And a high five to you too, Caro. Good thing hair grows back fast.

I felt frumpy for two weeks last year - too short and too egg-heady - but the style was sorted within a fortnight's growth, so it was an easy fix.

Oh how fun! I can't wait to see! You know I'm all about the short hair! I'm loving everything Angie is saying. Mine is also quite thick and ends up looking like wig hair sometimes. The thinning is really key to keeping some length and movement but still being short enough. It's a very delicate dance. Yay! How exciting.... When you are truly a short hair girl at heart, there is nothing more right feeling in the world than a great short cut!

And I just looked at the pic of your style, Caro and it is awesome! I bet you totally rock that look... Wow!

Kind of laughing at myself... In my mind's eye your hair was longer than it actually is. I went back to look at your photos again and realized your longer hair is probably already almost as short as mine in places. But I can sympathize with the feeling of too long - even on a short cut. The guy who does my color just started doing the cut (my regular long time stylist moved) and I really liked what he did in the part line and he even cut some shorter pieces under the front fringe area to give me the illusion of shorter while still keeping some length (necessary on me because my hair is so straight it will stick out at the hair line when too short). You may not be looking for this exact style, but it illustrates how the shorter pieces and thinning (and product) can fill in that flatter area that happens when the front grows too long...

Shannon - I saw that you mentioned you are allergic to hair spray. Have you tried sugar water? (literally, some sugar dissolved in water) It's supposed to be a good substitute for hairspray. I haven't tried it so I can't comment on the strength of hold or any other factors, but I'd image it would be similar to a light/flexible hold. There are also recipes using flax seeds, they produce a goopy substance when boiled, but that might be too much effort when you are already lamenting the extra few minutes in the morning haha! At any rate, do some searching for "natural, organic or hypoallergenic hair products" if you wish, and maybe include "DIY" and you might find some useful things.

Sounds like you have a good plan, Shannon. Your current do looks good to me -- sort of androgynous in a 60's mod-male-model sort of way. I love Ann Hathaway's pic -- that looks like a great alternative.

Well, it's good to experiment, but if the style's not working it's time to move on. I really like picture 1, and also the Ann Hathaway style. Both have a slightly softened look, and would probably be more manageable, too.

Shannon, have you considered an undercut? It's a great way to deal with volume while keeping some length on top. My hairdresser cuts very close around the back and sides with the clippers and undercuts a good few cm into the volume on the top. It makes the shorter cut last a whole lot longer.

Google images of "undercut hairstyle women" to see what I mean.

Shannon- love the way you think about your hair. It really is the exclamation point on your signature style. Lots of good thoughts here and this thread is a great reference . My hair is very full also and it ads some dilemmas, even at my longer length that grazes the shoulder.

Happy new cut. It does matter to have a manageable start to the day.

Caro & Sarah - you both have gorgeous hair styles and thank you for the visuals.

Trekkie Grl - ooooohhhhh...will have to try the sugar water. It's the aerosol portion of hair spray that really bothers my allergies so this could be a good alternative. Thank you.

approprio - will definitely check out the under cut idea - thanks.

Wow. Such wisdom here and much to think about. It's funny but today I tucked some of the side bulk behind my ears and feel better today. It's less "egg head-y" (love that description Angie!). And I like Deb's comments about the shorter, side swept fringe that I had a while back. Perhaps a combination of elements in my next cut could keep some length, less side bulk and a shorter but still funky fringe could make it all work. Thank you all sooooo much for your invaluable input

For mine, which I think is pretty similar in lots of ways, I sort of let my stylist do what she wants. It turns out better or not as good, depending not only on her whim but on what my hair is doing, if you know what I mean. There are times when she has to thin it a bit too much or make it a bit too short, but then the next cut turns out much better. It's not that she has made a "mistake" so much as that she has to let the hair get to a better place before she can do what she wants or something. Right now mine is super short on the back and sides with a lot of length on the front and quite thinned out there. In summer this particular strategy doesn't work as well with the humidity -- if it gets too thin up front it begins to curl. So it's a bit of a dance with weather conditions, too.

Shannon, I'm right there with you. As someone who has short hair
and who has grown it out a few times, I sometimes want to change my
look. As soon as I start growing it out, I feel frumpy too.
If you recall, the longest I've had it last was short bob (not too long
ago, maybe 2 years) which bored me after a while but I kept it for about a year..

But whenever I went short, I always got compliments as I'm
sure you do. If the short hair works for you, then by all means keep it. It's so YOU!

I also keep my bangs, nape and sides slight longer so that I can put back behind me ears. I don't like the severe cuts and feel a bit too youthful for me. Of course, I've been going to my hair dresser for quite some time but he cuts it different every time and my hair is very fussy. It's not always a hit cut.