Need help deciding on a new cut ...

i know you say above your shoulders is a no-no but

i think you would look really nice with a blunt (one length ) chin length bob  or how about a stacked bob haircut    you are young and those are sooo in style now for teens and 20 somethings

my wife who is in her early 20's got one she had long hair and last june she had it all cut off  (12 inches), she absolutely loves it well good luck

Your hair does look fine from the pictures you've posted. My advice to you would be to blunt cut your hair a 3-4" inches below your shoulders which should give you enuff length to throw it back, braid it, etc and be playful. If you are considering layers they need to be very, very little amount of layers. I wouldn't put layers in your hair to begin with that is something you can always go back and have done if you decide later on. Since your hair is already fine layers would make it look less defined around the perimeter of the haircut and too many layers and it will look stragly and just not nice looking for fine hair.

I think bangs would be nice for you but not too heavy a bang area. You have a high forhead and bangs would be nice for your face shape. Also if you want some variety I would look at possibly adding a fringe around the front perimeter below your chin starting at about 2-3 inches below your chin and coming down and blending into the perimeter of the haircut. The layers below your chin in the front area would draw attention to your face and give a thicker, fuller, appearance as the layers would stack on each side of your face.

Here's an image to show you the stacking and layering in the front face area.

I don't know if I'd go that heavy on the bangs though it looks like a little too much. Maybe a angled bang...I dunno that's for you to decide and work it out with the stylist. Remember your hair is fine so layers all thru the cut might not be the way to go and if you decide later on you think layers will work for you you can always go back and get them put in.

G'luck with your decision.

Wow, Melly! (BTW, my name is Melanie, too!) You have such beautiful hair. You're a lovely girl. I don't blame you for wanting to keep that length. It seems like it has just a bit of a natural wave to it, too (unless you had curled it for the pictures) so I think you can make it look "thicker" with no problem at all. If it were me, I'd go for LONG layers (emphasis on "long"! Don't let them chop 2" layers on top!) and have it layered VERY LIGHTLY just along the bottom. This way you can keep *all* the length. Do you have a hairdresser who will really listen to you? Last time I was at the hairdresser's, it was somebody new but right away her first question was, "Do you want to keep the length?" I thought that was great.

Very very slight layering along the bottom and maybe a strand or two in the very front that falls just below the collar bone would lift off some weight, make your hair "bounce" up a little and this way you can keep the length. Good luck!