Thinking about chopping my hair to collar bone length

My hair is fairly long, about to my shoulder blades right now. It is kind of driving me nuts. Although it is in ok condition, it is also fine and wavy, and it tends to frizz up on the top layers and look like a bad 80s perm. I have been finding it hard to style in any sort of flattering way and I end up pulling it back into a sort of loopy half-ponytail thing almost all the time -- in short, I still have graduate student hair! I imagine that a shorter style will look neater and more professional, as well as being easier to scrunch up into decent curls rather than straggly waves. I am imagining something like the photos below, adjusted as appropriate for my actual head.

However, I have been hesitating on getting it cut for two main reasons:
- I don't want it too short to put up or pull back
- I am worried that if it is too short it will emphasize my pudgy neck and double chin

Thoughts? Advice? Success stories? Cautionary tales?

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13 years ago

Parsley

Veteran

I think that length could look really pretty on you!
Just make sure you tell your hairdresser that you want to be able to pull it back.

Anonymous

Yes! I think it would suit you. As Parsley said, just make sure you tell your hairdresser you want to be able to tie it back, and they will adjust the cut to account for that.

lyn*

(website)

I love this length of hair; it's so versatile, but it isn't too heavy! And easy to grow out if you change your mind! Go for it

velvetychocolate

I've always had long straight hair, until recently - went to a new-to-me hair salon and the stylist kind of wrecked my hair by chopping too many layers into it, and my solution has been to shorten up the length while also waiting for those layers to grow out.

Guess what? The collar-bone length works quite well - and I happen to have a bit of a double chin from years of being significantly overweight and then losing most of it. Still have that bit of double chin, and I can honestly say that having hair somewhere between the jawline and collarbones actually serves to make my neck look longer and my face look thinner.

Meanwhile, if you have fairly long-ish hair to begin with, this probably means your hair grows pretty fast, so if I were you - I'd have no hesitation in chopping it to collar-bone length. And yes, I can easily still put my hair into a pony tail without trouble at all. I would say that the shortest layers in the front of my face are about an inch and a half below my jaw line. No problem with pony tails. Having said that - even if some of the front layers were still too short to tie back, you can always use a bit of hair gel or spray to get the shortest pieces to stay in place.

If I were you, I'd go for it - because collar-bone length hair is still long-ish, and if you have long hair in the first place, it will grow back very quickly if you didn't like the new length.

Mander

Thanks for the boost! I'm encouraged to hear you say that, VC, because I've become increasingly self-conscious about my neck lately. Well, my whole body, really, but I only just noticed recently how much extra neck I seem to have.

Vildy

What everyone else said. A great length. One thing I would add is that a great blowout can correct a lot of sins and you don't want to pay for a great styling over a great cut that you can keep up yourself. Tell the stylist you would like to learn how to style your new cut and would he/she show you?

krishnidoux

This is a great length, I agree. Keep in mind that what makes that extra oomph in the photo is the extraordinary colouring. Rich, deep, or shiny and frosty. You say your hair is in good shape, so it will look good; I also recommend asking your hairdresser for a treatment for shine. It will give your hair that extra nice, bouncy yet sleek texture.

Sara L.

I recently cut my hair from middle of my back to chin length and have no regrets. I too, found my long hair drove me crazy and I usually tied it back. I finally decided 'what's the point of long hair if it's always tied back?' Anyway, my suggestion is to take the photos to your stylish and talk about what will work or won't work with your hair with her/him before they start cutting.

biscuitsmom

I think it will be stunning

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