Chop & Change
8 years ago by
I have loved – and been tormented by – my long hair.
It was kind of my signature of sorts, to be the woman with the long, thick, dark hair.
But then I cut it all off.
And now I’m having a slight identity crisis.
Yes, I’m celebrating. It feels so so so liberating to just have a refresh, to chop off a whole ponytail with one sweeping blow – and I love the current but still timeless bob that Colin from Bumble and bumble expertly cut (and all with a razor, mind you – apparently the days of scissors are gone!)(well, he said it depends on the type of hair, but that razors tend to be more effective and far better to perfect a shorter style…)
It’s just that your hairstyle kind of affects everything.
Now I’m not completely sure what to wear — all of my clothes look different, and suddenly my broad shoulders feel exposed and my neck feels cold… But I also feel like I can play up a red or colorful lip more than before, veer in a more feminine direction with my makeup.
I also get to sleep a little longer (!!!). Mainly because I have to do barely anything to my hair. It dries in a quarter of the time and sans hairdryer, and it actually looks better when it’s a little dirty (which completely freaked out a hygiene freak like myself for the first week). My new hair routine, with some pointers from Colin, involves foaming in some Verb shampoo, patting dry with a towel, rubbing in some Caudalie divine oil while it’s still damp, spraying on some Bumble and bumble Surf Infusion, and running my fingers through. Voila!
It’s a little strange that it feels like one haircut can really change so much (even my routine?!), but it’s a nice thing. A freeing thing, no matter that I have to rethink how I tie a scarf…
Have you ever made a pretty drastic change to your appearance? How did it change things?
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Trop belle !
jolie !
c’est complètement vrai. à chaque coupe, son rituel, son style, etc.
So pretty!
I think I’ve written this a few times, your probably over it by now, but I got bangs and it was life changing. Ok not really but it felt like it. I swore forever I would never get bangs and then one day flipping through Porter magazine I saw an Ad and the model had great hair, I texted it to my stylist and my Mom and they both replied yes! It was amazing I feel now as if I always should have had bangs and cannot believe pictures of me without them.
But my closet rebelled, at first certain pieces didn’t look right at all. I couldn’t figure out exactly why but I knew it was influenced by the bangs…so old outfits just looked off.
So I understand a little of your struggle, but I found soeold things I never wore look better then before. Can a haircut really do all that??
I know, I feel as though I’ve started to embrace more structured blazers and collared shirts. With the shorter hair, it’s also encouraged me to embrace more accessories to frame the face — scarves around the neck, earrings…
Good to know other people out there have had a similar experience :)
Oui ! J’avais les cheveux jusqu’au bas du dos. Et sur un coup de tête (il y a 6 mois) je me les suis coupés au-dessus des épaules.
Vu que je mets toujours des chemises, j’avais l’air vraiment plus mûre et oui, c’est 100 fois plus confortable et moins dérangeant et d’entretien au quotidien mais … pour moi rien ne vaut des cheveux très longs. Au moins j’aurais essayé !
Heureusement pour moi la coupe leur a fait un bien fou donc ils repoussent VITE. (15 cm plus long aujourd’hui)
Skandinav
Loveeee this haircut!! Desperate to do something similar to mine…
Have a look at our new collection: http://www.shopsaul.com/collections/f-w-15-products
I think it looks really lovely. Very inspiring. I too have very long, thick hair and am afraid to cut it due to my identity being wrapped up with it. Not sure I’ll be able to be brave. But change is good!
Hair. Envy. That is all…
Haha ;)
this haircut looks great on you, naeda! it suits your face.
i really think long hair is vastly overrated – and mainly by women, surprisingly enough.
Wow!! Softer and stronger at the same time. How that works out, I don’t know. But I met you with your hair long and this feels more approachable and yet less delicate.
Thanks so much, Panos – and it was so nice to meet you! Hope to see you again soon, this time with my shorter hair!
So pretty and beachy! Loving this hair style and to think they did it with a razor! Wowzers!!
(=’.’=)
-Lauren
adorn la femme
I got a very similar haircut after years and years of very long hair , and since then, I don’t feel like wearing the same clothes anymore, my make up routine has changed – the magic of red lips+ short hair, I guess. I feel younger and more playful too.
I shaved my head once. It was amazing! Every now and then I get tempted to do it again, but it took too long, for my liking, to grow back. And very short hair requires too much maintenance.
Amazing! Have always wanted to try, but have never taken the leap…
Love! Sophisticated and Chic. It is more maturing on you then the long hair. Stylish.
I once cut a bleached my hair — it was shocking
http://hashtagaliz.com
You look gorgeous!
The cut and the side part are really flattering on you! I’ve been considering getting a shoulder length bob but my hair takes soooo long to grow out, I’m too chicken! :p
I always had long hair, I used it to cover my face in my teen years when insecurity was overflowing ha! My mom always used to tell me to put it up to show more of my face and I always refused. With the years I learned to let it go… Well not completely :) but I felt very brave when I cut it above the shoulders and yes it was liberating and yes! Your hair looks good dirty! Or at least in my case. I have dark, thick hair … Now turning grey which is another battle :( but I wish I was brave enough to go even higher! So I have gone from long to short to long to short… Not sure what to do next, but it certainly changes your routine.
Sooo Beautiful!
I did the exact same move…yesterday! Cut off 13 inches and have about the same length as you do now. Not the first time I have short hair though. I loved my long hair with blond locks but running a new business, having a 2 year old little boy and being about 5 month pregnant….I had to make time somewhere and I my long hair were becoming somewhat of annoying, always up in a bun. Then I heard of the Children With Hair Loss non-profit organization (http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us) and my mind was all made up. I waited a few more month to get some extra length and my pony tail is now making its way to the organization’s headquarter in Michigan. Not bragging about it but it seems like a very very easy way to help a child right here. I mean : I feel so effing lucky to be healthy and to have hair that actually grow..I am stocked to know this might help bring a smile on a child’s face for free. And truly I feel pretty much the exact same as I was feeling yesterday, maybe a little stronger as I find the process of cutting so much hair at once rather empowering ! And I was soooo happy this morning not having to look for a hair tie! I can’t wait for the next express-shampoo…Oh and I know it will be fun throwing my hair up and down on the dance floor on new year’s eve! High 5 to you! pssss: your hair do look a m a z i n g !
YEAH! Welcome to the club!! Keep me updated on how you enjoy it… I really love mine, still getting used to it!
You look gorgeous !
Ah mais ça change tout! Depuis 5 ans j’ai les cheveux ultra court (plus courts que Garance), je me suis habitué à ça, je me suis conditionnée à porter et ne pas porter certains trucs qui étaient parfois trop masculins (je suis plutot grande alors bon…)
Et puis j’ai décidé de laissé pousser mes cheveux jusqu’au carré. évidemment c’est long et j’en ai pour des mois de crise stylistique. Donc je prends plus de temps à me maquiller, soigne ce que je porte comme bijoux et vêtements, en attendant d’avoir une coupe définie :-)
Tu es très belle en tout cas!
First things first: This length looks so good on you! It’s feminine, classy, up to date, it is amazing. You look gorgeous! Since it also worked wonders with your routine, way to go!
I also had very long, tiresome hair and decided one fine day to do away with it. It was super cool! Everybody touched my hair and I felt younger and fresh.
Enjoy your haircut!
Thank you!! I am loving it and totally embracing it more and more each day.
I literally dream of cutting my hair off into a bob again. I’ve been waiting for years to have it long and sensual, but I never felt as sexy as when I had shorter hair…
-maria
http://thestoryletters.com/
Ah se couper les cheveux de façon radicale, rien de tel pour se sentir mieux! J’ai sauté le pas en février (à nouveau, j’avais déjà fait ça il y a 17 ans!…) de passer du long (milieu du dos) à une coupe courte style pixie court et c’est vraiment libérateur. J’ai eu l’impression de perdre plusieurs kilos et une certaine lourdeur dans la silhouette. Ça me rend plus dynamique et ça m’allège vraiment. Au niveau du style je sens qu’il faut que je remodèle un tas de truc (tu as raison sur la visibilité des épaules, c’est dingue ce qu’on les perçoit plus quand on a les cheveux courts!) et j’envisage même de faire percer les oreilles maintenant qu’on les voit encore plus (même si je portais quasiment tout le temps une queue de cheval et que donc les voyait mais là aussi, c’est curieux, ça change la perception qu’on a de certaines parties du corps). Donc voilà, à 34 ans je vais me faire percer les oreilles!
I got my dreads one year ago and I certainly underestimated the effect it has on how people see me. I don’t fit in the normal “dread- category” since I still like heels, classy clothing and expensive make-up.
It looks super lovely on you! So fresh and airy! It must feel literally lighter as well!
I have a cycle of longer-very short-in between length hair of a couple of years, since I get bored quite easily by my hair (and really annoyed when it’s long). So I change it up a lot. And of course have to rethink my styling/make-up/jewellery etc. too which I love, because it mixes things up. It’s gonna be fun to experiment with different neck-lines too, Neada!
SO true! All of the necklines.. ALL of them!
It looks modern. When you have a beautiful face and nice thick hair you can wear any style. Enjoy!
We all need a change now and then. That haircut gives you a bit of edge. Have fun with it!
Neada let me say you look great and I consider you a brave person to go where few are willing too in regards to “the hair”. Many years ago I made this move to the horror of many, however I learned so much about me in the process of shedding hair. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Twila. So lovely of you to say.
C’est marrant, Scott Schuman a écrit dans son livre qu’il trouvait cela plus intéréssant d’investir dans une coupe de cheveux afin de voir un vrai changement, opter pour une coupe multiple et qui permette de faire plein de changements différents. Je suis entièrement d’accord et je pense investir bientôt!
I love it, you look absolutely fantastic! We’re going to need a lot more pictures of you to see how you’re styling it :).
Haha ! Quand j’avais 13 ans, je suis passée de cheveux longs jusqu’au milieu du dos à … environs 1,5 cm de haut sur la tête. Mon grand souvenir ça a été à la sortie du salon de coiffure : il y a eu un coup de vent et … j’ai pas un poil qui a bougé ! C’est ce qui m’a fait réaliser. Et ça m’a perturbée pendant un moment, surtout en pleine adolescence : je n’arrivais plus à me sentir fille, à mettre des boucles d’oreille un peu longues. J’ai mis du temps à me réapprivoiser. Du coup, quand, à 23 ans, j’ai à nouveau tout recoupé, j’ai retrouvé mes repères plus facilement et, au contraire, je me suis éclatée avec le maquillage,les bijoux, le féminin très féminin. Et aujourd’hui, à 32, je me tâte : coupera, coupera pas ?
(Et tu es absolument ravissante avec cette coupe)
your hair looks fantastic! I just moved to paris from california and am chopping off my blonde, long hair tomorrow – it just doesn’t feel right here like it did in cali. I’m so nervous and excited, it’s nice to read your take on how it changes everything…
I stopped dying my hair various shades of red and let it go grey in my 40s. My friends, most of whom still dye their hair today, were horrified! But I loved it, it was totally liberating, my husband found it tres sexy and a complete stranger walked up to me in Tate Modern and told me how striking I was – that didn’t happen in my youthful red-headed days! I adored my red hair, but grey feels right now. It suits my older complexion, it means I can wear black and I like the contast of modern dress and grey hair. I agree, hair is something we can hide behind, but taking a bold, brave decision whether it is to chop or to stop dying or to bleach it platinum, can be so liberating. And, if you hate, its kind of reversible eventually!
I used to have long hair but when I finished university, split up with my long-term boyfriend, and moved to London – I got a short asymmetric bob. Best decision I’d ever made and everyone commented how it suited me much better than long hair.
It’s been a while now though and I am getting bored again. I’m always into changing hairstyles as it’s something that always grows back.
Wow! This looks really good on you!
Neada, it looks really great! I am thinking of doing it too. Is it easier to maintain than longer hair? Do you use other style products than before? Please, keep us updated!
Bonjour – Je aime tes blog!
Je suis folle avec tes cheveux! Je dois aussi vos cheveux, je suis heureux à ce sujet ;-)
love this! you and garance have a similarity in facial expressions! both gorgeous!
Which salon is he working at? How could we book with him?
Merci
Is that you in the picture?! You’re stunning! And I LOVEEEE your haircut! I have curly hair and can never do a cool cut like this. It rocks!
J’ai coupé très court mes cheveux longs d’adolescentes il y a maintenant 3 ans, et je ne l’ai toujours pas regretté! Evidemment ça implique de changer un peu sa façon de s’habiller, se maquiller.. Moi qui faisait peu d’effort de maquillage et m’habillait souvent garçon manqué, j’ai du réajuster pas mal de chose dans mon style, mais finalement j’ose aussi beaucoup plus avec mes cheveux très court! J’assume bien mieux des tenues très féminines, justement parce que ma coupe courte vient en contraste! Mais finalement le plus impressionnant, c’est comment les gens ne me reconnaissent pas sur des photos ou j’ai les cheveux longs, comme quoi une coupe peut être une véritable transformation!
(et ta coupe te va vraiment à ravir)
J’aime beaucoup les coupes courtes et celle-ci vous va divinement bien. J’ai aussi sauté le pas : toute mon enfance j’ai eu les cheveux longs, et un jour j’ai pris l’initiative de couper et d’avoir un coupe courte (au niveau des épaules).Les cheveux courts sont synonyme de maturité, ça donne un côté plus “femme”.
oui moi j’avais les cheveux super long , et un matin j’en est eu marre parce que mais cheveux étaient super abime et j’arrivais plus à me regarde avec les cheveux long , j’ai demande a ma coiffeuse de me faire un carre avec la raie sur le cote et que ça face un peu coiffé décoiffé , et maintenant je regrette pas du tout !
Et maintenant ça ma fais change mon style et surtout l’entretient et plus simple !!
Je viens de découvrir ton blog qui est vraiment super. Je me retrouve beaucoup dans ton article puisque j’avais aussi les cheveux très longs que j’ai fini par couper, faute de temps et de patience pour les entretenir… Depuis, je me sens beaucoup plus légère!
Et je voulais partager avec toi une solution qui est géniale lors des crises d’identité ;) C’est l’extension de cheveux. J’ai trouvé deux méthodes qui me permettent de retrouver de beaux et longs cheveux naturels. Soit tu poses des cheveux naturels avec des clips, soit tu fais une pose “fixe” de bandes de cheveux naturels (tissages) avec des anneaux. Je dis fixe car la première avec les clips, c’est surtout pratique pour une soirée mais tous les jours, c’est pas top. Tu en as vite marre de mettre et enlever les clips à chaque fois.
Si jamais ça t’intéresse, je me fournis sur ce site: https://www.cheveux-naturels.fr
Ils sont super sympas et si jamais t’as des questions, contacte les sur Facebook.