Making The Cut

You don't get to do this:

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

and this

without getting hair that starts looking JUST A WEE BIT THRASHED.

I was more than ready to make a drastic change to my hair because I was tired of it being so damaged. Summer is the perfect time to go in for a chop--I was definitely loving my hair today as I walked around Mt. Vernon for three hours in 110-degree heat!

If you're hankering for a major change like I was, I have a few bits of advice:

1. Make your appointment at least a week in advance. Even though I was 90% sure I wanted to cut my hair super short, it was still good for me to have this waiting period. By the time I got in there, I was 100% positive that this was what I wanted. When the stylist start snipping TONS of hair off my face, I wasn't sad, scared, or nervous at all. Feeling all my hair come off was like tickly freedom raining down my shoulders!

2. Obviously this goes without saying, but find a stylist you trust. Not only did mine give me the perfect cut, he helped me hone in on what that even meant. Originally, I wanted Halle Berry's soft, spiky cut. But my stylist told me the reason why her hair stays in that distinctive spike is because it's so damaged! (She gets it relaxed.) Damaged hair opens up the cuticle, which make it more straw-like and rigid. The cuticles of healthy hair lie flat, and so the hair is sleeker and doesn't hold volume as well. I knew by the end of this process I'd only have healthy hair left, so I'd run into this problem. Chris thumbed through my magazine and pictures and suggested a photo of Kiera Knightley's new short hair. He said that when basing a new haircut off a celebrity's, it's important to choose celebrities whose bone structure and hair texture is very similar to yours.

3. Realize what short hair will mean for your beauty routine. In order to rock short hair, you have to do short hair. The time commitment on hair alone is actually minimal--this morning it took me all of ten minutes to go from dripping wet out of the shower to completely dried and styled. (To be fair, that's about ten minutes longer than I spent doing my long hair!)

But keep in mind that short hair puts the spotlight on your face, so you have to spend a little extra time on your makeup, too. Immediately after my cut, I went to Walgreens and spent about $40 on new makeup. Remember when I said my makeup routine only took five minutes? Yeah, not anymore. With so much attention on my face, I have to be much more meticulous. Again, this only adds an extra ten minutes to my beauty routine, so it's not much--but definitely something to consider. I don't think you can do short hair sans makeup. It already looks boyish enough. On that note, you may want to stock up on dangly earrings! 

4. Product will be your best friend. The only thing I splurged on was a really good pomade, but aside from that, I've stuck to drugstore brands (and they work great!). Here's what I'm using:

• Pureology TextureTwist Pomade - $24 
• Garnier Fructis Super Stiff Gel - $3 
• John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Finishing Creme - $7 
• Dove Extra Hold Hairspray - $4

Seems like a lot of product to use on a daily basis, eh? But if you use just teeny amounts of everything, you can achieve hold and texture without goopiness.

What I love most about my cut so far is how versatile it is. With just a quick swipe of the hand, I can have a totally different look in seconds. Have fun!