Style Updates for Shorter Hair
by Alexandra Samuel
Guys. I did it. I finally took the haircut plunge and chopped off the eight inches of dead weight I was forcing into style submission every day. It's not the first time I've had short hair, and it's not the shortest it's ever been, but I completely forgot how different styling is when your mane isn't that long.
Now that my hair is collar-bone length (instead of past my boobs) styling is totally faster and more efficient -- both in terms of the amount of product I use and the sheer decrease in volume of hair. But I also know that my former go-to looks -- the chunky fishtail, salty beachy waves -- don't really work the same way. So, I've pulled together my four most important style must-knows for shorter hair. Just in case you decide to beat the heat and chop it all off, too.
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Cut (way) down on conditioner: Pre-cut, my hair was dead. I would squeeze a disgusting amount of conditioner out (like...almost my entire palm's-worth), work in into strands and somehow every last drop would get soaked right up. Now, I use a blob that takes up about a quarter of my palm and it does the trick. My boyfriend even says "Your hair is as soft as our cats!", which I think is a huge compliment cause he's obsessed with the furballs.
Blow up, not out: Ages ago, when my hair was almost-black and at my chin (not sure what I was thinking), San Diego-based stylist Jet Rhys told me to get some volume into my strands by brushing my hair up and over my head as I blow dry. The idea is that this will lift the root while adding sleek shine to the ends -- which it totally does. It also helps cut way down on product (a spritz at the roots with SACHAJUAN Dark Volume Powder is all I need), which means my short hair doesn't turn into a giant ball of product by day two).
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Soften the side part: When I had long hair, I could rock a pretty deep side part. But if I do it now, I look like I have a Donald Trump-inspired comb over. (Not a good look.) So, I shifted my side part so it sits less than an inch off center. Subtle, but still pretty.
French is your friend (also known as: Thin is in): I'm talking about braids, people! Instead of those messy, chunky fishtails that I would pull apart and tease until it looked like I had twice as much hair as I actually do, I'm sticking to skinny accent braids or French-braid styles. Otherwise, my braid is only a nub and falls out in five seconds.
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