I’ve been growing my hair short to just above my shoulders, and my hairdresser told me that what I’m officially doing is going from a “bob” to a “lob.” Over the past two years, I’ve been going back and forth between these two ridiculously named hair lengths, and (naturally) every length in between, so I thought I’d share my expertise on the matter. I did. I mean, it’s about how to grow that hair. Tricky midfield. It no longer sits snugly against your chin and looks cool and choppy, but it’s still not long or heavy enough to hang well.
Lord Farquaad’s stage. triangular era. If your hair is trying to grow only outwards instead of downwards, and becomes more and more wedge-shaped as it gets longer. It’s hair purgatory. You’ll be left waiting indefinitely, wondering what on earth you can do to avoid looking like an 80’s brownie reader.
Thanks to my hair colorist and stylist Cassie* for these cutting tips.
1 – Leave cropped. Don’t think you can speed up the process by ignoring the growing cut. It will just look dirty for a long time. I find that staying on top of the cut is even more important because in the middle of nowhere “between the chin and the shoulders” the disturbance is more pronounced. The ends of her hair hang there as if on display. Therefore, get it cut regularly and do the following:
2 – If you have thick hair or a lot of fine hair, ask them to take some of their weight off your back. I sliced the back to take the weight off (no layers) and found that my hair lay in better and didn’t wave back like a medieval lute player’s hair.
3 – Ask your hairdresser about A-line cuts as well. This involves cutting your hair a little longer in the front and gradually getting shorter towards the back. We’re talking about subtle differences here, not Vidal Sassoon’s entire body of work. It just makes the shape seem more intentional. More than sorry. It also gives it a more modern look. I also cut her short bob to an A-line. This is a nifty little trick.
So, by losing some weight on my back and maintaining that beautiful A-line cut when it’s shortened, I feel like I’ve largely avoided the dreaded Lord Farquaad’s doomed triangular head. However, the (huge) benefit of growing it full stop is that it will eventually be long enough to tie off, so if you have a really bad triangular head day, you can just slap it on (still very poor, very little) bread.
In fact, that’s the real reason I grow it all the way to my shoulders, or just above my shoulders. While I love a messy bob for its instantly cool and ability to look great with little styling required, I really miss being able to scrape it off and put it back in a bun or ponytail.
Exhibit C (bread):
Let’s all guess how long it will take until you get tired of always putting your hair back in a ponytail and want to cut it all off again…
By the way, there is no problem with the length of your hair from your chin to your shoulders. In fact, my hairdresser likes the length I have now more than any other haircut she’s ever had. It’s simply a popular hair “danger area.” Because that’s the length of time that many people get stuck. They start growing short hair, but do not recut or reshape it along the way. And we have already discussed what happens. Medieval lute players unite.
*I get my hair cut and colored at The Sweet in Bath and have been doing so for years. I’m a fully paying customer, so if I go to Cassie or Mathilde, I can find the website. here.
