EP: We’re talking about hair. Bad hair is rampant these days: Winter causes dullness, overgrowth, and hat hair, sometimes all at the same time.
Seriously?
KW: If you suspect you may have curly hair, there are two things you need to do immediately. 1) Stop brushing your hair when it is dry. Your hair will look like a bush or a Diana Ross wig. 2) Buy a diffuser for your blow dryer. Then you will actually have defined curls instead of looking like you have a dog on your head. Letting your hair air-dry is another good option, but I don’t recommend it in this weather. Furthermore, the less you touch curly hair, the better. If you let it do what it wants, you will discover that curly hair is so much easier to manage than straight hair, plus with the right haircut it is really sexy. Look into it.
EP: I would like to talk about long hair, since it’s simultaneously my most and least favorite thing people do with their hair. There are too many people in this world with unstyled long hair. If you are not going to cut it all off, then at least be willing to cut it into some sort of a shape. Please. Layers, bangs, anything is better than totally plain (especially straight!) long hair!
KW: Curly hair also seriously benefits from layers. They keep things from getting weighed down and, most importantly, prevent “triangle head,” an unfortunate disorder caused by a combination of curly hair and an all-one-length haircut.
AA: Maybe people grow their hair out because pixie haircuts, and other short cuts, have a bad rap. That’s because everybody thinks that they will look like a boy with a super-short hairstyle — but that is a myth! Having been the owner of a sweet pixie cut myself, I know it is a harrowing thing to cut off all your hair. But once you’ve done it, it’s hard not to have a torrid love affair with it. Pixie cuts give your face angles, they bring out your eyes, and you can show off great earrings. However, many people also believe that it takes a certain face-shape for this type of haircut. Magazines add to this by telling us what style of hair we should have, depending on whether we have a square jaw or a pointy chin. But I am a devout believer in the pixie cut. If you are feeling frumpy or boring, take the pixie-cut risk. It will make you feel super chic and seriously fabulous.
CM: What if you hate your short hair and want it to grow faster? Trim it often. This may seem counter-intuitive; however, the healthier your hair is, the better. Also, avoid using a shampoo or conditioner that weighs your hair down (especially if you’ve got natural curl). These things only build up — and if it’s in your shampoo, you’re not getting rid of it by washing. Salon quality may come at the salon price, but it works better and it usually lasts longer because it is much more concentrated than the stuff you can get at Walgreens.
KW: I agree that sometimes you have to spend more money for better hair, but I seriously want to put the hair myth that Christie brought up to rest: Except for the follicle, your hair is dead. Your follicles have no idea what is going on with the rest of your hair, so shaving or cutting has no effect on your hair growth, despite what you have heard. Imagine the state your legs would be in if this were true. Plucking on the other hand will damage the follicle after awhile and that will effect hair growth. Sorry, but that myth bugs me so much.
AA: So, back to pixie cuts: They can be dangerous — but only when you are planning on what kind of pixie cut you want. There are a few options: You can choose to have long bangs in front, a close crop all around or a Mohawk, but it is here in the decisive style moment that you ***should*** consider your face. For example, bangs might overwhelm small, narrow faces, while a person with any defining features — wide forehead, big eyes, square jaw — will have an easier time with bangs. On the other hand, the edgy close crop is meant for those narrow faces, while anyone with pronounced features would usually be better off having some extra hair framing the face.
JC: I like Anne’s comments about the shape of your face, because on campus there’s a tendency to just let hair get long and pay no attention to how it could be cut to frame your face! There are definite situations in which a trim could make you look thinner or brighten your face and show your eyes.
EP: Everyone should try bangs. At least once. There are so many different styles that I would venture to say that there is one for everyone.
JC: I used to hate bangs. Now I think I look like a fetus without them. I also used to hate layers, until I realized that my hair looked like that triangle-haired girl from “Hey Arnold!” without chunks cut out, like what Kayla mentioned. I think everyone should go through that phase where they just go to a credible hair salon and say, “Do what you think is best” (I mean, you should probably talk about it with the stylist a bit first). But that time of your life where you have two weeks until you have to do anything important or see anyone interesting, you should just take the plunge. (This is coming from the girl who hasn’t cut her hair in 6 months.)
EP: I hate to say this because I’m not an especially avid celebrity watcher, but you have to pay attention to what the celebs are up to. For example, I always look at Reese Witherspoon’s hair, and try to effect my own version of it. There is a star hair idol for every girl (again, face shape and hair texture/type is what’s really important). So, what about short versus long when you want to look “grown up”? I think sometimes long hair can look a little young, or Barbie-like (especially on us blondes who get a worse rap in the world than even pixie cuts). Yet if it’s well-styled, it can look more mature than a bob which can tend to look simple. Pixie cuts can look severe in a working environment, but are also versatile enough to make you look professional one minute and fun and feminine the next — again, depending on the way you style your cut.
JC: I think long hair looks grown-up if you pull it back in a professional way, whereas short hair, if done in a youthful way, has a hard time looking professional. But we’re all going to have short hair when we’re older, so why not have it long in our youth?!Whether you love your long locks or prefer an edgy hairstyle, it’s fair to say that we agree on one point: experimenting with your hair is fun and necessary. And guess what? Now’s the time to do it — while we’re young and open-minded enough to step out of hair-boundaries. After all, you don’t want to have the same look you did when you were in fifth grade. (Or do you?)
Style, more style!
