I’m going to play the role of devil’s advocate and tell you that if you cannot answer the first question truthfully or if you don’t know the answer, I strongly suggest you not go through with it. You will only have regrets and then it will be too late.
Let me help you further by narrowing down the possible reasons why you want to chop it all off:
- You just went through a break-up/ended a relationship.
- It seems to be a trend and everybody is doing it for the season.
- Your friends think it’s a great idea and they have managed to persuade you.
- Your hairdresser thinks it’s a great idea. In fact, he/she has always insisted on it for as long as you can remember.
- To get rid of damaged hair from a previous hairstyle/cut or color.
- You want to try it out for at least once in your life.
If you answered any of the above, or close, then all these reasons give you the green light to proceed. It’s good to know the reason why before such a drastic move. It’s a good first question to ask before cutting off all your hair.
2. HOW WILL YOU REACT TO HOW PEOPLE WILL REACT?
Even if you can honestly say you don’t get bothered or affected by what others say about you, when it’s people who matter that make comments, it can be a bit unnerving. There will be two reactions: those who love it and those who do not. When I chopped all my hair off after a bad break-up and posted a before and after photo, my social media feed was going crazy for a few days. Most of the women, whether they knew about my break-up or not, felt empowered and inspired by my bold move. They all loved it. The men were an even split: The ones I thought would love it hated it! And then there were just those clueless guys who think that women look best only with long hair. You’ll get comments either way for sure.
3. WHAT IS THE BEST STYLE FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE+PERSONALITY+LIFESTYLE?
My long hair went as far down as below my bra strap. I went from Beyoncè to Bieber length in one snip. I have a really small face so I can pull off any short hairstyle, but I opted for long-ish bangs so I can at least have some versatility when it comes to styling. If you have a busy schedule, you will love short hair that is literally wash and wear. My day time hair was usually free of products and full bangs covering most of the forehead. I never even used a brush. After towel-drying I would leave it and go about my day. For special occasions or formals, I would slick it back, while wet, with a fine-tooth comb and hold it in place with strong hold hairspray. Black tie hair and makeup for me took only 15 minutes to do!
4. DO YOU TRUST YOUR HAIRDRESSER TO DO THE JOB?
When I decided to do the chop, I was going through an imaginary list of hairdressers in my head. Only two names came up when it came right down to the exact haircut I wanted to get: Rene Huelgas of Huelgas Salon and Alex Carbonell. Alex ended up doing it after I tossed the coin. I’m quite privileged to be in the beauty industry because I more or less have an idea which hairdressers have certain specialties or what they do best. If you have no clue, do your research! If it turns out that your current hairdresser might not be the best person for the job, give them a heads up before you go with someone else. Trust me, they will appreciate that you went out of your way to tell them. You’ll never know when you might bump into them or need them again in the future, and the worst way for them to find out is actually seeing the new you with a haircut they didn’t do.
5. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO UPDATE YOUR MAKEUP AND WARDROBE TO GO WITH YOUR NEW HAIR?
Since you have made a drastic decision to go for the chop, you might as well go all the way. If you are relying on a new haircut to change your look, then you might be disappointed because to pull this off means a change in the rest of your appearance as well. This is a good reason to de-clutter and organize your closet, which is where I started first. Here’s a list of the few wardrobe changes I made when I had THAT haircut:
- I put away all my tight dresses and skinny jeans or anything that hugs the body. When you have little or no hair you feel naked. There’s no reason to paint a literal picture by wearing something so tight. Leave room for the imagination.
- I put away all my headbands, scarves, hats. All of the above look waaaay cuter, cooler and better with hair that’s at least down to the base of your neck or collarbone. Why hide the little hair you have left underneath all that?
- Balancing “tough” versus “girly”. It’s all about proportion: a feminine tank top goes best with boyfriend jeans. Short shorts look cutest with a boyfriend blazer or an oversized sweater. If you pair bulky things together like the boyfriend jeans with the blazer— you will look manly. If you pair a tight tank top with short shorts…too much skin going on sends the wrong message.
Now to update your makeup. Here are my expert suggestions:
- Short hair emphasizes the eyes. So you need to up your mascara game. Think of Twiggy. She got world famous for that haircut AND the makeup she did to go with it.
- Don’t be counterproductive by piling on lots of layers of makeup. Hey, just because your short hair takes 5 minutes to style doesn’t mean you now have more time to do your face! In fact, your makeup routine should be as simple as your haircut. Short hair exposes the cheeks. So invest in a matte bronzer or a blush suited for your skin type — something feminine like a coral or a bright pink. Stay away from earth tones that might make you look “tough” or mad.
- Stick to the bold lipsticks in shades of hot pink, neon orange, oxblood, violet, wine, eggplant, fire-engine red for maximum impact and femininity. Think of Rihanna and Rita Ora. They always pop on the red carpet when they pair up their short haircuts with a bold lip.
The nice thing about short hair is that it makes you “one of the boys” instantly, without any effort whatsoever. You don’t lose your sexiness just because you don’t have Victoria Secret hair or you’re not in a tight little black dress. Those who dare to do short hair send a message of confidence, self-awareness and security. And besides: it’s just hair—- it will grow back.
By: Xeng Zulueta
Related Products:
There is no product to show