QuoteReplyTopic: big nose + short hair: can it be done? Posted: July 09 2006 at 10:30am
Hello, everyone -
I know you probably see tons of questions like this, so your patience with me is very much appreciated.
My current problem is this: I am toying with the idea of getting my hair cut very short. This decision is something I'm not taking lightly. I'm giving it a ton of thought, and I need good input, because I don't want to do something I'll regret. (I've gone from long hair to bobs and while I initially loved it, I always ended up regretting it).
My hair is just past shoulder-length. It is very fine and wavy. I usually blow-dry it straight every day. Humidity makes it very frizzy. I would love to have long hair, but thruthfully, I get so sick and tired of fighting with my hair. It's so tempting to just lop it all off. If I did cut it all of, it would mostly be for convenience. However, I don't want to pay the price by looking hideous.
My main concern with doing that is my face shape and my features. I would say that my face shape is a mix between heart and oblong. I have a prominent nose and let's just say that my chin isn't exactly "delicate".
So my question is....would it be a major no-no for someone with my features to have very short hair? I have a feeling the answer is yes. But can it ever be pulled off?
My answer would be to go to a hairstyling professional.
Go to a good hairstylist and have him or her show you different photos of short hairstyles that would look good on you.
By your description I expected a lot worse when I looked at your pic. Your chin certainly doesn't look prominent to me. Do you have any front pics? Hard to make a call on it. There are options for people with not delicate facial features but I think 'Brent offered the best advice. A hiarstylist should not charge for a consultation - call ahead and make an appointment - you might want to bring some ideas with you (pictures).
It's not the most recent, but I don't think I look much different than I do now. (The only difference now is that my hair is a bit shorter and it's not dyed).
I feel that I have a somewhat long face - and very long hair will make it look longer. Still, short hair probably wouldn't help, either.
Heratic
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It really depends on how you define "very short." When the hair is cut extremely short, the lack of much hair emphasizes every feature on the face, no matter what the size. With an oblong face, it can also really make your face look much longer, as well.
I think there are many short cuts that will suit you, but a little length will be softer on your face.
If I did cut it all of, it would mostly be for convenience.
I am not at all trying to talk you into longer hair, but if your hair is naturally wavy, why fight it? The problem won't get better with short hair, unless you cut it super short, and again, super short hair emphasizes everything on the face and can also add a few extra pounds. With short hair, you can't just throw it in a ponytail when it isn't cooperating. If you're also straightening your hair, you may be doing a lot more to it when it's short since there's no length to help weigh it down at all.
I've gone from long hair to bobs and while I initially loved it, I always ended up regretting it
Since you'd be doing this for convenience, I'd really discuss this long and hard with a highly competent stylist or else you may be causing far more problems than you ever imagined. I've had several consultations, and although they have to be scheduled, I've never been charged.
Anne, a lot of the things you mentioned are particularly helpful. I think I'm going to make an appointment for a consultation this week. I doubt I'll be able to find a short look that will work with my features and hair type, but it wouldn't hurt to talk with a competent stylist.
Go to www.clairol.com website, and go to the "Try it on studio". It's where you can upload your picture, and see what you would look like with a different hairstyle and color.
Thanks for that link! I tried a few other similar applications but I couldn't get them to work correctly. The Clairol one is much more user-friendly.
You're not being fickle; you're being smart by not rushing into something that may not turn out the way you like!
Just a few more comments. When you have a consultation, get to the real root of what you want. Is it actually short hair? Or, is it something that takes very little time? Since you mentioned convenience earlier, and if you don't mention that to a stylist, he or she may actually have some styles that would be most convenient for you that you would love, but the stylist won't mention them if they think that the style must be short. Make the stylist work for you and don't give suggestions at first, just what are your most pressing needs and desires, and let them figure out different options to present to you.
Also, I wouldn't go to just one stylist for a consultation. Stylists are human and have their own biases, so I'd weigh at least two, and perhaps three opinions.
No matter what you decide, I hope it all goes well! Please let us know what finally happens.
Thanks so very much, anne! Very good advice, indeed. I'll need to make a list of what my concerns are or else I'll forget once I'm there!
Some of your comments regarding my hair being wavy made me think. You asked, "Why fight it?" I've asked myself this question before, and I've gone through phases from time to time where I've tried to not fight it, to just do very minimal things to it to make it look more put-together. But it just never looks good to me. I've been through oodles of styling products to try to tame and accentuate the waves, and it always looks awful. And I can't even count the number of times I've gone into work "au naturel" and had people look at me funny and say "What did you do to you hair?!" (And they've not said that in a positive-sounding "gee your hair looks great!" sort of way....Just the confidence booster I need, right?)
I have no clue just how short I'd want to go. If I could get away with it, I'd go pixie. But that's probably not a realistic option for me. I'd love to have long flowing hair (that is, if my hair were co-operative!), but I'd also like to have a cute little wash-n-go short cut, too.
I think what I'll do is set up a consultation this week and see how it goes. Then, depending on how that goes, maybe I'll go another place for a second.
I don't think your features are bad at all. I think short hair would look good on you if you want to do it, you should go for it. Consult your stylist to see which one would look best on you though or pick out a few picks and go around to a few stylists to see which ones they think would look the best.
Thanks, everyone. I don't dislike my features - I just think they're a bit difficult to work with as far as hairstyles go. I figure if I go with a really short cut, it will either be very unflattering or...very striking.
It seems that there are two big issues here. The hairstyle itself to suit your face and body and equally, if not more important, is how your hair will react when it's cut shorter. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure you aren't cutting it into a style that will fight its natural texture, unless you want to spend a great deal of time each morning on it, and if I'm not mistaken, that is one of the big reasons for the change!
So, as well as how the style itself will look on you, I'd really make sure to discuss with the stylist how your hair will react when it's shorter. There's a good chance it will be much wavier than it is when it's longer.
The best thing you can do is bring to the consultation lots of questions and pictures of styles that you personally like and get an opinion on how they would work for you.
I'm very sorry to hear about the negative comments you've received on your hair. Are people so dense that they think you don't know how it looks and especially that you really want to hear their comments?!
If you're patient and do as much homework as you can and ask lots of questions to stylists, you will probably find something that is absolutely perfect for you!
Yes, I find that, unfortunately, people are very dense. And insensitive. (Can't tell you how many times I've been to get a trim and the stylist has remarked "Wow, you have really thin hair." Um, thanks so much for pointing that out. I had no idea! Grrr.)
Anyway, you're right that I should pay special attention to how the texture of my hair could respond to a shorter style. I have an appointment for a consultation tomorrow and I'll see how it goes. If I don't decide on a totally different hair style, then perhaps I can at least get my bangs/fringe fixed a bit (had them cut about a month ago, went for a trim a few weeks ago and the guy did a terrible, terrible job - too short and slightly crooked). Sigh.
Thanks again, everyone - have a good evening! Off to bed now.
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Oh, I hate when stylists act like that -_- ! That's one of the reasons I stopped going to them, myself.
Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with the way you look at all, from the front or side. But if you're self-conscious about a feature, you're right to do what you can to play it down-- you've got to please yourself before anyone else, especially a bunch of message board strangers.
Some people's hair goes wavier/curlier when short, and some people's hair goes straighter. Unless/until you know which one yours does, you might want to be careful.
More awesome than a manatee!
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Maybe when you are getting the consultatation you could ask the stylist about ways to style your hair to work with its natural texture rather than against it. I would think that encouraging the curl would be very beautiful but you would need the right cut and products to make it work. I think the idea of having more than one consultation is a brilliant one. You might just get a few good ideas that way.
I think I would hesitate to go ultra short if I were you. If you have been unhappy in the past with something that doesn't sound like it was really short you would probably be miserable with an ultra short cut. And ultra short does not necessarily mean less work. Long straight hair is much easier to deal with than short hair that needs some styling to look good (I found this out when I tried a very, very short spiked look a year ago). At least with the long hair you can put it in a ponytail or bun and keep on going. Short hair requires products that you cannot be without (at least for me).
Good luck.
"It is better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous" Billy Crystal
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If I did cut it all of, it would mostly be for convenience.
