the pixie cut series, part 1: chopping it all off

This is Part 1 of The Pixie Cut Series. For anyone out there who could care less about short, cute haircuts... tune back in later :)

Part 1: Chopping it all off

A little over a year ago, I finally made the leap to a pixie cut. For months, my hairstyles had been getting shorter and shorter with each trip to the salon. One day, I brought in a cute photo of Carey Mulligan and an hour later, I walked out with a definitively SHORT hairdo. It was such a natural progression, I didn't even think about how short it was. If you have straight-up LONG hair and want a drastic change, that's even cooler! You've obsessed over Michelle Williams' short 'do for months now. You have a Pinterest board dedicated entirely to pixie cuts. You are ready to take the plunge. Here are my tips & tidbits before you get in the chair.

Think it through one last time. I am very pro-short hair, but think it through one more time to make sure it's right for you. Personally, I'm of the attitude that "Hey, it's just hair. It grows back." (Which, unfortunately is what some people told me after I got mine cut... even after I told them I was really happy with it...) But seriously, it's not permanent. Take a chance! Look back on this time in your life when you made a change and rocked a new look. That being said, if you are working the Rapunzel style now, it will be a big change. You can't just throw your bedhead hair into a ponytail and you do limit the number of ways you can wear it. Just know that, accept it & get ready.

Don't skimp on hair stylists. When I had longer hair, I'd go to any crazy person on the street for a haircut. When you're going super short though, go to someone you trust. That could be someone at SuperCuts, for sure, but really make sure you like that person's style & are confident in their ability. One slip of the scissors at this length could mean disaster.

Bring a photo.  This is probably an obvious one, but again, when I had longer hair it didn't seem as necessary to bring photo inspiration. There are so many variations of short hair, though, that it is essential to bring examples. Do you want a longer floppy cut like this one? (Sidenote: this was the photo I brought for my first pixie cut!) A really close crop like Michelle? An edgy mohawk type thing? Long bangs? An almost-buzzed Emma Watson cut? Figure it out & then bring as many pictures as you can. Try to get photos of the back of the head too, that's where the real pixie cut magic happens.

Personally, I really wanted to avoid the early Sex in the City Miranda look. I wanted the part near my neck to be really short, no long wisps reaching towards my collar. I wanted a nice round profile for the back, so that it wasn't too fluffy on top or too flat looking. For the most part, I kept my bangs and top on the longer side, just because.

It might take a few days for your hair to settle into its new cut. Sometimes hair just doesn't quite lie the right way when it's first chopped off. Maybe your hair will look awesome right out of the gate. It probably will. But I guarantee that it will look even better in a week. Have a little patience, play with it a lot in front of a mirror if you need to and settle in to your new, awesome look.

Just do it. My hairstylist asked me if I was sure my boyfriend would be ok with such a short haircut. Hmmph... Of course we all want to look good for our Special Someones, but... if you really want a pixie cut, then you should get one. That's what I think, anyway. My dude liked it, which is awesome, but more importantly, I really liked it. It's a bold move for a lot of people and sometimes you just need to take the plunge and not worry about what other people think. A pixie cut may not seem that crazy to some of you-- and that's because it isn't. But in our society, chopping your hair off can seem drastic to a lot of people. There will always be more photos of fashion models with long, flowing locks than there are of ones rocking a cropped cut. There will always be haters out there, but you will look so good that it doesn't matter. Rock it, sister, rock it.

Stay tuned for "Part 2: Rocking the Pixie" soon, wherein I talk about overcompensating with girly accessories and makeup, and also talk about how a pixie cut can actually be kind of freeing. Please feel free to chime in with your short hair wisdom in the comments!

The Pixie Cut Series
Part 1: Chopping it all off
Part 2: Rocking the pixie
Part 3: Growing it out
An Update- 8 Months Later