Post # 1

Member
7206 posts
Busy Beekeeper
I’ve had long hair for as long as I can remember (I’m 23). I got it cut as a freshman in high school just below the shoulders (which is the shortest I remember it) and let it grow with trims every few months. A week and a half ago I donated almost 12 inches to Locks of Love.
I really like my hair in the front. I think I look a bit older (I’ve been told I look like I’m 16).

But I absolutely hate the way it looks in the back

ETA: this was taken after trying to get it all to lay the same way for almost ten minutes.
Some of it flips out and some flips under. I try to get it just straight or all flip under but it doesn’t work. I hate using a straightening iron this much too because my hair damages fairly easily.
Everyone told me that shorter hair is easier but it actually requires a lot more work than my long hair. Previously I could run the iron through it for about a minute and have it look okay. I now spend over 10 minutes trying to get my hair to look okay and end up just giving up. It doesn’t help that it doesn’t quite make it into a pony.
Any advice? What do you do with your hair that’s a similar length? I thought about cutting it a bit shorter so that it doesn’t hit my neck and that might help but I want to grow it out again and will have to get through this length at some point.
I just feel like a child when my hair sticks out in different directions like this. Maybe I’m just over thinking it… do you look at the back of people’s hair more? Or the front?
Post # 3

Member
216 posts
Helper bee
@MrsBeck: been there. Like, with that EXACT cut about 3 months ago. My hair stylist cut the back shorter when I told her I hated it. She angled it into an angled-bob, and now I love it! It always looks stylish, even when my hair is curling and frizzing, somehow it looks good.
I was a big baby about going shorter in the back at first because my hair had been long forever, but I’m still thrilled with the cut. Update with pics!! ๐
Post # 4

Member
2000 posts
Buzzing bee
You look so pretty! I actually like the back, it looks fresh and young, not stiff and like a helmet.
I’ll let the other bees cover the maintenance advice though, I’ve almost 29 and I’ve had long hair since I was 2 years old so I have absolutely no idea how to manage any other length. lol
Post # 5

Member
917 posts
Busy bee
I had pretty much the same hair cut done in February, but I got the hairdresser to keep the front a bit longer. It’s grown out a bit now, but I’m still not in love with it. I only cut my hair because it was damaged and dead.
But I’d suggest curling it, or adding texture some other way??
Post # 6

Member
5065 posts
Bee Keeper
If you really dislike it (I think it’s lovely) could you get extensions?
Post # 7

Member
8584 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
i like it. i like the layered look when it goes in different directions.
Post # 8

Member
7206 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@PuckBunny: Thanks! I was thinking if going in and doing that. So you haven’t had any problems now that it’s grown out a bit?
@MsMeow: Thank you ๐ that’s a good point- I don’t want it to look too stiff.
@krayzay87: Good idea. I’ll try to add some curls tomorrow morning and see if that helps at all. I haven’t tried curls since I got it cut.
@Soon2BD-CBee: I guess I should change my title- I don’t really hate all of it. Just the back because I’m unsure of how to style it. I probably will look into extensions if I don’t figure out how to do the back soon though.
Post # 9

Member
2481 posts
Buzzing bee
@MrsBeck: I think it looks really cool and suits you well. However, I think the back layers probably need cutting into so that some of the thickness is taken out. I wouldn’t actually have your hair cut shorter if you want to regrow it because you’ll get back to this stage again fairly quickly. But if you had the back slightly relayered and then carry on growing it until it is just past shoulder length you could grow most of the layers out and then have it blunt cut.
I’m really protective about my hair which has now, finally, got to nearly the length I wanted but over the last year there have been times when I’ve had to tolerate it being less than perfect so I could get the length down before having a more radical tidy up and an inch taken off the back.
I tend to look at the front of people’s hair rather than the back too.
Post # 10

Member
234 posts
Helper bee
First of all get you a good heat protectant spray if you don’t already. I try to avoid using one with alcohol since it dries my hair out. Look for one in a leave-in conditioner. Kenra makes a good one.
It’s a 10 makes a really rad blow dry spray which I think has heat protectant in it as well. Spray that on your damp hair and blow dry with a round brush. That should help it bevel under as well as give it ton of body ๐
Post # 11

Member
63 posts
Worker bee
We are twins! I cut/donated my hair about a month ago and it is identical to yours! I agree about the hair flip. I have super straight hair but no matter what I do it still flips. It takes me twice as long in the morning now too. I have started to straighten the back of it and it seems to help for the most part.
Do you blow dry it? You could use a round brush when you dry it to see if that works.
Post # 12

Member
7206 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@ajillity81: Thanks ๐ the back wouldn’t bother me to much but sometimes you can see hair sticking out to the side when you’re looking at me from the front. I’m going to try texturing it all to see if it helps.
Post # 13

Member
8584 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@MrsBeck: did you take this picture the same day you had it done?
when I get my haircut, i love how my girl cuts my hair but I don’t always like how she styles it. i usually wait a day or 2 after my hair cut to wash my hair on my own. then style how i like.
don’t do anything drastic yet. give it a few days, play around with it.
also, my current place where i go will fix it for free if you don’t like. so after a few days if you still don’t like it, call the place and see what they can do for you.
Post # 14

Member
7206 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@Steampunkbride: Thank you for the advice. I plan on going in this weekend if I still can’t get it to behave. After I posted this I realized I rarely look at the back of people’s hair either so I’m probably putting way too much thought into this!
@echapman:
@OliveLucy: I’ll be buying a round brush today (and some heat protector) after work and I’ll give that a try! Thanks!
@ajillity81: No, I got it cut about a week and a half ago. I unfortunately got it cut when I was at my parents house (7 hours away) so I’ll have to go somewhere else. I’m hoping that some of the styling tips I’ve been given will work so I don’t have to go into a salon but if I can’t get it to look the way I want by this weekend I’ll be going in.
Post # 15

Member
441 posts
Helper bee
I am a hair stylist, and whenever I cut anyones hair different then their previous style, I always show them how to style it to get their desired look. Could you go back to the salon, just for a wash & Style and get them to show you how you can style it. I am not sure what type of brush you are using, but I would definitly use a round brush, and product goes a long way!
Post # 16

Member
11273 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
@MrsBeck: i think it’s really cute at the front. i like the pp idea of an angled bob. this would definitely give it a “style” and not just a “cut”. also, a big rounded brush will help you tame the back when you are blow drying your hair. you just have to teach your hair which direction to go.