

Thanks for your suggestions and help!!
——————————————————

Edited - embarrassed by my first world whining.

Yesterday’s soap opera, I’m still in adjustment mode.

I’m feeling a little better today with a more relaxed styling - this is my hair without much work done to it - no round brush no flat iron.
Below is the inspiration(1), the actual cut (2,3,4)and my old style (5). (The face edits don’t help.)
Bah, I don’t know what to think. It will grow.

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22 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

rachylou

Veteran

Gosh, what don’t you like? I think it’s cute! I will say your old cut looks Good Morning America polished, and the new cut more artistic... maybe that’s the thing?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Pil, I understand your frustration -- it's awful when you want a change but the change you get is not at all what you imagined. Very unsettling.

But honestly, I would give this a bit of time.

First, your hair is so thick and pretty! Second, I really like the inspiration pic. A kind of messy tousled beachy look.

I'm no expert but it appears that the model's hair is a slightly different texture than yours -- finer and perhaps a bit straighter -- yours is thicker, has more natural wave, and may be a bit more coarse (though that is hard to say for sure). That will of course change the appearance of the cut. But one thing I have noticed with my own hair is that when I get it cut into layers, it tends to need a day or two to "settle" into itself. So it never looks its best on the first or second day after the cut.

With your face blocked out it is difficult to tell if the shape suits your face, and a whole body shot would be good also to see overall proportions. But I honestly think you may end up enjoying this. It may be a question of experimenting with products or perhaps your stylist will get a clearer sense of how your own hair falls for the next cut? That, too, has happened with me -- when my hair was longer it took a little while for my stylist to figure out my natural wave patterns.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh, I understand the feeling! And especially when you have hair that has a bit coarser texture, the first few days of a cut can be really awkward -- I think it can take up to a week for hair to settle into a new style. (I really struggle with this when humidity is high too, because my hair then refuses to do anything I want it to!) I understand the attraction to the inspiration photo, but those inspo photos always look so carelessly tousled, and yet you know that time and effort went into that styling to get it just so.

I actually think the shape is quite nice in #4, but maybe the stylist could have thinned and layered it a bit more on the sides? At any rate, try to be patient, and maybe play with styling it straighter one day and letting it go wavy the next. See if the style settles in. And if it turns out you really don't like it, it will grow! Sorry you're not happy!

Anonymous

I am so sorry you are less than thrilled with the new do- hair is such a personal/individual thing that my telling you it looks nice is meaningless.

Experience talking----It never looks like the inspiration picture when you have curl, wave or body in your hair naturally.

That said- I had a cut similar to your 4/5 and the hairdresser took it on herself to layer it ala 1/2/3. The problem is -it is a great style for people with straight hair with body but layers are my personal nemesis creating frizz and "a finger in the light socket" look. Layers are out of control on me.

I found a new stylist who is working with me while I grow out the layers and it is helpful she has similar hair so knows what it will and won't do.

You have little choice but to live with it for the next few weeks (unless you want to go shorter). In those few weeks you may find you like it or you may find layers are not your thing. You and your hairdresser will have to figure is it a keeper (she can follow the lines) or she will have to hold your hand during the layer grow out process.

Don't you hate when the pictures never translate!!!!

In my next life I will have great hair and will have a body that will let me buy "off the rack" with no aggravation.

JAileen

Veteran

I’m not following, I guess. Your new ‘do looks great! Your old one was okay, too, but more conservative. Is that the problem?

Kristin L

Veteran

I think it looks great, but I've been there when I tried to convince myself that a new cut was good when it was not. I know for me, it always take a few days after a cut for my hair to settle back down, especially with my pixie. I just cut mine yesterday and today I'm a poofball. Like Janet said, the shape looks nice, maybe she can thin it out a bit?

I know your hair is not a pixie cut, but have you seen the pixie hair grow-out pins on pinterest? Maybe that can give you some ideas on less painful ways to grow it out.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I agree with the fact that it takes a few days to adjust the hair and reaction to it. It is hard to tell without seeing your face in the images. I'd play up the wave a little more I think and go for a more "undone" look. I have similar textured hair I think and I use a few drops of jojoba oil to make mine behave, esp. in the back portion. Of course I haven't had a professional haircut in probably twenty years so I'm not exactly an authority on it. I think I have a fear of hair stylists.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

It s really difficult isn’t it when you imagine a new look and the reality doesn’t match up to what you had in your mind.Firstly it may not be what you wanted but it’s a nice haircut.It s quite a change from what you had before so the eye always takes time to adjust and secondly ,it’s hair ,it will grow and soon be back to shoulder length if that’s what you want.

3style

Veteran

I’ve posted enough on here so that hopefully people will know that the following is not a commercial endorsement.

My hair texture is exactly like the model’s texture. Before I tried Deva Curl products I always thought I had bushy hair rather than wavy hair. Now with Deva Curl products I can do defined waves like in the picture, if I want. I would wash and use styling products and then put in the Deva Curl Curl clips and let my hair air dry if I was going for that style. Personally, I wear my hair a lot longer because for me it is actually much lower maintenance that way.

Edited to say that you absolutely cannot brush your hair after washing (brush it before you wash to help loosen oil off of your scalp) if you want to achieve this style. After it is cleaned and products enhanced pull apart half inch strands and twirl around your fingers and clip up with the clips to dry.

kellygirl

Veteran

Ooh, I like it! It takes time to adjust and may require some refining until you get it the way you want. I think you need more texturizing because of the volume and texture. I really like that length though. I did a similar cut but my hair is so coarse and straight that it lays flatter. It’s good to change it up and it does grow back! Please don’t despair. Play with it and go back to the
Stylist and explain what is not working, if you can.

Aida

Veteran

I wonder if your hair is a little too thick for this cut; might be worth asking your stylist to thin some of the middle volume out a bit so that it has less "flare". You might also try twirling a few little strands around the crown to get those piecey top bits, probably needs a little extra product (like a gel creme). To me, it looks like the cut is expecting the top third to curl up which would also give you the rounder shape you're after. If it doesn't do this naturally, nor with product, then you may need to fake the shape a bit by cutting a few even shorter layers along the crown. Definitely give it some time and play with it when you feel up to it

pil

Veteran

Thanks for the words of wisdom and talking me off the ledge, so to speak.
I stopped by the salon this morning (it’s attached to a cafe where I was meeting friends for breakfast) but my stylist was off. I did come home with a couple of product samples to try, so maybe one of those will help. I got myself so worked up about the cut I forgot that she did say she cut the back so it would be easier to grow out if I didn’t like it. I think it may grow on me if I can work out the styling details and/or make more of a commitment with further fine tuning of the cut. My issue there is that I am not someone to use a lot of product (don’t like the feel) or spend a lot of time styling. Today’s styling was actually easier than my old cut, but, my other cut was nice in that I only shampooed 2x/week and touched up with the flat iron in between. She was honest with me that she doesn’t have a magic ball to know exactly how my hair will adjust - and that it may not ‘like’ the cut for a week or two.

Mainelady

Veteran

Pil, given time to adjust and style your hair with some product, I think you will begin to like your cut. Just a prediction, or course, but I hope I am right. In the inspiration photo, it looks like she has defined some smaller sections, which a little (really, just a little product will do). My own hair is think, wavy and subject to humidity. It often looked coarse. I never use a brush, only a wide toothed comb or a hair pick to lift some areas. I found that a little bit of oil finger combed through it helped a lot. I also pulled a few pieces out of the masses and slide my barely oiled fingers along those strands. That helped to separate my hair. My biggest styling tip for thick, coarse hair is that once I am done styling it I need to leave it alone. Any attempts to adjust or fix would result in frizz. Please post pics and give us an update in a couple of days.

Style Fan

Veteran

Pil, I think your new haircut looks very fresh. The stylist was very thoughtful to cut it in a way that was easy to grow it out if you wanted to. Inspiration photos are so deceiving because they don't show all the work behind them. They are just one moment in time.
When I get a new haircut I give it 2 weeks for my hair to adjust. I find hair needs to get used to being cut differently. I also have to figure out how to style it myself.

jussie

Veteran

I actually quite like it- much more natural and fresh than your previous cut. However it has a completely different vibe to it now and I can see how it will take some time to adjust. I think because your new hair is more tousled looking you may like to experiment with different tops and accessories too because I think a different haircut can nescessitate slightly different all over styling.

marija

I have very similar hair to yours. It's not curly; it's not straight.
I also think that length looks very fresh on you. I agree with the others, to take some time to adjust... and yes, hair does grow. Try different ways to style it. Do you have a diffuser? Try to enhance the curl and go with it. You may really like the results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkblmGoDCUA

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm glad others mentioned how helpful product may be for your new cut, since you typically don't care to use it. Modern styling products have gotten really good for controlling frizz and unruliness, in my experience. Start with a very small amount -- I know I have goofed and used too much only to end up with flat or oily-looking hair. You may find that a little bit of smoothing product plus simply air drying works for you.

3style

Veteran

Pil, getting on my soapbox again.... The amazing thing about Deva Curl is that because they don’t overdry your hair nor weight it down with silicone, you can happily continue with a twice a week washing schedule, provided you use conditioner sparingly. The product smell doesn’t linger at all, In warmer weather, I use a little bit of dry shampoo on the last day or so before washing. It’s gotten so popular that it’s in many grocery and drug stores in my area. Deva Curl have posted lots of great styling tutorials online.

Molly Mac

Veteran

I am going to second 3styles endorsement of Deva products. They have been transformative in taming my frizz and bringing out my natural waves. I use a leave in conditioner with the Wave Maker, add clips to encourage volume, and than let air dry. The secret to curly/wavy hair is finding a stylist who knows how to work with your curl pattern and textures and using the right product.

RobinF

Veteran

I think I have a very similar picture in my inspiration folders. I like this and think it may just take some experimenting with styling it, especially since it is very different than the old style. Definitely start using some product. I don’t like product either and rarely used it when I straightened my hair but now that I leave the natural waves I need it. Also, do you have a blow dryer with a diffuser? That can help to set the shape and make it look curly instead of frizzy.

kkards

Veteran

it almost always takes me a few days to get used to a new cut...and i always remember and repeat to myself, its hair it grows...
that being said, i like it.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I love it. Give it two weeks to settle, and you'll love it too, Jill.