i'd been eagerly awaiting my turn on whoorl's hair thursdays, but she just announced that she's postponing further hair clinics until 2008. merde. i reeeeally need to fix my head before then. so! let's have a little Hair Thursday (er.. Wednesday) here, shall we? i tell you why i hate my hair, and you guys give me suggestions on what you think would work! yes? sound fun? say, where are all the boys going...?
note: please give me ANY OPINIONS WHATSOEVER that you may or may not have. every flipping time i go to a salon, and they ask what i want, i say YOU TELL ME PLEASE, I CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH MY OWN SCALP but they always just sort of end up trimming what i have in case i'm actually one of those ladies who claims they want someone else to make the decision but in reality want the exact same haircut the already have. what i'm trying to say is that i have no idea what would actually look good on me, so if you think you do, PLEASE TELL ME.
ok! on to the fun! my hair:
note: please give me ANY OPINIONS WHATSOEVER that you may or may not have. every flipping time i go to a salon, and they ask what i want, i say YOU TELL ME PLEASE, I CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH MY OWN SCALP but they always just sort of end up trimming what i have in case i'm actually one of those ladies who claims they want someone else to make the decision but in reality want the exact same haircut the already have. what i'm trying to say is that i have no idea what would actually look good on me, so if you think you do, PLEASE TELL ME.
ok! on to the fun! my hair:
*freakishly thin. you: "oh yeah, me too! i have such thin hair!" me: no you don't. imagine spiderwebs, but colored dark brown and then attached to your scalp. (uh, and then dyed red.) this means that whatever body my hair would like to have is drowned out by its own weight, especially when i let it get this long, and there is nothing i can do to keep it from lying totally flat on my head. the combination is a delightful "flat, but stringy" look that isn't really that hot:
stringy!
flat!
-problem le second: my ginormous forehead coupled with my fear of bangs.
do you see how big that sucker is? advertising space big! holy heck. but.. uh.. bangs terrify me. see: flat stringy hair, which also inexplicably refuses to do anything i'd like it to. should i get over this and go for these sideswept bangs i hear so much about? how do they stay sideswept, and not just end up pushed off my face and/or behind my ear??
-finally, these pictures are pretty old.. i've got a solid 3 inches of dark brown roots sprouting from my head right about now. which makes some form of coloring a must. 
hi alice!
ReplyDeletedo you want to go high or low maintenance??? if high - go for katie holmes hair pre bang heard round the world...or posh spice!
if low, i would recommend some blended layers in the front, and for the back stress to the stylist that you are looking for volume!
nioxin shampoo is good for thinner hair - don't try anything that is for smoothness - go for full volume shampoos. hope that helps :)
Step one - get in car.
ReplyDeleteStep two - drive to Raleigh, NC.
Step three - go to Peles Salon, present your fine, thin hair to Jesse Peles and turn him loose.
Results: receive the best haircut of your life. Seriously, the man is a genius.
www.pelessalon.com
I have a similar suggestion to Shelly's except that mine might be marginally more useful as it's in DC. I have a guy at Salon Cielo in Dupont Circle named Rob, and he is amazing. I go in and tell him I'm bored with my hair and I want to grow it out without it weighing itself down and can he make me not so bored with my hair that I end up giving up on growing it out and chop it all off out of frustration? And he waves his scissors around my face for a few minutes and then BAM! And also he can recommend really good products, mostly Aveda, that work with your hair type.
ReplyDeleteThere are other Salon Cielos, some closer to you I think, but I've only ever used Rob so I can't vouch for any of the others.
As for specific suggestions other than "use my amazing guy," I would say lots and lots of layers, including some face-framing ones that are LIKE bangs but not quite as extreme and can be tucked behind your ears WITHOUT looking like bangs gone wrong.
Alice, I just looked at my HT list and you were literally up THIS WEEK. I'm feeling really guilty...
ReplyDeleteHold on...I'll be back...
hey sweetie...
ReplyDeletesomeone already said this...but why dont you get a bob-like cute (like Katie Holmes)? I've noticed that thin long hair isnt a good combination (at least for me) as if you hate bangs, do what I do: have the stylist cut rather long-ish bangs for you. I cant grow my bangs out 100% or else it looks flat against my head (like your pic), so if my bangs are cut long-ish (just below my eyes), I can just blow dry it back and it still looks like it has a some volume. But try the shorter cut...I'm a big fan of them...honestly, I dont know of many girls who can do long hair...even shoulder-length hair without it looking dirty or messy after a few weeks. I'm getting my hair cut even shorter the next time I go in.
Oh girl, your hair is not spiderwebs!
ReplyDeleteI say go for bangs, definitely bangs. Other than that I don't know, but try some side-sweepy bangs.
Be sure to post pictures once you get it cut!
Keep this up and pretty soon you are gonna owe me drinks.
ReplyDeleteI can vouch for the quality of staff at http://www.pratpartners.com/
Select a consultant, make an appt. for said consult, tell them exactly what you said here. Then listen to what they say. Proceed. Tip generously if you like the style you leave with. Emphasis up front that you need a simple style you can maintain at home. They will teach you how if you don't know. They really are great. And no, I don't work for them.
Um, I think your hair is thicker than mine. I have bangs and long layers in the back. I never do anything with it but wash and wear. But I'm a hairstyle loser. I'll let anyone do it who can fit me in RIGHT NOW while the kids are in school and HURRY before the baby starts eating the hair off the floor.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to get bangs. You could do what I did and make the part so far to the side, that you get some sweeping over your forehead. It looks like bangs, but it isn't. And for volume, you need some really good mousse. Maybe a bit shorter too, so it isn't weighed down as much. I don't really have color suggestions though...
ReplyDeleteClearly it's already been said, but you'd rock Katie Holmes' haircut (minus the crazy ass husband). You could do it without fringe (the modern word for bangs - since when did bangs go out of style?!) if you want to ease into it slowly ... but, I think with a few layers, you'd look great. And I really don't think it'd become high maintenance to have your hair shorter (other than you might need to get it cut more often)!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need to get bangs, so a hair style like this one or even this one, and yet even this one that everyone is recommending would work, or in my opinion, quite SMASHING. ;) The hairdo's listed would remove the flatness of your hair and better compliment your oval face.
ReplyDeleteI think you should go for a shorter length, and I agree with everyone who said layers. Also, I think avoiding a center part will reduce flatness.
ReplyDeleteThis would be an uninformed opinion. :)
Don't fear the bangs. They will become your friend the older (and more forehead wrinkles) you get.
ReplyDeleteAngie
www.AllAdither.com
Okay, so how thin/fine are we talking? Fresh color is a must for me - if I let it go too long (like the 3 inches of grow-out you're talking), then my hair is flat no matter what I do.
ReplyDeleteI use volume shampoo/conditioner, volume mousse, and blow dry upside down. Works like a charm for me, but I'm in a low humidity area. If you're back east - ay carumba. Every time I go visit, I can get a good hair style for about the first half hour after I blow dry, then it's flat city.
Oh, and I'm with you on the bangs thing. I submitted to Whoorl in hopes that I could get a good recommendation for a better style for my face (bangs, no bangs, side swept, cha cha cha). I think I'm scheduled for April of next year LOL
Okay, I know whoorl is doing you now and stuff, and I know she will come up with something amazing, but I just need to say: DO NOT GET EXCESSIVE LAYERS! Oh no, please don't! Your hair is thin, and the longer layers will look scraggly. I think you should go for a mid-length bob (like, the middle of your neck; too short will look a kind of dutch-boy with flat hair) with very, VERY subtle layers and some nice swoopy bangs. As for a colour, a good stylist would probably recommend an all-over, solid colour similar to but a little richer than your natural colour, since you already have so much going on, and it's very difficult to colour-correct.
ReplyDeleteI think something like this but with subtler bangs (I have no idea if that link will work).
I don't have whoorl's street cred, but I manage a hair salon, if that admission 'll make you take my suggestion seriously. :)
Okay, I see someone else suggested Salon Cielo in Dupont. I used to go see a woman named Hiwot (pronounced Hewett) there. She was fantastic with me when I went in with hair down my back all one length and told her that I didn't know what I wanted but it should be short but not too short and that the only styling tools I would use would be a blow dryer and a round brush. She gave me something a little...choppier, I guess, than I ever would have picked on my own, but that I really liked. And then one time I tried some random guy at the Salon Cielo in Pentagon City, and he totally screwed up my hair, and I went back to Hiwot a few weeks later and told her everything I hated about what he'd done but that I was afraid to get it fixed because I had already lost more length than I wanted, and she totally fixed it and made me love my haircut. Anyhow, I think you should go see her.
ReplyDeletehiya!
ReplyDeletei'm new here, but i used to have a hair salon.
GOOD THINGS: you know your hair is thin. so many people bring pix of a style that is the complete opposite of their hair type. so, good for you!
BAD THINGS: none! if you're realistic and honest, you can get something you can work with.
suggestion 1: long bangs tied to shorter layers
don't let layers scare you. they are fine hair friends. have your bang's shortest hair be at the tip of your nose. that's the focal point for the cut. have your stylist bring a piece from the occipital region past your nose, to the opposite cheekbone. those are the perimeters for your cut! take these instructions and if you get the tiniest blank look, opt for a shampoo-blowdry. :)
the end result will be a long bang that just about tucks behind your ear. layers for 2-3 inches at the bottom of your do. the longest piece of your hair should just barely graze your top of your shoulder. you'll be able to pull it back with clips, which is cute. when you blowdry, it'll look very polished!
oh, and highlights with 20 volume lift. that takes longer, doesn't shatter your hair, but really plumps it up.
suggestion 2: have the front cut to the bottom of your chin. the rest should be about at your collarbone. layers to tie the two together. a bit longer, you can pull it up so you probably will. go for the shorter cut! you'll love it!
whew! you make me want to go back to work! good luck!
and a tip because you seem nice :) make an appointment for a consult/blowout. if you get a great vibe, the stylist can most likely fit the actual cut in. if you're not 100% sold/comfortable, you'll get a chance to see how they style you. when you book an appt you may feel obligated. it's very weird territory complicated by the fact that a stylist touches you. it makes many people uncomfortable 'turning that person down' and sometimes you know that s/he didn't get you, but you took their time, blahblahblah...and make sure they chop into your hair, not straight layers.
ReplyDelete