THE HAIR THREAD

[jemly]

a thread to talk about your hair goals / experiments / fails / wins / products etc. consider this a RANDOM THOUGHTS: HAIR thread 🙂

when i joined BT years ago, i was at the beginning phases of growing out a shaved head, after a decade of cropped pixie cuts and avant garde styles as well as defying my natural texture. my hair is past my shoulders now, and am fully immersed in this world of hair care and styling that i had been absent from for so long. 

this thread can be about anything. thoughts, questions, anecdotes that you feel like sharing but for whatever reason don't want to start an independent thread about. cheers !

[jemly]

alright, hair journey !

i had long curly hair through high school. i remember wanting it to be very long but i never got it to that point. it wasn't until i was a senior that i more or less learned how to style the curls. but by my freshman year of college, i cut it into a bob, and very soon after that, into a pixie, which was my signature look through college (with various stages of growth). i actually would get it cut by a friend of a friend who was/is a very VERY successful makeup artist...i look back on that era with fondness and amusement.

fast forward about 6 years.

i had a shaved head for a year. this followed having the back and sides shaved for yearrrrrrrs before that (the top bit fluctuating in length from pixie to down to my shoulders), so it was a natural progression. i started growing it back out around feb of 2014.

pre shave, you can kind of see what i'm talking about. i wanted it to be weird and ugly and it was the best hair ever ! i would sometimes wear it  curly, but usually it was straight.

Spoiler

in the spoiler is a pic of me and my cousin, who has gorgeous hair, and it's even more gorgeous currently because she's preggers and all those vitamins have been magic for it.

Spoiler

recently shaved head with my sweet dog annabelle:

when i joined BT i'd been growing it out for about 4 months and had it bleached. i remember thinking "huh, i finally have hair, i just want to do SOMETHING with it". ever since i did that i see a lot of girls who are growing out a shaved head do something similar. it must be a universal compulsion !

i kept it bleached for a few months. this is a month before i dyed it black again. 

it was in this phase for a long time, it feels. just growing out, straightening it until i felt it was long enough to wear curly (in a way that i liked). then it was a whole lot experimenting with this new world of curly hair products / shampoos / conditioners that had popped up in the 10 years since i'd worn my hair long(ish) and curly. devacurl saved my life, and was an utter revelation. i'm still loyal to devacurl but have expanded out to using some aveda, briogeo and reverie as well. some other time i'll talk about my curly hair stuff more specifically !

as i said in another post, i tend to loosen my curls with combing through with fingers and a little help from an iron. 

here's me in an airplane bathroom last october, right before i cut baby bangs, which is my #1 hair regret !

[malday]

Good lord every iteration of you is perfect and beautiful

[fairlywell]

@jemly You are one of the lucky few who makes everything look amazing. Your dark curly hair is so gorgeous, but in the photos with your hair buzzed you have a very exclusive beauty. Would you ever do it again, or was growing it back too much work?

[jemly]

@fairlywell thank ya ! while i wouldn't be afraid of cutting it all off again (it's nice to know the full picture of what you're getting yourself into !) i can't really see myself doing it again. at least not now. that was a full decade of variations of shaved and / or very short hair. so long hair, while not so fresh to onlookers, feels incredibly fresh and new to me, still.

[StephanieBT]

I love all your different looks! Also, totally know what you mean about the compulsion to dye your hair when it's short! Every time I've chopped mine I've wanted to do some interesting color, this is the only time I haven't. Maybe it's time.

[TopazBeth]

BUZZED/BALD JEMLY. PERFECTION.

You look incredible in literally everything, though!

[starsandbucks]

My hair is now the longest length it's been as an adult. Hallelujah! I got a haircut I HATED a little over two years ago and I've just been growing it out since. I did give myself bangs about two months ago which turned out okay (surprisingly). My hair is now fairly well-below my bra strap level - maybe 4 inches or so - and I don't have a real plan for it.

I'd definitely like to get some highlights and lighten it up overall since my color is pretty mousey but I'm soooo gun shy since my last two salon experiences were bad. For years I had a stylist here in L.A. I trusted implicitly but she moved to the middle of Oregon. When I think about going to see someone else and having them ruin my hair I just freeze up and end up doing nothing. 

So basically I'm stuck and scared! 

[heartsmyface]

A lot of good hair stylists have online portfolios nowadays, so maybe it would be a good idea to call a couple places in your area and ask them where they post their work.  That way you can preview what they've done for other clients before deciding who you'd like to touch your hair:) 

That being said, I think I'd be crushed if I had to find a new hairstylist.  It takes a while to build a relationship with one and trust only comes with experience.  

[starsandbucks]

Oh lord I've lost entire weekends going thru various stylist's Instagrams and I still can't make a decision. I'm hopeless! I even contemplated flying up to take a weekend trip to Oregon to my old stylist but it's a four hour drive from just Portland to get to where she lives. Oh, but she was magic!

[heartsmyface]

Well, that's one way to do it!  She must be amazing!  

[Sprytely]

Finding a new stylist who works for you is such a challenge! That and new dentist/doctors. Worst part of moving.

[blackkitty2014]

I love this thread and everyone's chic beautiful cuts! Will try to take pictures of my hair soon. I have mine redone with ombre. Like it so far

[RC1989]

Any tips for covering a cowlick in the back of the head? I have fine thin hair and haven't found any good products so far. Thanks in advance!

[TopazBeth]

I have an EXTREMELY stubborn cowlick so I feel you! How short is your hair? Mine isn't thin, but it is fine and short. I've had the most success attacking mine close-up with a blow dryer while my hair is still fairly damp. I blast it at the root first, then sweep from the root to the end repeatedly until it starts lying down. Sometimes I hold it down with a comb while I dry it. As far as product, argan oil and/or spray wax have helped me a lot.

But there will always be some days that it just stands up loud and proud and all I can do is laugh and roll with it.

[RC1989]

My hair is shoulder length, wavy/curly.  I totally understand the loud and proud! I usually am short on time and just go with it.  I tend to wear it up a lot but you can clearly see scalp when it's down.  I will definitely try your hair dryer tip! I'll try anything! 🙂

[StephanieBT]

Love this thread idea, as I'm also on a bit of a hair journey. I've always been the type to grow my hair out, then chop it off, and repeat. My hair is quite thick and coarse, so it's always been a challenge, which I think is what prompts me to change it as much as I do. I'm always in search of THE style that will make this mane manageable.

Last year, my hair was probably the longest it had ever been, so naturally, I had to cut it! This was my first big chop of the year, done last summer:

About a month afterward, I decided it wasn't short enough, so went for a pixie (please excuse the car selfie haha):

Currently, no surprise, I'm trying to grow it out again. So far the process has been pretty smooth, but there have definitely been some awkward hair moments. My bangs reach almost down to my mouth, making progress! 🙂

I feel like I've tried every pomade/wax we have to tame my hair as it grows, and I'm really loving the Ouai Matte Pomade at the moment. I'm also alternating between a regular shampoo and a no-poo, which seems to be keeping my dry, coarse hair healthy and strong. If anyone has any tips on growing out a pixie, please do share! 

[tsavorite]

@StephanieBT,  I love short hair!  My hair is short, light brown and fine.  I love your new haircut, it's darling, and very flattering!  🙂

[fatimamummy]

Very pretty @StephanieBT Pixie hair look stunning on you.

[TopazBeth]

That pixie is SO SO CUTE!!! I literally gasped! I'm half tempted to run to my stylist ASAP and chop mine to that length again now.

[Sprytely]

Agreed! The pixie is adorable and really suits you!

[k617]

My hair's been at its longest since grade 12 - the last time my hair was this length! I typically chop it off to just past my shoulders or just touching my shoulders once it starts to cover my bust (seriously? can't say the other word?!) area.

My goal is to grow it to waist length. Growing the hair is rarely the issue, it's how I get annoyed with it! 😄

- Hair gets caught in my purse's shoulder strap

- Hair gets completely tucked into my jacket. Sometimes purse strap goes over and makes it even MORE difficult to get out.

- My ponytail gets too heavy - at the gym I NEED hair away from my neck or I get too hot. There's no way I can keep my hair in a bun and have it stay put while doing intense workouts (this is usually one of the first things I get annoyed at and decide to cut my hair). I might need to get a strong and large claw clip to do a low pony tail and keep hair in place.

- Longer hairs found on the bathroom floor. DH does not like picking up little hair balls.

- I've accidentally leaned too far into the gas range twice in the last month, both resulted in needing to give hair a quick trim to remove the burnt ends and horrible smell