7 years ago by
When I decided to let my hair grow out, to the dismay of all my contemporaries (what, you think I’m exaggerating?) about six months ago (a year?) I was prepared for anything: my hair growing out asymmetrically, having to wear a hat for months, and even, even covering myself in a pound of bobby pins and not being able to get through the metal detectors at the airport.
I was ready for anything, except for the fact that one day…my hair would be long.
As I’m talking to you now, my hair has taken on the approximate shape of a long square. The ends touch my shoulders, exactly not like in my drawing.
[Long [too long] side note on curly bangs]
My hair is also showing signs of my botched bangs attempt (YES, ME TOO, like all the curly-haired girls on Instagram, I took the hype of Mica Arganaraz as a sign that I too, despite my curls, had the right to be both mystical ingenue AND sex bomb with a fringe.
Because everyone knows. Curly bangs can only exist in fashion shoots where there are three hair stylists armed with Elnett hairspray ready like a fire extinguisher to put every strand back in place every second.
[End of side note]
So as of today, my hair is more or less long.
And since I swore to myself I wouldn’t go back to putting it back all the time, I now spend my time trying out different products, textures and hairstyles.
[Side note [even longer than the previous side note] on long hair versus short hair]
Okay so let me tell you RIGHT AWAY since you’re asking, short hair wins on every level.
How easy it is to maintain:
Short hair 1
Long hair 0
Style:
Short hair 1
Long hair 0
Time spent at the salon (not for the cut, but for color):
Short hair 1
Long hair 0
Brain space required (Should I wear my hair up today? Or not? How should I style it? Do I need to wash it? What about later tonight? How should I do my hair?):
Short hair 1
Long hair 0
With long hair, unless I’m really at the top of my game in style and grace (which is not the case right now, due to a weird life moment that I’ll tell you about one of these days when it’s less strange), I feel like I look just like everyone else.
I didn’t realize the incredible impact short hair had. On myself (just jeans and a t-shirt and I was super stylish)(now if I wear jeans and a tee-shirt I’m boring)(okay, I’m exaggerating, but I do kind of feel that way). And on other people!!! Every day, I got compliments about my short hair! People were staring me down! I thought it was because I’m famous, but no! It was because I had short hair!
So much so that I almost cut it all off again last week, but before I did, I took care to call my prime minister (my sister) to ask for her advice, and she told me no, stick it out, your long hair is great. AND I had to listen to the begging puppy dog eyes of Chris who, like (almost) all guys, prefers long hair.
I decided to continue my crusade, keeping in mind the Amazon women with sublime long hair like Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon (???) who I’ll be joining soon since I decided that as long as I’m growing my hair out, I might as well make it very, very long.
UNLESS I cut it all off in a moment of rational thinking craziness.
[End of side note]
And as I was saying, long hair is a lot harder to take care of (you have to give it form! And substance! It doesn’t fall in place by itself!) so I’m trying out every product and technique possible and imaginable.
Different washing techniques:
No-poo
In other words, you wash your hair with conditioner only, or a special non-shampoo shampoo that doesn’t make suds and doesn’t have any stripping agents. Okay, let me tell you, it’s horrible, for me with my hair that gets oily easily. Maybe I didn’t try it for long enough, but for me, no-poo is really very difficult. I like to feel like my hair is fresh and clean.
Dry shampoo
A nightmare for me. First of all, it doesn’t work that well (I think you can tell your hair isn’t clean) and it also makes it hard and tangly, your hair clumps together, I can’t stand it. But I know lots of girls who love it! So I stuck it out, and tried lots of different brands before finally giving up forever.
Which is why I’m going to keep washing my hair every other day. On the first day, I can wear it down. Second day, it’s down in the morning, and then in the afternoon when it starts to get limp, boom – I put it back.
Different drying techniques:
Drying in braids.
When I want my hair to be really straight and flat, I wash it at night and sleep with my hair up. It works really well, but then well… It’s super straight and flat.
Drying naturally.
The problem is you really can’t control how it turns out in the end.
Blurry blowout.
That is, the blowout for the woman who:
1) Absolutely does not want to look like she’s styled her hair (obligatory Blue Lagoon reference)
2) Absolutely has no idea how to style her hair.
So actually, I’m not even blowing it out. I’m just drying it and pretending to use a brush, basically.
Drying it looks nice, it makes my hair flowy like Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks
[Curling Iron side note]
Okay, so this is the instrument that scares me the most when it comes to hair styling, because I’m so tired of seeing women with fake plastic mermaid hair. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, one out of every two American newscasters on TV is going nuts with a curling iron (they tend to be blondish, with a part down the middle, stick-straight roots and long curling iron curls at the ends)
I’m not against using a curling iron, but you need to rough up the curls a bit, make it look natural. Enough with the mermaid curls, please, help! The attack of the curling iron clones must cease!
[End of Curling Iron side note]
Simple blowdry, then.
Finally, to get a better shape (because my hair, depending on the weather and my general physical state, can go from super curly to completely straight in a matter of hours, which drives me crazy because I like hair stability), I’ve tried tons of products to get the right texture, products that add softness, products that add volume, products that keep your hair fixed in place, and each time, same conclusion:
The more I add, the more my hair hates it. It gets oily, brittle, and impossible to manage, and I just end up pulling it back.
I think that’s just the nature of my hair. It doesn’t like anything. I have lots of friends who have favorite products that have apparently saved their hair.
For me, it’s just a good gentle shampoo, a super conditioner that moisturizes the ends (right now I love True Botanicals, plus the bottles are beautiful!) and a touch of oil (Moroccan Oil) right before I dry my hair. Which is (ironically) exactly what I did when I had short hair.
That’s it.
And I try to accept all the little flaws. The unexpected oiliness (I wash it, I pull it back) and the unpredictability (I deal with it, and at worst, I pull it back).
That’s not to say I’ve given up my research, but that’s where I’m at for now.
Isn’t that the eternal and frustrating conclusion to every story?
WE HAVE TO ACCEPT OURSELVES AS WE ARE.
So boring.
Translated by Andrea Perdue
You may also like
Beauty
Curious About Collagen
Beauty
Take Your Vitamins
Garance
From the Archives: The Party
Beauty
Beauty is Knowing Yourself
Ahhhh Ive just started growing mine out. And I feel you, G. I mean, I’m still at that awkward not a pixie-not a bob situation but I’m dealing with it. The frizz seems to be the worst part, and since I’ve decieded to use as little chemical products as possible I might go for a Keratin treatment (oh lol the irony).
What I have decieded, however, is that I am the one in charge! I do not care what anyone says about my hair.
Lots of love,
Another boring-hairsituationaccepting girl.
I feel you so much! Totally remember that not-pixie-not-bob phase. I have thick and frizzy hair, so for a while, it was larger than longer, ugh. Good luck!
So relatable! I have curly hair and loved it when I went for a pixie cut. Those were a wonderful 6 weeks. Then, as it began to grow, it was torture. I’ll never do it again just for that reason! I had it long and decided I wanted to give bangs and a keratin a shot. It was nice for a month then it became a hassle. I went chin length a year and a half ago after I got sick of growing the bangs out and the treatment made my hair texture funky and its finally getting around shoulder length. I can’t wait to have it long again! Hope your keratin goes better than mine did!
I’m forever waffling on cutting my hair short. But I have tons and tons of thick, straight hair, which equals bad soccer mom puff the shorter it gets. So I guess I have to accept that the longer my hair gets, the better it looks. This is not a serious problem. But the bigger, bolder move that I’d like to make: letting the grey come in. I’m 45 and people often take me for 30. I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on the natural beauty of grey hair, the courage it takes to stop trying to look young and the societal perils of admitting age.
I’m 56 and transitioning to gray and wavy/natural! Go for it! I’m wearing lipcolors I never could as a brunette. And gathering the compliments… ;-)
Like you, I am growing my hair out after a lifetime of on/off short hair. But, unlike you, I don’t have a curly hair, just super straight hair. And your article is exactly what I am afraid of. I have no idea how to style my hair, except a blowdry with a round brush, and I don’t think I have patience to deal with it either. It looks nice the first day but then what to do the next. A few times I tried to grow my hair I lasted a year before I cut it again. But I need a change. And what’s up with men and their obsession with long hair?! I think you looked amazing with short hair and you can always cut it again :-)
Tu verras, tes cheveux vont beaucoup changer après ta grossesse ;)
I feel all of this so hard! My way of dealing with my curly hair is to not care that much, and hope it gives me an air of devil-may-care (it probably doesn’t).
As for drying, I find that if I get out of the shower about an hour before I have to go anywhere, it is generally dry enough at that point (even though it’s still half wet) that no matter the activity it will dry fairly predictably….as long as I don’t do any movement-intensive chores around the house before I leave!
Apart from that, my recent discovery that my frizz was due to dryness, and not just inevitable frizz, has been amazing! Bring on all the moisturizing products, my hair freaking loves them.
Thanks for the great text Garance! I had long hair (like really long) all my life and when I cut down to bob, compliments started. People were noticing me way more, in the beginning I didn’t even understand what the hell is going on, am I suddenly so pretty?! But again I’m back to long, which causes me the same struggles as for you…
However, I try to believe that we get to be noticeable when shine ourselves with the confidence of how amazing we look :)
I totally believe this! I recently decided to stop fighting my naturally wavy hair (Who the hell wants to blow dry in the summer?!?) when I found a stylist that saw the potential in my waves. It’s changed my world! No kidding! Now, I just wash with a shampoo and conditioner made for curls by Ouidad, use a masque once a week, rake it through with a tiny blob of mousse mixed with wave cream and Moroccan oil and shake it out upside down and then FLIP! I scrunch a little as it dries and it’s perfect all day. I’ve gotten more compliments on my wavy shoulder length cut than I ever did on the bob that took forever.
I used to have frizzy hair that got oily very quickly. I have tried out some different shampoos, drugstore brands but also some expensive ones you can buy at the hairdresser. I, just like you, had a feeling that my hair just didn’t like the whole “shampoo – conditioner – styling product” routine. After washing it, I spended a lot of time (20 minutes or so, but for me that’s too long) blowdrying and styling it.
A few weeks ago, I paid a visit to a hairdresser whom only works with natural products . She used a solid shampoo, which looks like a regular soap (but it isn’t). She gave me one, to try at home, and I haven’t used a regular shampoo anymore. The soap rinses my hair well, with a fine kind of foam, but it doesn’t overdo it. After washing, I don’t need conditioner, serum, … ANYTHING! I quickly dry it with my blowdryer, and use my hands instead of styling tools. My hair looks healthy and it has a natural kind of wave. I love it! Also, I can go for about 3 days without washing it instead of only 1. (without dry shampoo, because I really don’t like that stuff, it makes my hair look dry and greasy at the sime time, if that’s even possible) The shampoo soap I use is from Pachamamai. It’s a French brand, so maybe that’s a nice bonus for you Garance :)
Greetings
Liesbeth
Really interested to find out more about this brand, do you know if it’s available outside of France? Thanks
I, too, am interested in this soap. Maybe Garance can source it for us!
Garance, I love you. Pour moi, qui en ce moment vis avec un (très joli) pixie et qui me demande sans cesse : « Oui, mais est-ce vraiment ce que je veeuuuuux? C’était pas mieux long, comme avant? (Non) », ton post est tout à fait rafraîchissant. Et oui, tu l’as dit, il faut vraiment s’accepter comme on est, même si disons-le c’est franchement chiant!
J’ai les cheveux longs (ils m’arrivent à la moitié du dos), et je les ai eu très longs à une époque (bas du dos).
Je crois que le secret des cheveux longs, c’est de les accepter tels qu’ils sont, et de les laisser vivre tels qu’ils le souhaitent. Ne pas essayer de contrôler, quitte à ce que cela fasse un peu fouilli parfois (mais c’est beau aussi !).
A partir de là, l’entretient est simple. Je ne fais absolument rien (je me contente de les laver 2 fois / semaine), si ce n’est les démêler tous les matins (ce qui me prends 30s, voir 1min quand ils sont bien emmêlés). Et je proteste contre ceux qui disent que les cheveux longs sont “longs” à entretenir. Je passe beaucoup moins de temps à les coiffer que mes amis aux cheveux courts. L’avantage des cheveux longs, c’est qu’ils tombent à peu près en place sous leur propre poids. Quand je vois mes amis aux cheveux plus courts replacer tous les matins leurs mèches une par une pour ne pas avoir l’air ébouriffé, je ris.
Et je ne pense pas avoir des cheveux spéciaux, parfaits. Il y a des jours ou ils bouclent et frisottent, je profite alors de leur volume retrouvé. Des jours où ils sont tout raplapla, c’est le moment de sortir les quelques coiffures que j’ai développé pour ces occasions-là (et en ce qui me concerne, de jouer sur la position de la raie). Les jours où ils commencent à regraisser, c’est le moment de les attacher en chignon/tresse. Et je suis capable de les relever en chignon/attacher avec à peu près n’importe quoi (un stylo, des baguettes, un bout de fil, etc.) si nécessaire.
En résumé, je les laisse vivre, et m’adapte à leur humeur du moment, plutôt que de les forcer dans un style. Et cela fait 30 ans que mes cheveux et moi vivons une belle histoire d’amour.
Même histoire pour moi; mes cheveux longs sont beaucoup plus faciles à entretenir. Dès qu’ils tombent sous les épaules, leur poids seul aide à les placer. J’ai eu les cheveux longs la majeure partie de ma vie, et je viens juste de passer 1 an avec les cheveux “courts” (un carré au milieu du cou!) et c’était l’ENFER. Mes cheveux faisaient ce qu’ils voulaient: n’importe quoi!
Bon courage, Garance!
Bérénice,
Montréal
Haaa moi qui suis aussi en pleine repousse je partage complètement cette description.
Sauf que pour moi hormis quelques moments de grâce ou tu ne sais pas pourquoi mais tes cheveux sont parfaitement placés, brillant et plein de vie; la plupart du temps c’est barrette pour éviter la coupe de jeune chien fou ! Et oui les miens sont à peine sous les oreilles.
Donc hormis les canaliser, le mieux est sans doute de les accepter :)
Amélie – Charles Ray and coco
https://charlesrayandcoco.com/
All of my current struggles are the same/very similar! I’ve had a bob since about 2009, and it’s been great. Like you said, I feel like I stand out with more style in my hair, and it was much easier to maintain as I have a naturally wavy texture. Early this year, decided this is the year to grow it out! February of this year, I followed my instagram heart and went for some little highlights and dye job to my “meh” brown hair. All progress (maybe an inch or two) gone from growing. The dye job destroyed my hair and left me with frayed out hair that I could only tame with a flat iron (also the worst thing for fried hair!). I did a deep condition treatment or two at the salon, a routine 6 week cut to continue to take off the frayed hair, and almost lost all hope with growing hair. Skip to the fall/now- I’m taking vitamins to enhance my hair health, invested in a quality blowdrier to style instead of reaching for the hot tool, and switched to protein/caviar conditioner and a mask once a week. Still dealing with “almost” shoulder length, but my hair feels so much healthier! I am encouraged by posts like yours to accept my hair for the way it is, and learn my own unique styling tips and tricks for this mid-length struggle! <3
“fake plastic mermaid hair” oh I love that expression! I thought the same the other day when I was in NYC (visiting family – I’m French but living in Belgium with an Italian man). I had the impression that all women had taken an appointment with the same hairstylist before going out on a Friday night. It looks so fake, not elegant but rather Barbie-like. You could swap bodies but the hair would look the same.
Anyway, maybe I say that because I’m jealous? My hair is super thin and straight, so I might look like Janis Joplin quite easily. I had my hair short, now it is long but I still can’t make anything special with it, nothing stays. Last summer a friend tried to curl up my hair a bit – and used half a bottle of Elnett to fix it – but it never worked and I ended up feeling there was glue on my head.
At the same time, my Italian friends are crazy about my straight hair and try to straight theirs at every particular occasion…
Well, I love my hair, it’s unique, no?
I too have curly and wavy hair and have battled with long vs. short my entire life. For me, as much as I long for the IDEA of long hair–in other words, the hair that I want and not the hair that I have–the reality is that short is just better.
I want to be that long hair girl but I am not tall and I just somehow get lost in a not so good normalcy with long hair. And to be honest, because it does a different thing every single day, and is only rarely the thing that I wish for it to be, it is really just a huge, failed attempt to be what I cannot be. And yes, short hair is “other” in that you are the one who does not do what the majority has decided to do, so you are “other.” But if you have your own style, other is a good thing, other is a sense of self that speaks for itself. Other is GOOD. While I understand the desire to please your mate, pleasing yourself is a form of just that. Go with what you know to be the truth of what really does work for you and then you will always be you, which will always be great.
Les cheveux longs c’est plein d’imagination :-)
Growing out curly hair can be a real hit in your confidence. I have super curly hair that has been all lengths (hello Bob Dylan hair of grade 12; what a mistake), and the mid length between my chin and my shoulders is one of the worst stages. It doesn’t have quite enough length for a good curl pattern and it basically requires washing every day because it isn’t long enough to really put up in a decent manner. It took me years to find products that work well and also don’t cause skin issues (everything with silicone makes me break out). I’ve settled on a routine based around Shea Moisture products and my hair is doing pretty well. Last winter I cut it up in a long bob just above my shoulders, and now it is back down a few inches below. It has some volume and shape and is finally moisturized enough to not be a frizz ball.
I haven’t fallen in the curly bangs trap, but bangs are like my secret burning desire. I want them so badly. I know I would look really cute with them. But curly bangs are just a nightmare.
LOL the Bob Dylan hair… I have been using Shea Moisture too, I really like it; it’s not too greasy, and doesn’t feel too slick like some of the products with silicone in them. If my hair was a bit more curly, I’d go for the kind of style/cut that Sara Martins has on the Death in Paradise TV show…LOVE her hair!
Maybe you’re now ready for Fred cut by fred!!!
I have very straight hair that used to be shoulder or just past length but now is more or less like your illustration, but with bangs. Let me tell you, straight bangs don’t go the way they’re supposed to, either. I just want Anna Wintour straight down bangs, but they wave the wrong way or make wings like Krystle Carrington on Dynasty. And there is no longer an option for a day down and a day up. I think of President Obama and his suits of two colors to reduce decision fatigue and realize my hair is wearing me out before I even have gotten dressed. Honestly, guys don’t do this to themselves.
The soap opera of hair, with all of the dramatic twists and turns. I also have curly hair and I feel your pain on trying to deal with it. I currently have bangs and always cut them crazy short so I don’t have to fight the curl, they are too short to curl, ha! The length of your hair right now sounds a bit like what I like to call mushroom hair, it grows long enough to curl a bunch at the bottom and starts poofing out. If only I could poof it into some amazing afro, only that’s not what my hair does. It’s just curly enough to make it hard to predict or control and like you said, it is one of my daily lessons in acceptance : )
Thank you for this post, Garance! I love your french sense of humour.
I am also in the process of growing my hair and I wanted to share what I am doing. I make my shampoo fresh from rhassoul clay, honey, some essential oils of my choice, jojoba oil(1 teaspoon only) and hot water. After a not so comfortable transition period of oily hair, I am now washing my hair once a week with this shampoo and once a week water-only or with a very mild herbal shampoo. I have to say I have my natural hair colour without any dye and this procedure works fine for me. For this moment (36 years) I enjoy my silverlings here and there but I can’t say how it goes in the future. I think I will stick at least to plant hair dyes when I begin to look like a granny.
Oh mon dieu j’ai vécu la même chose que toi ! J’ai coupé mes cheveux très court il y a presque deux ans et je me sentais tellement différente par rapport aux autres mais dans le bon sens. Et là, après un carré court, mes cheveux repoussent et ont la longueur de “madame tout le monde” et je ne sais plus quoi faire. Laisser pousser ? Recouper ?
I am sooo over my hair! For the past 5 years I’ve been between “OMIGAAASH, pixie is life!I’m never going back to long hair!!” and “I really want to let my hair grow but I ain’t about that ‘in-between’ life”. Sigh. Le struggle continues.
Il y a environ 6 mois j’avais les cheveux longs jusqu’au milieu du dos.
J’avais décidé de me couper les pointes car elles étaient abîmées.
Je suis donc allée chez le coiffeur et j’ai bien dit à la coiffeuse de ne me couper que les pointes, c’est à dire environ 5 centimètres.
Résultat : je me suis retrouvée avec les cheveux en dessous des épaules.
La coiffeuse avait coupé plus de 10 centimètres, toutes mes mèches blondes naturelles s’étaient retrouvées par terre.
Depuis je me fait couper les pointes par ma mère.
Je n’ai aucunes envies de retourner chez le coiffeur.
Ah, the eternal crisis. I chopped my hair off 2 years ago and thought it was the best decision I’d ever made. Now I’m growing it out again and don’t know how to stop! I wish I was famous and could alternate between short and long hair every other day because I can never quite figure out what is the best look. I, like you, got so many compliments on my short hair. but I actually found it much more difficult to keep up with. It was harder for me to physically reach to style – and boy did I HAVE to style it, unless I wanted to be wearing a poufy helmet. Oh, the struggle.
http://www.wonderlandsam.com
le no-poo est généralement conseillé au cheveux crépus, qui ont besoin d’hydration maximal (sébum, gras) dans leur cheveux. L’hydratation est important pour ton type de curl, as tu pensé au bain d’huile avant ton shampoing régulier? ou faire 1 part revitalisant une part shampoing une part revitalisant?
I LOVED LOVED LOVED your short hair. It was chic, different and super flattering on you. You stood out. You looked confident and very French-girl cool. It was natural and not overdone. Most women, including myself, cannot pull off short hair like you did. I was jealous!
Long hair is boring. I can’t stand all the middle lengths on my me. It has to be very long or just below my chin. And since I hate all the middle lengths I only last so long before I cut it again. Unless there’s something unique going on with the color or texture, it just looks BORING. And all the Pinterest do’s or Victoria’s Secret extensions look overdone to me.
I swear getting past the collarbone is the hardest part. I call the collarbone to mid-before boob the danger zone because it’s usually when I impulsively cut it off again. Hang in there you’ll get there! I am currently on the grow out too at the beloved collarbone battling constant 60’s flipping. I am trying to “hang in there” too…
http://www.beingskindeep.com
Garance, you never looked as pretty as you did with short hair. You have a lovely face and short hair accentuates it.
I don’t like long hair, because you do, you like everyone else out there– every Victoria Secret model, every boring cool blogger girl. Short hair is empowering and sexy, and daring to be different, which I wish more women were empowered to cut it off… I would never grow my hair because ‘my man’ prefers it long. He should prefer anything I do, because he loves me for me, right? Don’t let so many influences influence your representation you want to put out into the world, do YOU, and everyone should love you.
Right on. I can’t see any reason that you are growing it long. Maybe I missed it.
Loved this! I have very curly hair and did the big chop (boy short) a few years ago! Loved it, but the grow out was hard. G – Have you ever tried using a curl creme? I use one by AG and a diffuser and my curls looks amazing. You could probably get your hands on a Dyson dryer which cuts down dry time :)
Have you tried the DevaCurl salons? Curly hair should always be dry cut. Their products are great and you will get a lesson on the best way to work with your hair.
I’d like to come back with good hair next time. It’s just not happening in this lifetime. I recently asked for a “Grandmother’s mullet” in a mad moment of boredom. Bad idea! Post-menopausal hair gets thinner and coarser, that’s why all those old ladies have old lady hairstyles. There are a few exceptions, but I’m not one of them. Enjoy it while it’s still thick.
OMG the “mermaid hair”! It’s all over Instagram too. I feel like there’s no escape, I see it wherever I turn! I have thin, frizzy curly hair and have been struggling with frizz forever. Until I met Oribe texturising spray. We’ve been inseparable since and now I have tousled, wavy, beachy hair :)
Ana
http://www.champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk
Hey G! what about the gentle keratin treatment you did years ago? maybe that could help?
XO
Mercedes
Hey you,
I went trough the same thing a couple of years ago…..hair growing. …no idea what to do with it…..got screamed at by my sister who works in a hair salon,because i used the blow drier wrong and never used a mask…..i just didn’t know what to do at all…..two things saved me….one is small talk by bed head tigi…it gives your curly hair ( and mine) structure as if you styled it….which i didn’t caus too lazy…so just blow dry and braid or air dry or bun on top of my head and done….and a tiny little bit of hair oil to calm it down after blow drying. …less poodle more silky nice glow….there you go
Love how your topics are so on target.
I had the long bob for so long that I thought why not mix it up. Ugh no more hair compliments. I think my friends are too embarrassed to even comment on my cut. I tried to get a loose wavy cut and ended up with too short everywhere so it is now a big uncontrollable mess that is impossible to really pull back. It will never be really long as that drags my face but I guess the mom lob is what I am stuck with. Why is it so hard to find different hairstyles that actually are maintainable.
I will be growing my hair out along side you. Even started to hoard the bobby pins to tame the wild beast.
Sidenote: natural hair products really do help make the hair stronger and more manageable. It doesn’t get stripped by the chemicals. It’s the only lesson that I have learned that really helps.
Merci Garance pour ce texte que j’ai lu avec beaucoup de plaisir! Le dry shampoo que j’adore (le seul) est celui de la marque Moroccan oil. Je le trouve plutôt miraculeux en ce qui concerne l’effet volume de cheveux et il sent bon.
J’avais de très longs cheveux et j’ai décidé de les couper. Question de me renouveler. J’ai adoré ma coupe courte pendant 6 mois avant de vouloir retrouver mes cheveux longs. Je suis en processus de repousse et donc j’ai les cheveux aux épaules. Je préfère un look dépeigné. Je suis d’accord pour les mermaid curls. C est du trop-parfait et pas très intéressant finalement. :)
Je ne comprends pas… Tu es tellement sublime et unique ! Relaxe :-)
My hairstylist once described people with hair way past their shoulders as “hair farmers” which I thought was hilarious. Her opinion was that it stopped having any style at that point, and became an end in and of itself, which I kind of agree with. So don’t farm your hair, Garance! Maybe stop at the upper back?
I have fine curly hair and have moved a couple times between short pixie-ish cuts and long hair, with similar mixed feelings. It’s too bad the process is so slow!
I, too, like hair that looks effortless à la Clémence Poésy. Alas, even though I air dry mine with very little product and do nothing else, it ends up looking like “fake plastic mermaid hair”. :-( To top it off, I’m Asian, and people always assume I got one of those fake perms! I try to rough it up and undo the spiral curls that naturally form on my head, but then it makes my hair all frizzy. (I live in Seattle, so the constant moisture in the air doesn’t help the frizz, either.) I would gladly lop my hair off and go for a pixie look à la Audrey Tautou, but I have the stereotypical round Asian face and I just end up looking dorky as heck. (Yes, I’ve tried it.) So one way or another, we all seem to have hair woes.
Hello Garance !
J’ai découvert récemment un outil qui a changé ma vie (=celle de mes cheveux!) : la brosse soufflante/séchante rotative ! Une merveille ! Elle permet de réaliser sois-même (et sans compétence ou “technique” nécessaire) un brushing en insistant comme on le souhaite sur les ondulations (super naturelles!) bref, ça se tente :)
Hello! Je suis d’accord la brosse Babyliss soufflante (et rotative indispensable) est mon meilleur allié pour discipliner mes cheveux en un faux brushing (un faushing ??) naturel! une petite pointe d’huile et ils sont bien pour quelques jours :)
OMG I have the same situation with oiliness – I wash my hair in the morning and on the same day it’s great and I feel awesome, but on the next day by noon it’s completely flat already, and in the late afternoon.. I pull it back. :)
What is really annoying to me is that my hair turns in ridiculous ways during my sleep (I mean in the crown area) and in the morning (and the rest of the day, unfortunately) it looks like something is nesting on my head. Anyone with any suggestions how to tackle with it?
The top of the top: thé steamer podium or plasues GHD…. cheveux lisses et brillants en un 1/2 tour de mzin
From a fellow curly girl who had short hair and has grown it out…
Stay away from silicone (Moroccan oil). It chokes the hair shaft causing underlying dryness. Later it weights the hair down causing the dreaded “triangle head.” Plus Moroccan oil smells like fake vanilla, YUCK!
Try instead Phyto’s HUILE SUPRÊME RICH SMOOTHING OIL. It’s light weight but very hydrating and smoothing sans silicone. No fake scent. Apply first before blow-dry. No more than two sprays into palm of hand. A bottle lasts forever. Don’t be tempted to buy it’s sister the cream. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t come close.
Intelligent Nutrients VOLUMIZING SPRAY no fake scents or silicone. Before blow dry after the Phyto. Spray lightly at the roots and through to the ends. After blow drying use your fingers to adjust your waves (curls) and spray to finish and hold your style.. Use again during the day to fixed the dreaded triangle head. In a pinch I find wetting your hands and restyling reactivates the volumizing spray during the day.
Good luck
Tracy
Hahahaha! Je vais essayer de faire court mais là encore c’est l’histoire de ma vie !! Ca et le poste d’y a 5 jour !
Et puis Mica arganaraz … je me vois encore dans les rue parisienne la regardant poser pour les pub HM entrain de me dire si ça marche pour elle …. Ca peux marcher pour moi aussi …. mais je crois que l’idée m’a laisser tombé…
Finallement la meilleur technique que j’ai trouvé , c’est l’eau de mer … bref tu passes ta journée à la plage … sinon la j’essaie de les faire pousser … genre long cheuveux sous les épaules ( jamais eu encore ) … Ben la …je parle au cellule de mes cheveux…et je me Dit que pourquoi pas après tout un petit peu de blabla ça fait toujours du bien…
About the hair, it makes me curios, how much of your personality does your hair make in general? Maybe 30 % ?
I mean sometimes it feels like challenge to let your hair grow, but try to get 90 – 90 – 90 (chest-waist-hips) just for fun, to konw how it feels….:)
What about women over 40 who find their hair is suddenly thinning? Any tips on how to get back to a thicker head of hair anyone?
Second you on this!!!
Hang in there G! Easy to forget but long hair will have -weight- and that is your friend. I have waist length hair that behaves very well now but is stupidly poofy when shoulder-length (I’d have ‘shovel head’). A friend of mine had hair to the middle of her back, natural tightly curled at the bottom but pulled by its own weight into beautiful soft waves at the top. At most, get some root volumizer in that and you’re good to go!
Also, once you get to bun length, it’s smooth sailing. I get two claw clips (JCrew has prettier ones than drugstore) and just sort of twist/clip my hair into a pretzel/chignon-like twist at the back of my head, then pull out a little to loosen up the front. Takes literally five seconds. No blow dry, no fuss, no product.
Just speaking for myself (with incredibly thick, naturally wavy, normal-to-dry hair):
Long hair is EASY! You wash it, put some cream in, go to sleep, and wake up with it looking wavy. Wait a day or so, brush it, and it smooths out. You only have to cut it twice a year. As for styling, just let it hang. Or put it in a bun. Takes two seconds.
Short hair is HARD: You have to get it cut every six weeks; when you go to bed with it wet, it dries in odd positions. You have to actually use products and (ugh) *style* it. With things like hairdryers and straightening irons and gel and mousse.
Having had both long and short hair for years and years, long hair wins every time for ease of maintenance — and also versatility (do I want it in a topknot? a braid? behind my ear in a side bun?). Short hair is nothing but angst (it won’t grow! it’s grown out too fast! it’s dried straight up on one side because of how I sleep!).
The only thing I miss about short hair is how, every single time I went to the hairdressers, I’d come out with a different cut. But you can have that with medium-length hair like what you have right now, too!
“the worst disaster since the ombré a few years ago” lol love it.
1. install a shower filter
2. wash every 5 days
3. use l-ascorbic acid or malibu treatment to get rid of mineral buildup from hard water every fourth wash
4. Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil to shampoo
5. Morrocanoil hydrating conditioner
6. rub light mouse all over, section and twist/air dry
7. shake it, style, lightly set with hairspray
6. Morrocanoil to top it off
Maintained this for a year now and almost restored my hair to health. No color for 3 years to reverse what was an absolute nightmare on my thin, curly hair. It’s almost past my nippies :). It’s ash in color, but the healthier it gets the more reds show up. I do part it in the middle. I mermaid the front while the bangs take forever to grow out. I get compliments everywhere.
Most importantly, my hair feels divine. Healthy and almost like it was twenty five years ago, which after a decade of flaking and always fussing around makes me feel like a teenager again.
Bonjour
merci pour cette lettre amusante…c’est l’histoire de mes cheveux aussi. J’ai trouvé une solution que j’aime bien, de temps en temps, j’utilise un mélange d’huile de cartor(ricin) et huile de noix de coco 50/50 que j’applique sur mes racines et boucles en petite quantité. Mes cheveux aiment mais je dois les laver le lendemain car comme toi, je déteste les cheveux pas propres. Ce mélange est censé faire pousser les cheveux plus vite et les hydrate beaucoup aussi.
Short hair!
I’m going through the same dilemma – I had super long hair a year ago, then chopped it off and had a short bob. I loved it but now I’m thinking I want long hair. And yes, I do feel “boring” with longer hair…but I also feel that it’s a lot less maintenance and cheaper to maintain, too.
I stopped using shampoo – no matter how expensive, I felt that my hair wasn’t healthy. I now use home made “shampoo” and it does wonders – my hair is getting more and more shiny and starts growing faster!
Lena
http://zoyaandme.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/zoyaandmestudio
Oh I needed this post! I had breast cancer two years ago and I don’t miss chemo or radiation but man I miss my pixie! But I spent two years growing my now curly hair into a Christmas tree shaped unruly mess of a bob and I am scared to cut it short again! My sister also voted long but I felt so chic with my short hair. Now I look like everyone else only less well groomed because I refuse to spend an hour with a hairdryer and products. Garance you were my inspiration when I was short-short and not by choice. I think you look beautiful either way but ladybug you rock short hair like nobody’s business.
I literally just got back from the salon where I cut my hair back into a pixie after a year and half of growing it out. I laughed at how relevant this was. Thank you for voicing my thoughts so eloquently! At first it felt like giving up, but once it was done, I felt like myself again! It helps that I’m with one of the few men out there who loves a good pixie. (He’s always had a thing for Agyness Deyn. ;) ) Long hair, short hair. It’s really just hair. It grows, you cut it. The circle of life! Just do whatever makes you feel the most confident!
I have curly hair and cut bangs this year. An amazing mess that I love. I use a blow dryer quickly to send them to the left, then the right, then down, and I don’t touch anything after that. Also, discovered this year–a tiny flat iron. I can “dab” the ends of my curls to make the squareness/helmet shape go away. Don’t give up hope on the wavy fringe!
ma vie, mes cheveux! je n’ai jamais vraiment compris ma masse capillaire, et ça m’ennuie complètement d’en prendre soin. L’an dernier, comme toi j’ai laissé pousser, en étant très attentive à la phase-difficile- de repousse ou tu ne ressemble pas à grand chose. Puis finalement, ils sont arrivés difficilement aux épaules, je me suis fait pendant deux mois des coiffures vintages et utilisé mes petits headbands puis…J’ai tout recoupé à mon plus grand bonheur (parce qu’en plus j’ai le cheveu lisse et ennuyeux.)
Bref, moi je t’aime beaucoup avec les cheveux courts (parce que au niveau stayle, tout ça…) mais après, c’est ta vie et tes gouts, et ton style surtout :-)
Garance, wake up!tu es francaise! Donc fais comme toute francaise qui se respecte, te coiffe pas ! C est la sexy touche qu elles nous envient toutes, mais un super bon shampoing, un soin un coup de seche cheveux et dodo. Tu te reveilles avec une tete de folle que tu assumes grave et voila!
J’ai la même nature de cheveux que toi et j’utilise un embout diffuseur depuis plus de 10 ans: séchage tête en bas en moins de 5min (il en existe des universels qui se plugent sur tous types de sèche cheveux)
Pour que ça fonctionne il faut mettre un produit coiffant sur les cheveux. J’en ai essayé des dizaines et depuis 3 ans j’utilise exclusivement “Boucle d’art” de Kérastase ça ressemble à une mousse mais au séchage c’est comme si on avait rien mis sur les cheveux et les boucles restent pendant 2 jours…je les commande sur Internet par 4 de peur que la marque arrête le produit un jour!!
You should just wear your hair the way you like it, not how other people like it. That being said, I have a tip and it’s called reverse washing. It means that you first use conditioner, rinse it out, and then use shampoo. I have done this ever since I tried it for the first time, maybe a year ago. I don’t know why, but it works so much better! It leaves my hair soft, but not too soft, and clean, but not too dry (I have wavy/curly hair). My friends also do this since I’ve told them about it. The second thing is that I cut my own hair. My last haircut was in July, and that one was so bad that I decided to cut it myself from now on. I bought hair scissors (only $15) and I trim the ends off while I stand in front of the mirror. There are many instructional videos on YouTube. I even cut my mullet off at one point and it looks fine.
Nouvelle ref de vieille (avant les 90s on va dire) pour les nanas au curling iron : Nelly Olson :)
C’est tellement vrai ce que tu racontes et je te soutiens à 300%, je suis dans la même situation et j’aimerais tellement qu’ils repoussent plus vite et que hop on soit direct à la bonne longueur celle où il y a suffisamment de masse pour que les cheveux se placent bien naturellement… en attendant l’élastique est toujours prêt à être dégainé et je pleure quand le temps est humide et que mes cheveux moussent… mais c’est le prix pour atteindre la bonne longueur… plus que 6 mois! Courage!
Uff, I understand the struggle! I have cutted my hair back in 2011. Really short, boyish, my hairdresser convinced me. From shoulder length, thin and commercial hairstyle I suddenly went bold andddd I never felt better and more confident in my life, sort of liberated and I used to say that even my sex was better with that new hair :D (sounds silly but aghhh thats how I felt) . Also , people were amazed – except for my boyfriend- he was terrified, at the end of the day he fell in love with pretty girl with “normal” hair and this was a big thing for him to adjust. Short style lasted for a year and than I started letting it grow. I was 22 back than. I had short bob after and than those lobs and other stuff but nothing ever gave me the same feeling. Now I am 26 and touching and lifting my hair up all the time but I do not have courage to make a statement again.
…. Et ta technique pour les raidir au fait ? Ca semblait pas mal, ils etaient souples et brillants …(Superbe avec ton chignon de toute les façons ????) bises
I cut my hair after noticing in photos that I always had my hair either tied back or pinned up. What was the point? I prefer short hair for all the reasons you mentioned.
And I can’t stand all that long twirly Rapunzel hair. on women over 30. The antithesis of chic. Sarah Jessica, Renee, you know who you are. I do love blunt cuts to or above the shoulder, but anything hanging farther than that looks awful, unless you are seven.
Believe me i tried them all, but whipped creme from Sebastian and the hydra shampoo and conditioner and mask Sebastian THE BEST !!!
I do not see any reason to suffer with long hair if you are so gorgeous with short hair. A couple months ago, I found a dry shampoo that suits me. My life will not be the same. And it’s the only reason that I continue this feat))
Hi Garance,
I totally get you. I have a big curly hair, a bit more voluminous than yours (here’s another think that makes me read your blog, and follow your style, etc ;)) I have to plan to wash it on sunny days, otherwise it gets weird and makes me feel a little down, questioning why do I not have a different hair. It also got even dryer and difficult to manage it after I had it some blond highlights.
Anyways, what really saved me (money as well) was hydrating it with Coconut Oil at least once per week. I feel it softer, more defined curls and a nice volume. I also tried no poo, but in the end, I prefer to use some natural shampoos and try to wash the scalp and preserve the rest. It really makes the difference! And a good haircut (appropriate for curly hairs) and I feel free again! I hope you feel the same soon!
Kisses from Brazil
I totally get you. I have a big curly hair, a bit more voluminous than yours (here’s another think that makes me read your blog, and follow your style, etc ;)) I have to plan to wash it on sunny days, otherwise it gets weird and makes me feel a little down, questioning why do I not have a different hair. Also, It’s gotten even dryer and difficult to manage after I had some blond highlights.
Anyways, what really saved me (money as well) was hydrating it with Coconut Oil at least once per week. I feel it softer, more defined curls and a nice volume. I also tried no poo, but in the end, I prefer to use some natural shampoos and try to wash the scalp and preserve the rest. It really makes the difference! And a good haircut (appropriate for curly hairs) and I feel free again! I hope you feel the same soon!
Kisses from Brazil
Oh Garance ! Qu’est ce que c’est que ce “moment de vie étrange” !? J’espère que c’est une bonne nouvelle? Quelque chose qui t’obligerait à retoucher ta robe de mariée par exemple ; ) ?
<3 Dans tous les cas (boucles, long, court…marron, vert ou bleu) tu es belle. Et ça n'est pas seulement la cause d'un joli visage ou d'un corps, tu es belle parce que tes mots honnêtes et simples parlent chaque jour à des milliers de femme et nous donnent confiance.
Hello garance doré,
Il y a 3 ans j’avais une coupe courte avec frange et mes cheveux étaient bouclés , j’adorais!
Et puis j’ai voulu laisser pousser mes cheveux parce que je voulais etre encore plus féminine (meme si me couper les cheveux courts m’a dynamisé mon corps et je me sentais hyper femme! bref)
Souvent je repense a cette période de ma vie
Mes cheveux sont souples donc peuvent etre raides ou bouclés..
Aujourd’hui j’ai les cheveux longs et le meilleur allié que j’ai est de mettre un gros diffuseur de coiffeur sur mon seche-cheveux et de les secher avec! Avant je mets un sérum soit pour boucles soit pour cheveux abimés genre mythic oil de l’oreal et c top
Et si je veux que mes boucles tiennent encore plus longtemps je mets le spray boucles brume réactivante bumble & bumble et je sèche toujours au difuseur – effet boucles garanties et approprié à la nature de mes cheveux. Mon cuir chevelu respire comme avec mes cheveux courts avec ces soins. Gros bisous garance doré
At the ballet last year I saw a mature woman (maybe in her 60s) who was an inspiration. Very fit (perhaps a ballet instructor or ballerina herself?), dressed simply and elegantly in black long-sleeved bateau neck top, grey wool midi skirt, and of course ballerina flats. Her hair, which she wore loose, was silver, long to her mid-back, and centre-parted. She looked absolutely beautiful and I’ve adopted her as the muse of my 40s!
I’m waking my sleeping baby in my arms with my giggles! Trop marrant! Tu es vraiment adorable Garance! My super short cut is now a bob with bangs, a style I return to again and again over the years, and I’m so thankful to have easy straight hair. I feel so lucky I’ve never dyed it at age 39 and don’t need to yet. (There are other things I would like to change.) I’m thinking of growing my hair and bangs out and being one of those boring women whose hairstyle men love. Keep growing you can cut again later!
Le cheveux long c est un peu la coupe de Mme Tout le monde c est sûr. ..
J adore ma coupe courte et régulièrement je laisse repousser un chouïa pour tout recouper avec bonheur. Et puis dans le court il y a des variantes. J ai de la chance, mon mari prefere le court. Plus de style, plus de caractère et on ose encore plus le féminin côté fringue ou maquillage sans faire tarte.
Pressée que tu craques ????????????????
You know Garance, when you got your hair cut short, you really inspired me and I also decided to cut (I was already going through the mental toying) my hair into a short pixie cut. It is definitely more chic and easy to maintain and different to everyone else. I now sport an uncut, which I maintain at my local barber (at a third of the salon price).
I felt a little let down when you decided to go back on that long hair band wagon and use that old cherry “Oh he likes long hair”. Most men prefer long hair on women, but remember he fell in love with you with short hair !
I think you love fabulous with short hair, but it’s only hair, have fun!!
MIS: hang in there. That is the ultimate hair problem… That being said, I’ll bet you are and look beautiful. I’m thinking of you and wishing you strength. xx
For the last YEAR I’ve been trying to embrace the curly bangs, conclusion, Mica and Frija are Fictions and I’m left with very long hair and a fringe I can’t style even when i blow dry it.
Lesson: Just let it be.
I’m talking about it all here http://www.fashionparadoxes.com/2016/10/16/my-hair-again/
Cheveux longs please parce que : plusieurs options de coiffage !!!! j’ai les cheveux aux épaules, pour “alimenter” mes pointes sèches, j’applique de l’huile d’olive ou huile de coco à sec, sur 5 cm, quand je commence à avoir les cheveux gras, et je fais un boudin que j’enroule de charlotte de douche d’hotel, avec un elastique, et je dors avec ou je reste 4 à 5h avec chez moi (quand personne autour !), puis rinçage, shampooing doux et hydratant sur les pointes, rinçage, quand ils juste humides, avant le séchage, j’applique une huile – soin encore sur les pointes puis séchage : mes cheveux sont doux et brillants !! à faire une à 2 x par semaine.
Et il m’arrive de faire des breaks de 3jrs sans shampooing (quand je suis toute seule chez moi le dernier jour ;p) et des breaks de sèche cheveux, pour faire respirer tout ça.
Et on me dit tout le temps que j’ai des beaux cheveux…enfin j’essaie !
My problem is the inverse one than what you girls are talking about. I had long ( Elbow long ) hair- thick ,very lustrous, shiny , naturally healthy. They did take a long time to dry ( 18 hours without dryer ) but I actually did nothing except shampooing and conditioning for maintenance! It was all hunky dory! I got big compliments wherever I went. My boyfriends wrote poems on my hair. Some said they fell in love with me because of my hair ( I dont know what that says about me !!!!) . Then I moved to a foreign country and my hair quality began deteriorating…slowly and steadily. The hair salon people said my hair strand were so thick that their scissors dint work. some complained my hair was too long and they made me stand all along while they cut my hair because cutting my hair while i was sitting tired them they said. and one fine day, 9 months back I cut my hair until they just touched my ears… I feel pissed… not liking myself at all. And I live in Paris. Garance , could you please suggest a fantastic Coiffeur a Paris?
Yes we have to accept ourselves . and it is so boring. Shit!
Garance, my hair has the same issues! It’s fine-ish, gets oily, and can be wavy or really limp and straight and it rebels against so many hair products by going frizzy or flat. It doesn’t like to hold a style.
So, I have a nearly identical safe hair routine- my hair also likes True Botanicals shampoo and two drops of marula oil on the ends. Almost anything else is pushing my luck and asking for lame hair. I laughed out loud at your description of blow drying because that’s pretty much me, too. I have no idea what I’m doing, so I mainly dry my roots and let the rest sort of air dry while scrunching or gently twisting it and hope it turns out ok.
Hello Garance, j’ai adoré ton post! Moi, je porte les cheveux courts et je me sens sublime et je force sur cette différence qui me distincte de toutes les femmes qui adoptent le cheveu long à tout prix. Car le long ne va pas à toutes, c’est une raison de plus de ne pas vouloir ressembler à toutes femmes confondues. De plus, c’est pour soi qu’on adopte un style et pour personne d’autres!
I’m so happy you listened to your sister (and Chris). Really. You look so pretty, so girly with longer hair. To me, it’s short hair that is boringI I live in Poland and it’s very typical for new moms to get haircuts. Short hair reminds me of new moms and soccer moms :/ (But I do realize it’s very different in NYC).
Still, Garance, your hair is simply PERFECT at the moment. You are mesmerizing! I have never stared at your pics or little videos in instagram as I do now. Oh, and yesterday I cut my hair shorter so they now look more like yours, natural and curly, and it feels great ;))
I am SO with you! I cut mine when you cut yours – Loved my short hair, I felt fun, sassy – on the “cutting edge”, lol! My husband say”I really liked it long, please grow it out”, I’m right there with you, just above shoulder, wrestling with it each morning (as opposed to running some Defining Whip through it and out the door), trying to figure out which product will lift it, smooth it, something to look “cool” – not happening. It doesn’t look as styling as short hair, I feel frumpy and plain. I am so temped to cut it again, but I’m going to keep going……then it’ll just end up in a plain ponytail! Hang in there! ; )
Cut Cut ! your previous short haircut was so WAOW, unique, stylish, elegant, avec du chien ! please stop with the carré mémère :)
I think you look lovely with short and longer hair. Understand that you are growing it for Chris…and perhaps for your wedding. That’s fine…if it works for you. If you aren’t happy with it, then you should cut it – you looked wonderful and you loved your short hair. If he loves you (and it certainly appears that he adores you), then he will love your hair because it will make you happy!
Then again, someone suggested that you get the gentle Keratin treatment again – that’s what I do. I have a lot of fine hair (a LOT) that was very curly back in the day. I pretty much lost my nice curls, except for underneath in the back of my head…the rest is now frizzy if left to its own devices. I’ve been getting the Coppola Express Blow-out Keratin treatment for several years now – 3 times a year. It seems to be cumulative – my hair is so much easier to style and blow out, I’m even letting the bangs grow out and growing the rest until it’s now below my shoulders. I won’t go too much longer…once the bangs are longer (just about long enough to tuck behind my ears now) I’ll trim the bottom but keep most of the length). I’m very happy – I can tie it up or leave it down – and I am easily old enough to be your mother!
Do what makes YOU happy!
As I aged, it was expensive and time consuming to color my thin hair…so 10 years ago I cut it all off and I mean all…off. And bleached it white. I’m not a beautiful woman, but I’m striking and at 64, my skin is still beautiful. Except for a few of them, mostly gay, white men hate it. No argument…they love long hair. African American men and women love it and stop me in the street to tell me. My husband…likes it, a lot. He says it’s sophisticated. It does take guts…but I have no shortage of nerve. Anyway, I don’t care what anyone thinks…I adore it.
Ah…we DO have to accept ourselves the way we are! But we CAN change our hairstyle and length…and it will grow back. Please yourself!
Kind of puts things in perspective for me. Blessings to you!
J’adore le concept de stabilité capillaire. Après tout les cheveux sont des natures mortes. Ils ne sont pas sensés vivre au delà de notre volonté et nos mèches perchées dire bonjour chaque matin à tous ceux que nous croisons.
J’adore tes cheveux courts. Pas parce qu’ils sont courts mais parce que ça te va à la perfection et que comme ça ne va pas à tout le monde tu ne ressembles pas à Madame tout le monde.
Après on veut toujours des trucs différents. Te couper les cheveux courts avaient susciter autant sinon plus de questionnement (équation: cheveux courts + bouclés: kératine). La même solution ne serait elle pas envisageable pour des cheveux longs? En plus, plus ils sont lisses plus ils ont l’air long.
Moi j’ai les cheveux qui bouclent. Comme ils bouclent, ben ils bouclent pas de la même manière partout. C’est l’effet anti curling iron!! Du coup quand j’ai laissé pousser c’était juste affligeant. Il fallait que je brushe!!! Aucun intérêt de passer d’un brush de 10 mn sur un carré à un brush de 30 mn longueur épaule. Tout ça pour ressembler à… rien. Ca noyait mon visage et j’avais l’air encore plus fatiguée (genre 30 ans – 3 nuit de sommeil= +10 ans)
Bref fais l’expérience!! Il le faut. Pour revenir au court avec encore plus de plaisir. Croix de bois croix de fer tu vas le faire.
I think Yasmin Sewell is a good example for how (her newer) short hair can give a woman a very feminine attitude. I think she looks so much more special and sophisticated somehow this way than with her bob. But I guess it is a question of taste in the end.
What I really like about a longer bob is that you can put the hair up quickly. I find it to be a lot less maintenance because I don’t have to wash and style my hair so often. “Short” was a lot more work. But I do wear it up in a messy banana mostly… so still somehow short ; )
I think the short hair (with the longer on top) suited you perfectly, because your features go so well with it. Not everyone can pull off short hair like that! It made you look a little more adventurous somehow too. But I like the sensuality longer hair has just as well. And you can just DO more with it. With short hair, you look pretty much the same every day.
I have longish hair and my entire life has been:
cut in fringe
get bored of fringe upkeep
grow out fringe
get bored of growing out fringe upkeep
cut in fringe
and repeat…..
Dry shampoo has never worked for me despite everyone I know loving it, so I’m heartened to find another person who doesn’t like to use it!
I find coconut oil is good as a treatment, even on my very oily hair, and I’ve recently started using Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo once a week which has been a revelation.
But, you always look stylish Garance, so you can wear your hair any way!
Hi Garance! I have soft curls and love Oribe curl cream, curl gloss (non crispy gel), and their supershine moisurizing cream. I use them in combination and usually only go for the gloss when I have an event. 5 m head upside down blow dry at my roots and done. I love your work as always. best, Mary
I have had long hair most of my life (bunned) and recently went through chemo, which isn´t exactly a beauty boost. I have decided to stay short and find that having been pushed over the menopause (anti-hormone-treatment) has totally taken care of the problem of greasy hair and underarm-sweat. All I need is a good stylist and a rinse a day (the hair dries in minutes) to have a good hair-day. Unexpected improvement, actually! :-) However, I sometimes have pangs for the long hair, and a longing for the girl I used to be. Whatever we choose, I think we need to deal with the grief of who we can´t be, for whatever reason.
Haha, oh, Garance, your writing wins again! My favorite line (laughed out loud): “So actually, I’m not even blowing it out. I’m just drying it and pretending to use a brush, basically.” Bisous!
Garance, loved your hair short. But I like you always crave a new look, so I am growing my hair out from a pixie as well. I terribly miss the efficiency and am enamored (jealous) whenever i see another girl rocking it. This year I’ve decided to grow out my hair and stop dyeing it. Curious to see what my real hair color is and embracing the gray that is taking it over. The real reason i started writing this, is to tell you about baking soda. My hair gets this weird buildup/greasy texture sometimes. I think it has to do with the water, I live in LA. So i don’t know where i saw this, but once a week I wash it with a paste of baking soda/water. It initially makes your hair feel like straw(try maybe a little bit at time), but once you shampoo and condition normally it air dries perfectly. I have a little bit of a wave in my hair, and it kinda loosens it up a bit. Can’t wait to see your blue lagoon hair soon! Besos!
Instead of using dry shampoo, as a brunette I use cocoa powder. Not only does it soak up with oil, it blends into my hair and smells fabulous! xx!
Hey wonderful Garance Dore Team, I post here because I don’t know where to comment on this issue (maybe I missed a post/cannot find it/ it hasn’t been one?):
What about the terrible issue of transitioning to gray. Not that gray hair is a terrible thing, not at all – but transitioning is, especially if you have been dyeing your hair in a darker color.
I started turning gray with thirty… And have been coloring it ever since.
I am still not sure if I really want to go natural. Totally back and forth.
Maybe other readers are interested too?
Love, Ava
Je vis la situation inverse, mes cheveux sont plus faciles à vivre en étant longs. J’ai porté longtemps un carré où je devais passer des heures de brushing pour un résultat jamais satisfaisant.
Je les ai laissé pousser et je revis …
Courts ou longs je crois qu’il ne faut pas chercher à lutter contre contre sa nature de cheveux !
I feel you, I suppose it’s annoying to have hair that can go unpredictably from curly to flat…
In my case, long hair is less work than short hair, but I have a predictable texture: the “Madonna in the 80s”. Which is fine, because I love Madonna and I love the 80s.
It’s kinda wavy and frizzy. It doesn’t like product either, so when it’s long it goes Hermione Granger, and I’m like OK.
BUT WHEN IT’S SHORT it looks like I just was electrocuted or something. And I have big cowlicks that sing “I can’t be tamed” and “Do my thang” by Miley Cyrus.
And I thing cowlicks are a major issue to take into consideration when choosing between long and short!! Actually there are plenty of celebs with big cowlicks: Angelina Jolie, Candice Swanepoel… but they are those that wear long haircuts most of the time!
When hair is long, cowlicks are nice because they give movement to your haircut and prevent it to go into your face (for the same reason as why they make bangs a Very Bad Idea). But with short hair, it adds to the “electrocuted” vibe (been there, done that).
Garance
I cut mine off before you, and grew it back for the last two years. Have the same exact texture as you, I imagine. My hair is super thin but I have TONS of it, and it resembles a giant q-tip when I wake up. It hates almost every product and my scalp is mildly allergic to most curly hair products. Only thing that honestly works is Carol’s Daughter ( bought at target), Moroccan oil, and very very light coconut oil use. (my hair loves Deva Curl but my scalp hates it).
Two months ago, I chopped it off again, shaved the sides and have never looked back. My boyfriend loved my “long curls” but he loves me this way too. Sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy and that sometimes makes you look way sexier than attempting to please others.
I say do you.
I fully understand you. I used to have very short hair but decided to switch to longer version. It’s so much more painful to get your hair ready for day! Now I’m thinking about another change – it’s 2017 so why not to try something new again. -Nicky
J’ai toujours eu des mauvaises expériences chez les coiffeurs :( en juillet dernier, j’ai décidé d’aller chez le coiffeur pour me couper juste les pointes abîmées…j’avais les cheveux longs et volumineux.
Je me retrouvais avec 15 sur 20 cm de moins au lieu des 5 cm demandés.
I like this article… Thank you
Je rejoins d’autres commentaires : pour les cheveux ondulés et bouclés, il faut apprendre à maîtriser le diffuseur plutôt que de se faire des brushings. Grâce à cela, on respecte la nature des cheveux, et on évite le côté cheveux de barbie. Bon, en ce qui me concerne, j’en suis encore à l’apprentissage. Certains jours (comme aujourd’hui youpiiii) mes cheveux sont tops : ondulés, volumineux, naturels, et d’autres jours c’est juste n’importe quoi. Mais je sais qu’avec de l’expérience, c’est un très bon outil !
This was so affirming to read, thank you! I have unmanageable hair that I’m growing out from my go-to pixie, and it’s HARD. I have just recently stopped blow-drying to make it straight (or semi straight) and the results make me feel unkempt and a little crazy… however, we must accept ourselves as we are– and embrace our authenticity/natural hair-state. Thanks again for this, it was a pleasure to read.
J’ai des cheveux un peu comme les tiens, c est a dire capricieux et un produit génial a changé ma vie : eruptek de Sebastian. C’est une cire qui donne un aspect texturisé aux cheveux, qui définit les boucles sans cartonner…..et ça rend les cheveux beaucoup moins “Boring” .
Bonjour Garance,
Premier commentaire … j’arrive après la guerre mais je n’avais jamais pris le temps d’explorer ton univers .. très jolie découverte ! Je suis actuellement dans la phase repousse… avec ce dilemme existentiel du “je prends rendez-vous chez le coiffeur, oui ou non ?!” … Aie aie aie. Tous ces états par lesquels nous font passer notre tignasse !!
En lisant ton article j’ai pensé à une vidéo de cutbyfred que je te conseille vivement de regarder (si ce n’est déjà fait ?!)
http://cutbyfred.com/2017/01/tuto-diffuseur-a-quoi-ca-sert/
Peut-être que cela pourra t’aider ?
Belle fin de journée à toi
Hello Garance!
Merci encore pour tes articles très intéressants (ils le sont TOUS, je pense que c’est à souligner), et surtout, merci de proposer une version française… Parce que, honnêtement, je pourrais largement faire l’effort de tout lire en anglais, mais, comment dire? – je suis toujours prise d’une flemme foudroyante à ce moment-là.
Revenons-en à nos cheveux: je pense qu’on a exactement (à peu de choses près) le même type de cheveux: fins, légers, mais qui graissent vite. De mon côté, c’est lavage quasi quotidien, parce que je suis comme toi, je ne supporte pas d’avoir les cheveux gras. J’ai l’impression que ma journée va forcément être merdique lorsque mes cheveux ne sont pas niquels lorsque je pars de chez moi… Par contre, je ne les sèche jamais au sèche-cheveux, sinon ils sont tout raides… Et j’ai la chance d’avoir, moi aussi, des boucles naturelles au séchage, donc je les garde. Question: aurais-tu d’autres produits à conseiller? J’ai du mal à trouver des soins adaptés…
Merci encore!!
PS: ton site, c’est de l’empowerment pur, c’est génial!! Merci merci & merci
Anna
C’est amusant j’ai la sensation de te relire il y a quelques années avant ton passage aux cheveux courts (et sachant que ma vie animée ne m’avait laissé que peu de temps pour te lire ces derniers mois/années c’est comme si je reprenais où j’en était restée!).
Je me trouve actuellement exactement dans la même situation que toi!!!
Toujours eu les cheveux bouclés qui font leur vie (sublimes le jour du lavage [si toutes les conditions sont réunies… Et elles sont nombreuses les conditions à réunir..] /complètements “différents” après une nuit de sommeil [et rarement dans le bon sens la différence…]), passage au court il y a environ quatre ans et cette sensation de singularité absolument géniale pour l’ego une fois la bonne coupe courte trouvée!
Sauf que après quatre ans à osciller entre court court et carré court et à aimer ça, mon mode de vie ayant changé du tout au tout j’ai la lubie du cheveux long wavy naturel des longboardeuses de venice beach :)
Et comme toi je réalise à quel point il est difficile de revenir au long après avoir aimé le court.. Moi aussi je persévère et essaye de tenir bon mais certains jours (je devrais peut-être plutôt dire la plupart des jours) je me trouve tellement plus banale qu’avant avec mon carré long lambda… Finalement je ne l’aime presque que quand il se place à la manière de Andie Macdowell dans Quatre mariages et un enterrement ( plus 90 les références de mon côté ;) ), très bouclés et bien gonflés, pas vraiment que je trouve ça “esthétique” mais plutôt que quand les femmes autour de toi semble toutes mariées à leur brosse à brushing ou leur fer à lisser ça te permet de retrouver un peu le côté “unique” que tu ressentais avec le court!
J’ai même été jusqu’à me faire les pointes bleu canard histoire de retrouver une petite note d’originalité (oui je sais c’était osé mais quand je dis que j’ai tout changé dans ma vie ça veut dire ce que ça veut dire) sauf que j’avais oublié de penser au fait qu’en se délavant le bleu canard ça devient du vert (vilain sur une peau claire aux yeux bleus) et en continuant de se délaver du vert jaune (très très très vilain sur une peau clair aux yeux bleus)..
Donc voilà je me retrouve avec mon carré long aux boucles aléatoires et qui n’en font “qu’à leur tête” avec mes pointes à la couleur indéfinissable mais vilaine (ça c’est sur) à ne pas savoir comment m’y prendre pour retrouver un semblant de “je suis unique et NAH!”… Je te souhaite donc du courage tout au long de cette épreuve qu’est LA REPOUSSE en espérant que toi comme moi nous retrouvons bien vite l’assurance que nous apportait nos “petits cheveux”!
Pleins de bonnes choses à toi et tout le petit monde bipède et quadrupède qui t’entoure!
Alix
My hair is mid length and fine, my daily struggle is what to do with my hair without using heat tongs (curling flat irons etc) to make it look “done” I cant seem to manage that cool messy look, which doesn’t look messy at all, mine just goes boof! I end up braiding it or just rolling with it. Also, my hairdresser continuously tells me to cut down on shampooing – once or twice a week max. I struggled with this for a couple of months due to my hair getting oily, but then your scalp stops over producing oil and now I can go 3-4 days easy without it looking greasy. BUT if you want to extend between washes and feel like it looks greasy I swear by Schwarzkopf Dry Shampoo – only one Ive tried which is light and feels clean and makes my hair look just like new! I completely recommend this product!
I feel exactly the same way every time I try to grow out my hair….just boring. It’s just wavy, frizzy, fine nothingness. There’s nothing extraordinary about my hair. Sometimes I feel women hide behind their long hair and sometimes women with shorter hair are just cooler.
Morrocco method shampoos are the greatest thing I’ve ever used… don’t even need conditioner with it!
Garance, it is great to have you back with your great and humourus posts.
To me, Morrocan Oil is the biggest scam of all times !!! Cheap fake vanilla scent + tons of silicone (how do they get all this attention from ?!?!) Garance, be patient ! You are beautiful and will be amazing with long hair. Be patient because I do not know how many times we will still be able to grow long hair… and to hell with this fake mermaid look !!! Every time I go to the US it makes me want to gag ! Xox
All I can say is that you looked truly stunning with short hair. And it’s all around easier: win-win!!
I could totally relate to all your frustrations – but my solution was to stop cemical colouring and try a French, pure naturel brand called K pour Karité! It has completely saved my hair – though I live in Denmark I get it shipped from France and it is SO easy to use.
Oh Garance, I comment every time you talk about hair because. My curls are exactly like yours (in your curly-time-of-the-day). I recently discovered they are type 3A. I am growing it now, again. From a garçon cut to a bob, now a bob with curly bangs (mine worked, surprisingly!), but my mission is to grow it up to my belly button! Well, no. That’s how long I had it in my teens and now I don’t think I’ll ever make it – I don’t think it’s “me”.
That’s exactly the problem, I don’t think long curly hair is “me” any more. I have a big problem with my big curly hair: I let it out so rarely that when I do it becomes THE thing about me. It takes so much space and attention. Everything around it disappears. I feel everything else gets unnoticed, a beautiful shirt or my new lipstick or even my “I didn’t put make up on today-face.
I wear a sleek bun almost every day. It feels very me. It can take weeks until I let it out. And at thI same time, I love the curls, or at l least knowing they are, somehow, there – or that I can let the beast out if I want to. With my garçon haircut my curls disappeared (which is what worked best, when it comes to practicality), but only temporarily until my hair grew again. I panicked over the thought that maybe my curls would never be back…
As we say in Spanish, “ni contigo ni sin ti” – not with nor without you.
Merci pour cet article, j’ai sensiblement le même type de cheveux compliqués, et la grande question est: quel produit utiliser pour éviter les petits frisottis à la racine des cheveux ?
Bonjour Garance :D
Pour les cheveux qui graissent, je me suis aperçue que ce sont les produits et la fréquence des shampoing qui graisse aussi :)
J’essaye d’espacer mes shampoing dès que je peux et j’utilise des bains d’huile comme l’Huile végétale de Jojoba pour essayer de m’aider, mais comme tu le dis, les produits ne changent pas tout, en fonction de mon cycle et de ce que je fais dans ma semaine, ils graissent plus vite :D