Beauty

[Witchy Woman]

Well, I feel I'm one step away from just shaving it all off...going bald. 

When I was younger, I wore a long, curly shag.  It was beautiful AND wash and wear.  Can you imagine?  I just loved it...getting a trim about every 6-8 weeks was all that was required.

Fast forward....curl patterns/texture changed (or something!), hair thinned a bit....the beautiful curls would not behave.  

Grew it all out and get a regular smoothing that brings me back to shoulder length, straight hair.  OK I guess.  Wash and spin dry it to smooth finish.

What's the problem?

No volume, no real style, just straight hair.  Looks great the first day, then just flat.

Products?  Tried them all...nothing really changes the equation.  

Been thinking about getting it layered again and wearing a modified shag....trying to get my curls back I guess.

I would only be about 30 if I had all the years back I've spent fretting with my hair!

Rant over.

[PINKdogWOOD]

@Witchy Woman  Boy do I understand this!  I've often threatened to shave my head and start all over too. My hair in my later life wouldn't grow beyond my chin/barely shoulders, always looked like c*ap. I've had it very short and loved it. Then I'd get the itch to 'grow it out' and it did but again barely to my chin. This past fall I decided to go really short again. Love it short. Will never go longer again!

[patofl]

I have very difficult hair. I've struggled with it all my life. Now I have learned that to wear it in a style that suits my hair instead of the latest fashion is the best idea, so I'm much less frustrated with it.

[LoveMyBaby]

@Witchy Woman

I can offer nothing but a shoulder. I could have wrote your post. Can relate. 

[Sweetbay magnolia]

I love a shag.  I'm somewhere in between Florence Henderson and David Cassidy (circa early '70s) and I really like it.  Though the bangs are getting a little long, so it's got an early Justin Bieber flair.

I do not blow dry or style!  For a special event I may use a drop of "Bed Head".  I have fine hair with a tad of wave.  No color, but hardly any grey at 58.  Brunette.  Life is too short to fuss with hair - I like to go a little tousled.  Hats and scarves are lifesavers.

[Witchy Woman]

Of course, I knew I was not alone

I think layering is the ONLY way to get lift into fine hair.  But it has to be more than two layers....otherwise you get that "mud hut" affect....Like Roseanne Roseannadanna 

The tricky part is finding a stylist that knows how.  Not sure my current stylist is up to the task.  

I haven't had a good cut in 30 years!  No kidding.  The young woman who did my "shag" left to have children, and that was the end of my beautiful layers.

I'm not going to do anything until early next year, but change is coming!  

[vermint]

I spent last year growing out the layers of my chin-length bob...only to discover that my hair just looked "tired" when it was all one length. It's also unevenly wavy, so that didn't work well one length, either. I was always fighting it to get it smooth.

So, about 4 cuts ago (I get a cut every 4-6 weeks) I asked my stylist to "texturize" my hair, and showed her a picture of a cut with lots of layers. She did a beautiful job, and we have even added more layers over the last couple of cuts. 

This cut gave my hair it's volume back, and I don't have to fight the wave anymore. I just blow it dry, while brushing it every which way with a paddle brush. That leaves it wavy and full, then I brush it into place, smoothing down just the very bottom layer.

I can wear it smooth if I want, by using a flat iron, but usually choose not to. I've gotten a lot of compliments on this cut!

[Dusty1]

Today the shag. Tomorrow the mullet!

I kept trying to talk my stylist through what I wanted my hair to be. Every time it came out in a "brown football helmet" (Shout out to Steel Magnolias).

I told her I wanted a combination of Mrs Brady & Joe Jonas in Camp Rock.

I do use It's a 10 Miracle Styling Potion before drying. Lift the crown & direct my bangs & sides with my flat iron. Then Redken Mess Around 10 Cream Paste to make it shaggy looking.

[PilatesLover]

@Witchy Woman I could have written your post word for word! I had the long, care free shag with my beautiful thick hair. My current dry, 60 year old, "thyroid" hair is a world apart from that.  

I was wearing it short and grew out my layers. It's below my jaw a couple of inches now, and it is so flat and lifeless. I've tried styling creams, mousse. thickening sprays. A blow dry looks good for an hour then falls flat.

I hate, hate, hate mousse. It is crackly and drying, and when I blow dry all that stiffness my hair breaks off into the sink. 

Thanks to the ladies here who went back to layers. I'm going back next time.

[SilleeMee]

It's different when you actually do go bald for no reason. That happened to me. But thankfully most of it came back. I cherish each and every single hair on my head, even if the hairs are not so good-looking or even if they're sparse. I've worked hard to get them back and it's even more of a struggle to keep them growing on my head. I'm grateful.