I've been growing my hair out all summer, and I'm way overdue for a salon visit. (If you look closely you can see my highlights have grown out about 4 inches! I only went one shade lighter last time so it's not horribly noticeable).

I am on the fence about what to do with my hair this next visit. I had worn my hair fairly short -- chin length, just tuckable behind the ears -- for a long time. I guess I am craving something different. Despite it being harder to manage and style, the longer hair is "growing" on me.

I basically always get a variation on a reverse bob, no matter what length. My hairdresser always seems to cut it slightly different each time so no two cuts have ever been the same. Anyway, I'm wondering if I should try something different this time? I am open to suggestions!

Questions for debate:

1) Get a trim, but keep growing it out?

Not sure how much longer it would grow without starting to drive me batty. I initially cut it short because it does not really go into a ponytail -- to thin and if I'm brutally honest, just looks silly. I found I was nearly always wearing it that way, despite it looking ridiculous, so I chopped....

2) Get a trim, but aim to keep it around the same length it is currently, and no longer? (in other words take off maybe an inch and plan to get back again when it grows back an inch). Pluses with this: I am kind of liking the longer length for a change.

3) Chop it shorter again. Pluses with this: in the cooler, dryer months, I do like my hair shorter because then it's not attracting static from my woolens and doing the "flyaway" thing. And with scarves shortening my already short neck, I figure shorter hair helps with the proportion.

4) Do something radically different than a variation on a reverse bob?

5) Color: which do you like, the 1-2 shades lighter vs the highlights plus lowlights?

Unfortunately I lost a lot of older photos recently when my computer crashed. Here are some to give you an idea of various cuts and lengths:

pic 1 - short hair, allowed to air dry naturally.
pic 2 - short hair with lowlights
pic 3 - current length, allowed to air dry naturally. At this length, you can see the curl is more of a big scary "poof." I bravely share this horrid, make-up free pic to give you an understanding of the texture we're dealing with here! I do not really like to wear my hair curly, except in summer on beach days.
pic 4 - shortest I've had it. Sorry I could not find a better pic. Yes this is a silly halloween pic with pink hair spray.
pic 5 - current length, after growing it out all summer.
pic 6 - my favorite cut ever. Keep asking my hairdresser to duplicate it, but she hasn't succeeded. It must've been some fluke.