Short hair help, yet again

[fortworthgal]

Well I washed my hair again last night and rolled it. It turned out okay, but not as good as Saturday. One of the rollers in the front got damp while I was washing my face in the shower this morning, and so that curl didn't take and I had to hit it with a curling iron. I also didn't take as long to brush it out, so it is more poodle curly than waves. Still, it looks decent and shaved about 20 minutes off my morning routine, so that's a bonus. I've also gotten quite a few compliments on it here at my office.

Also notice I have no actual method or pattern to my set. I just curled it the way I would if I were using a curling iron, and using whatever size rollers will fit the strand of hair.

Ok, here are my pictures from Saturday.

All my supplies, before I started anything:

My hair, after clarifying and coloring, and before setting:

Hair in rollers:

Immediately after taking rollers out, before brushing:

And here's after brushing out the set:

I was going to pincurl it Saturday night to sleep on it, to see if I could go 2 days, but I got too lazy so just slept on it as it was. It actually still looked fine on Sunday, although it probably could have used a slight touch-up with a curling iron. I think I can definitely go 2 days on a set.

 

[texasgirl]

Oh, super cute! Really love it

 

[kamikat]

Your hair looks fantastic!

 

[fortworthgal]

Thanks, ladies!

 

[SugarKitten]

Love the set! Awesome job!

 

[Sharpsburg]

I thing you look great, gal! Did you use a setting lotion before curlers?

mary

 

[~Psycho Sue~]

That looks awesome! :eusa_clap If you want more volume, next time try backcombing underneath...that's what they did in the 50s too

 

[fortworthgal]

Mary - I did use Lottabody, diluted about 5 or 6 to 1 in a spray bottle. My hair holds curl *extremely* well, so I probably could have skipped it, but I feel like it probably helped with frizz and shine. It didn't make my hair stiff at all, but I could tell it did add some hold, when I took the rollers out.

For the second day, I've just been sleeping like normal on it. No rollers, net, pins - nothing. And it looks fine! I'm pretty surprised by that. I did have to touch up a couple of pieces in the front with a curling iron, but that's it. Took me about 5 minutes to style it this morning. I'm on day 2 here at work - I'll try to take a picture. Tonight I'll probably wash and set it again. I'm really anxious to see if the condition of my hair improves, since I'm no longer washing, blowdrying, and flat ironing on a daily basis. I'm not sure how this setup will work during the summer when it is so hot, I guess I'll just see how things go.

Thanks for the tip about backcombing, Psycho Sue. My hair is very coarse and thick, so I have a natural tendency toward "big hair." (I once had a stylist tell me I had "perfect hair for big hair.") I really had to brush quite a bit to tone it down - particularly the top layers. I looked like I belonged in a casino! Volume isn't a problem for me. lol

 

[KittyT]

Looks great!

I'd really love to do something new like this, but am worried about a few things...

If I take length off my hair and still have layers, I can't just easily pull it up in a ponytail or a twist or a braid if I don't have time to do anything with it.

Taking the time to set it - several days a week, I have derby practice til 9, get home and have to shower and eat dinner. I don't know how I'd deal with my hair on these days, especially since I can't wet set my hair.

*sigh*

 

[fortworthgal]

Here are 2 shots from today - I actually took these to show my outfit to my husband, who never gets to see me in my office clothes as he leaves too early and gets home too late - and post in the "what are you wearing today" thread. But, you can still see my hair and get a general idea. Again, this is day 2 after the wash & set Sunday night, and just sleeping on it like normal (no net, rollers, nothing) last night.

Again I apologize for the pic quality -snapped with my Blackberry in the ladies' robe room here at work (only room with a full length mirror!)

 

[fortworthgal]

Looks great!

I'd really love to do something new like this, but am worried about a few things...

If I take length off my hair and still have layers, I can't just easily pull it up in a ponytail or a twist or a braid if I don't have time to do anything with it.

Taking the time to set it - several days a week, I have derby practice til 9, get home and have to shower and eat dinner. I don't know how I'd deal with my hair on these days, especially since I can't wet set my hair.

*sigh*

I understand what you are saying. Short hair really has to be "styled." And if you want vintage, that takes time. How long is your hair now? I think you could cut it short, but leave enough length to just be able to pull it into a ponytail.

 

[SugarKitten]

KittyT, fortworthgal is dead-on! Especially if your hair is on the long side now, you can go "short" and still ponytail (or ponytail+clips). Mine was waist length, before taking it up to just below chin length. I could still pull it all back. After that, I started going really short, and I use the If-I-can-tie-it-back rule as a sign I need a cut.

A lot of short cuts don't need a ton of attention non-styled, but that depends a lot on your hair. Do you live somewhere that has a short-hair salon? You can ask about cuts that are long enough to tie back, and you can style as well! Go to the experts (and the ones who can feel and see your hair). They might surprise you!

 

[KittyT]

Thanks for the input ladies. Right now, it's just past my shoulders and I really want inches taken off, in part because I have damaged hair that used to be bleached that I'm trying to clear off. I know I can take inches off and still be able to pull it up, but there's also that difference between a nice-looking ponytail and a crappy, short ponytail!

I'm not aware of any salons that specialize in short hair - I've never heard of such a thing. I usually go to either a vintage salon or to stylist friends who can give me a good deal, especially when I need a cut and a color, because $80 for both is realistic for me, $160 is not - and that's what I'll pay at any regular salon anywhere around Boston.

My hair is very thick and naturally stick straight, which is a big disadvantage here :-(

 

[kamikat]

Kitty, how do you feel about hot rollers? My hair is currently a chin length bob, with some layers. A wet set looks best and lasts for 2 days, but even they don't last 15min in D.C. summer humidity. During the summer, I can get almost exactly the same style with hot rollers. I plug in the rollers before my morning shower, wash hair, blowdry hair, put in rollers, let them cool while doing make-up, dressing and breakfast, then take them out. Could that fit into your routine? As for salons that specialize in short hair, I've been a stylist for 15yrs and I've never heard of that. Generally speaking, a stylist tends to be more comfortable working with hair liker her own. If the stylist wears long hair, she probably has more long hair clients, the same for short hair. This is also pretty common for texture, too. A curly stylist probably has more curly clients. However. we're all trained to do all kinds of hair, so don't assume a long haired stylist can't do a good short cut!

 

[fortworthgal]

^ ITA with kami. I've worn short hair for more than 10 years now, and I am not really sure about salons that "specialize." Usually if I am calling a different or new salon to make an appointment, I will specifically mention that my hair is short and ask if there is someone there who is really familiar with cutting short hair. Most salons are happy to suggest someone on staff.

 

[KittyT]

Kitty, how do you feel about hot rollers? My hair is currently a chin length bob, with some layers. A wet set looks best and lasts for 2 days, but even they don't last 15min in D.C. summer humidity. During the summer, I can get almost exactly the same style with hot rollers. I plug in the rollers before my morning shower, wash hair, blowdry hair, put in rollers, let them cool while doing make-up, dressing and breakfast, then take them out. Could that fit into your routine?

Kami, I like hot rollers and I do use hot sticks, but they generally will not give me a curl that stays in more than a few hours, even with setting lotion. My hair has just never held curl well, unless I sleep in my rollers or leave them in for 6-8 hours, and if I do wet sets, my hair will never dry at all!

I may be thinking a little too ambitiously here! I'll admit that I'm very lazy with my appearance during the week. I'm lucky to be out of bed 45 min before I leave the house, and I almost never even bother to eat or put on makeup before I leave the house because I ***hate*** mornings. With a fiery passion.

Do you have pics of your current layered bob and your set style in the Before/After thread? That might help give me a better idea of what I'm looking at. I do really love that Marilyn-esque, tousled look in those pics of Joanna that were linked to.

 

[fortworthgal]

I have to wash my hair tomorrow as we have a business dinner, so I didn't really want to mess with washing and setting it last night (plus I was really tired), so I just dampened it slightly and re-rolled it. It was mostly dry and I was worried it wouldn't take. I expected it to turn out badly, but it came out just fine! I haven't washed since Sunday and my hair doesn't feel the least bit dirty or greasy, probably because my hair is so dry anyway, and I hardly used any product this week. Here are a couple shots of it today, so you can see how it turned out from the mostly dry overnight set.

 

[kamikat]

Looks pretty good! I wish I could go that long between washings. I have ezcema on my scalp and have to use a medicated shampoo at least every other day. I think I would set it more often if I didn't have to do a full wash and set each time.

 

[fortworthgal]

Yeah, I guess I am "fortunate" because my hair and scalp (and skin!) is so darn dry. I could probably go 2 weeks without washing it without any greasiness! lol The only thing is that with my normal styling, I tend to go overboard with product so it gets dirty quickly. This week with just setting it with lottabody and a touch of brilliantine, it hasn't gotten that way.