The Middy Thread

[~Psycho Sue~]

I had to have my self cut middy corrected and went to my regular hair dresser who usually only does modern hair styles. I gave her some Rita Hayworth pics plus a sketch of a middy from the internet. I wasn't sure if the hair needs layers or not because I found different pictures:
I notice that it looks better the second day, but still not really what I want.
Maybe it's all about the brushing? I got to admit I'm a little frustrated that the results aren't better - inspite of all my effort.

Some ideas of what could be wrong:
The top layer should be the longest length, and the layers under it should be progressively shorter. The underneath layers are all cut to "meet" the length of the top layer.
She (hairdresser) may have done the opposite by putting the longest layer on the bottom. If she did that then it's wont lay liek it does in the photos you posted. The top long layer is what weighs the hair down.

Also if she gave you a blunt cut instead of a textured cut then it also wont "fluff"

 

[wahine]

Thank you so much for your ideas, Psycho Sue!

Some ideas of what could be wrong:
The top layer should be the longest length, and the layers under it should be progressively shorter. The underneath layers are all cut to "meet" the length of the top layer.

So is this what I need?

(excuse my poor drawing, it's just for making sure that the language barrier doesn't prevent my understanding)

She (hairdresser) may have done the opposite by putting the longest layer on the bottom.

That's exactly what she did, yes:

So this is not what I need.

If she did that then it's wont lay liek it does in the photos you posted. The top long layer is what weighs the hair down.

I'm not really sure if I understand it correctly: The hair should be weighed down?

Thank you again!

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

Hi Jasmine, It's nice to meet another local on here. I'm actually a Wirralian but i work at the Albert Dock. I'm planning to visit the Granny sallon that is at the end of my street- i figure they should know how to cut a middy there!

hi there!! there are no less than 4 salons within a 3 minute walk of my house, i'm just so nervous with my hair - i know it'll grow back, but still....

i have naturally curly hair and it is so easy to get it wrong. i would try to do it with the tutorial, but my hair is quite a bit longer, and i don't want to lose the length. i think i wouldn't be able to reach the ends myself.

the last girl that cut my hair did a nice job so i think i'll just go back to her. at the end of the day, if it looks horrible, hair always grows, right? lol

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

Hi Jasmine, It's nice to meet another local on here. I'm actually a Wirralian but i work at the Albert Dock. I'm planning to visit the Granny sallon that is at the end of my street- i figure they should know how to cut a middy there!

fftopic: a 'plassy scouser' as my fella would say! lol i can't talk though - i'm not even from here originally!

 

[~Psycho Sue~]

Thank you so much for your ideas, Psycho Sue!
So is this what I need?
I'm not really sure if I understand it correctly: The hair should be weighed down?
Thank you again!

That's EXACTLY what I mean sweetheart! The drawings are cute!
I know this from experience; my hairdresser does not cut my hair, my mom does. Mom is a retired hairdresser from the 60s when they still taught these techniques. The hairdresser I have now, I go to for hair color; and she made a remark about how my layers are "backwards." which means the new hairdressers are not familiar with making the layers like the ones the Middy cut requires.

What I mean about the hair "weight".... with that top layer being the longest layer; it is heavier than the other layers. So when you do your pin curls around the back of your head (in the 40s they did not set the entire head and left the crown straight) that weight of the heavy top layer keeps the hair straight at the crown. Then the shorter, lighter layers underneath create that "fluffy" look. When you think about it; it kind of looks like Darth Vaders helmet

Hope this helps. Also honey what you might want to do is look for retired hairdressers in your area. I mean those ladies that went to beauty school in the 50s and 60s and sometimes the 70s all were taught the older ways of cutting hair. They would be more likely to understand what you want than the new hairdressers who can try and fake their way through.

 

[wahine]

Psycho Sue, thanks again for your detailed answers!
I will give my hairdresser a drawing the next time and give it another try. Don't really know where/how to find a retired hair dresser but I'll keep my eyes open. Anyway, the hair will need some time to grow back before the next try.
The comparison with Darth Vader is so funny! lol But sure helps to understand the idea.
(I prefer Dark Helmet, though ) I'm glad that I at least do the setting right as it seems, since I dont curl the crown as you see on the preceding page.

 

[Smuterella]

I'm not sure I agree with Sue...my 40s hairstyling book says all the layers should be same length - say three inches, and thus if both the top and nape hair were three inches the nape hair would naturally fall lower. But I guess this comes down to differet cuts suiting different hair types.

 

[wahine]

I'm not too surprised to hear that. When I was browsing the net for information on Middy cuts, I found different photos and sketches that give different impressions. That's why I was so unsure of what to do. I guess the best way would be to start with what Psycho Sue suggested. If it doesnt come out so well, I could still have it corrected to an all-the-same-length cut as you suggest, Smuterella.

To layer or not to layer, that is the question!

 

[Smuterella]

layers definitely work for me, with my fine hair if it is all the same length (as in it hits flat at the back with longest layer on top) then its too heavy and the curls fall out.

 

[wahine]

I have fine hair, too. It usually never held any curl but pin curls do the job (as long as the air stays dry). Before I had the layered cut from the hairdresser, I had a Middy cut that I did myself, without layers. It was okay and held the curls. Actually, I only went to the hair dresser because I hadn't done the cut so regular and hoped to get an improvement (which I didn't really get)

 

[~Psycho Sue~]

wahine: just a note about the cut I described above. For fine hair (which) I have. Have her cut it DRY. It changes the tension on the hair. My fine is hair is cut this way, dry, and I do not have any issues with holding curls. Cutting it dry reduces the tension and allows the curls to "spring" with less resistance. FYI, I am not a hairdresser (my mother is), so any advice I give is only my perspective and experience

 

[wahine]

...Have her cut it DRY. ...

Thanks for the hint but I'm not sure if that's the right thing for me. Hair dressers always told me they wouldn't cut it dry because I have to cowlicks in the back / crown.

 

[kamikat]

Thanks for the hint but I'm not sure if that's the right thing for me. Hair dressers always told me they wouldn't cut it dry because I have to cowlicks in the back / crown.

I'm a hairdresser. Cutting cowlicks dry is actually the best way to cut them because you can see the direction they curl. The reason hairdressers don't like to cut dry is because dry cuts dull the scissors faster than wet cuts. A good stylist will have a different pair of scissors just for dry cuts.

 

[wahine]

Wow, good to know. Thank you, with my new knowledge I will boldly walk in to my hair dresser and hopefully walk out as a Rita Hayworth look alike. (Ha-Ha)

 

[Daimere]

So I went to get a middy long and wanted longer version of Bettie Page bangs. My sides aren't layered at all. She couldn't even make out the diagram. But she did get the U shaping in the back according to what my fiance says. After I made mentions of the hair I wanted, my fiance started to google all the old actresses that he loved.

(my pin curls fell out completely)

 

[Daimere]

I used C dot's instructs and fixed my hair. It looks great and even the bangs look better now that everything else is fixed. ^_________^

My fiance asked me where I got it done. I said, "well, the bathroom....uh, I did it myself."

 

[MissElainey]

Seattle Middy?

Would anyone know where I could reliably go in Seattle or the North end of Seattle to get a middy haircut and they'd know how to do it right? And does anyone have photos of how it looks when NOT styled? I have long, all one length, straight as a board hair and it's harder than heck to get it to keep a curl all day... plus, when styling, my hands/wrists get really tired by the time I get to the back.
Thx
Meg

 

[Roxy]

Would anyone know where I could reliably go in Seattle or the North end of Seattle to get a middy haircut and they'd know how to do it right? And does anyone have photos of how it looks when NOT styled? I have long, all one length, straight as a board hair and it's harder than heck to get it to keep a curl all day... plus, when styling, my hands/wrists get really tired by the time I get to the back.
Thx
Meg

Hi!
I'm from your neck of the woods and hunting for someone good to do my hair as well. I've never used this salon but it looks pretty interesting if a little spendy. It does say they come to you though. http://www.angelasartistry.com/page/page/1939044.htm

 

[Kellee]

Curly Hair and the Middy

I appologize if this has been asked before, I read through the thread and didn't see it.

I am getting my hair cut on Saturday and am considering the Middy cut. I have naturally curly, yet very fine hair and I was wondering how the layers would play with it. Does anyone else have hair like this? Currently my hair is in long layers which must be cut exactly at the wrong spot in my curl because my curls are rebelling and would rather stick straight out from the side of my head If I didn't feel like setting it would it look ok left alone with the natural curl?

I actually ran across the Middy haircut on accident. I was looking for a salon in the town I just moved to and while looking at the reviews to the salon I have chosen, I ran across a gal who had gone there for a middy cut and was impressed that they even knew what it was. That got me wondering what a middy was and checking it out online. I ran into Lisafreemontstreet's youtube videos and then found this site, where I fell in love with Cherrylip's hair.

My only issue with getting the is that I have been trying to grow my hair out after a really bad short hair cut and it is almost to my shoulders in back and I am not sure I want to go super short with it like the Middy, but I am not sure the layers are long enough for the middy plus. Which brings me to my next question. How does it grow out? Does it loose its shape after a couple weeks or will it last a month and half until it can be trimmed again?

PS. To Lisa... I am hairstyle challenged (I fight and fight with my curls ending up with a dry frizzy mess) but after watching your video I went upstairs and curled my hair the same way as you showed in your video and it turned out fantastic, even though I don't have the proper cut. My hair has never looked that good before, so thank you!

 

[MissElainey]

Tenuki, about your middy?

Hi Tenuki!
Reading back through this thread, I see you're in Seattle too. May I ask where you got your middy and if they are still there, that you know of?
Thanks!
Meg from the north side