To some lucky ones, changing their hairstyle is an exciting, fun, and even enjoyable experience. However, for others, the whole process is riddled with fear, anxiety, and tension. Few of them never even make it to the salon chair because they are not able to get past the what if? stage. So, what exactly is it that virtually cripples some people and why does it happen to them at all?
Is Your Fear of a Hairstyle Makeover Really Worth It?
There are many key contributing factors that result in this negative behaviour but there is always one key emotion that drives those people into avoiding something new or making any kind of changes altogether.
Here are some common emotional drivers that prevent people from going for a hairstyle change e.g. from long hairstyles to a pixie cut or any other change in general.
Emotional Drivers of Avoiding Hairstyle Makeovers
Fear
Fear itself is not always a bad thing if it motivates you to act in a constructive way, such as to get out of the way of the train coming towards you! Or when a lion is about to eat you! The funny thing here is how many of us have actually ever had this happen to us? It would seem then that most common fears people have, are things of a much lesser magnitude. But let me assure you this: they may seem as bad as being eaten by a Polar Bear, but more often than not, they aren’t!
As human beings, we all strive to be accepted and to a degree gain the approval of others. Some people are an exception to this, but on the whole and on a subconscious level, human nature is such that it encourages us to fit in and to be accepted. It is this very fear of not being accepted or approved of by others that plays an important role in people not being able to change and navigate new territories, even non-threatening ones such as new hairstyles.
Certainty
Many people long for certainty in their lives, wanting to be certain or in control of everything that happens to them. The feeling of trying something new, something that is unknown scares the living daylights out of them because, well… What if?
Now, you probably know somebody just like this that you tried to be rational around, but they always had the what if ready for you as their answer.
Something that I say to these people is IF my aunty has a sex change, she will become my uncle, meaning if or when it happens and the chances are pretty slim, then it will be what it is, and we will deal with that then.
If you are one of those people that wants to be certain of your new makeover before you have it done, you can try a few things. Here are some tips up my sleeve:
1. Try on a Virtual Hairstyle
The graphics and colours are really good nowadays, and this will go a long way to helping you see in your mind’s eye what the outcome will look like (close enough). Switching from curly hairstyles to straight hairstyle, or changing the colours of your hair, virtual hairstyle apps can be immensely helpful.
2. Take Baby Steps!
Do your makeover in small increments of change, a little bit today, and a little more cut off in the next salon visit. This way you’ll have control over and a basic idea on how the hairstyle is turning out to be and whether you’d like to stop or request any modifications mid-way. If you are planning for short hairstyles, don’t go all in, rather push it over few salon visits.
Control
Being in control is a little like perfectionism. You never ever achieve this state because how can you control what other people are doing, saying, and most of all, thinking? More to the point, if you are going to a hairstylist for their expertise then how can you possibly control what happens in the chair?
I have had clients micromanage everything to the last detail, asking me to show their hair at the back using a back mirror during the whole process: what length I am cutting off the ends, why I am picking hair up a certain way, how long it would take, what it will look like when it’s done, just to name a few.
My advice is to relax, enjoy the moment, take a little chance, maybe slowly, but to embrace a little variety and change, because this is what makes us feel great. After all, progress equals happiness, isn’t it?
There’s seriously no reason for you not to get that amazing hairstyle makeover.
So how do you know if you suffer from this new hairstyle syndrome?
You need to ask yourself what exactly it is that concerns you about getting a new hairstyle. Over the years I have dealt with many clients and have found some of the following reasons to be top of the list.
Reasons for Not Taking the Plunge
That a Hairstyle Is Irreversible (Cannot Be Changed Back)
Here people are fearful of change and what it represents. It is easy to never venture outside one’s comfort zone for fear of failure, or in this case, not going back to the accepted level. For what it’s worth, you don’t need to worry, since most hairstyling services are reversible. On the off chance that you don’t like your new hairstyle, here’s the news: your natural hair will grow back!
That They May Not Like It After It’s Done
Fear of the unknown or unseen is by far one of the strongest negative emotions that affects people all over the world in every facet of life. There is of course a chance that your new short hairstyle will not be liked at first, but also there is a very strong possibility that you may love the new look if you have a positive, realistic approach, and you have taken precautionary steps to ensure that risk is minimized.
That a Partner/Family/Friends May Not Approve of It after It’s Done
This fear of not being accepted or approved of can be mentally paralyzing. A way around this is to show your partner/family or friends some pictures (on your own face would be best) of some new hairstyle ideas, whether you are aiming for long hairstyles or short before venturing into a salon. This will save shocking them later. Just remember, the bottom line is if you change your hairstyle, do it for the right reasons and do it for you!
That It May Ruin Their Hair
This is the one time when being fearful is not a bad thing if it motivates you to react in a positive manner. You need to steer clear from “home job” hairdressing where chemicals or techniques that are used could ruin your hair. Instead, always first consult with and only ever allow a fully trained professional hairstylist to perform any service to your hair.
A Past Bad Hairstyle Experience Means That It Will Happen Again
Although understandable, don’t allow bad hairstyle experiences to stop you from trying something new. Instead, try to assess why and how it actually happened and what part you played (if any) to avoid it from happening again. The odds are actually in your favour that it wouldn’t happen again.
The list goes on and on, and I have only listed just some of the main reasons why many people are so frightened to ever change their hairstyle from straight to curly hairstyles or from long hairstyle to a short haircut. If you have a good look at the list there is a very good chance that any one, or a combination of the above, can happen to you when you have a hairstyle change.
Parting Words
In my opinion, there are far too many reasons and positive outcomes that are achievable from hairstyling changes that completely outweigh the negative. The good news is that using positive thoughts and actions involving carefully thought-out planning, consulting, and strategies can almost completely eliminates any hairstyling disasters.
While all of the above can most definitely happen, what may also happen is –
You will end up with a brand-new hairstyle, a remarkable hair colour, and of course an incredible makeover that makes you look and FEEL amazing.
Now, who doesn’t want some of that?
FAQs
short hair
Category:
short hair
Short haircuts and hairstyles for women can be best described as where the hair has been cut to sit above the shoulders (generally around the collar) in varying lengths and layers. The arrangement, combination, and shape of hair lengths becomes the numerous hairstyles we
have come to know, some include short pixie crops, uniform layer cuts, graduated bobs, razor cuts, undercuts, and many more.
Category:
short hair
Short haircuts for women are the different ways that hair stylists cut hair. This is generally done by using hairdressing scissors, shears, razors, and clippers, and techniques that all cut the hair shaft in different ways, resulting in a variety of looks.
Short hairstyles for women are the completed look that is achieved from the numerous hairstyling techniques applied to short haircuts that can coincidentally be made to look very different each time by changing the procedure and hair care products.
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short hair
Short female hairstyles are for everybody, and for every age. One of the main reasons that short hairstyles do appeal to older women is due to time constraints and easier home hair care maintenance, saving valuable time and effort.
However the frantic way we live our lives means more and more younger females are looking for ways to save time and effort, and still have a short haircut that makes them look and feel amazing.
Getting a short womens haircut should not be determined by one’s age, rather it should be considered as an option along with other important factors such as
● Hair type
● Face shape
● Lifestyle, profession, personality
● Ability for home hair styling
● Time available for home hair maintenance
● Commitment required for regular haircuts, upkeep.
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short hair
The benefits of having a short female haircut are numerous and include some of the following;
● Short female haircuts are low maintenance and save valuable time in home hair grooming.
● A female with a short haircut will tell you that their hair is much healthier. This is due to the hair being younger, stronger, having far less exposure to climate, chemicals, heat and moisture damage caused by some hair styling.
● A well executed short haircut can be very flattering, drawing attention to a woman’s eyes, cheekbones, face or other personal attributes.
● A short female haircut is more versatile, many different looks can be created from one haircut.
● Believe it or not, it’s much more comfortable to sleep with a short haircut.
● The biggest benefit by far with getting a short female haircut is that the change will make you look refreshed, anew, while it will make you feel energized and amazing.
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short hair
Short answer is YES! The longer answer is short haircuts can be very sexy indeed, and all depends on the way the hairstylists design the best haircut for each woman individually.
Razor cutting creates wispy hair that softens the look of short Pixie crops to look very sexy, blunt short Bob Cuts with jawbone hugging lines and bangs that draw attention to beautiful eyes is also incredibly sexy.
Can anybody argue that Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, or more recently Katy Perry, or Zoe Kravitz don’t look incredibly sexy?
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short hair
Short straight haircuts ooze class, style, definition, structure, and personality. Straight hair that is cut short can be made to look blunt, solid, feathered, chic, modern, neat and clean. For straight fine hair types, short female haircuts that are shaped with heavy top layers make the hair appear thicker and more abundant, while straight coarse hair types really come to life when an open razor is used to add texture and to eliminate weight.
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short hair
Cutting wavy hair short will eliminate weight and encourage it to bounce back to it’s glorious texture. This is particularly good for fine hair types that often fall limp and tend to look lifeless when longer.
Naturally, there are times when owners of naturally wavy hair want it to be straight, and this versatile hair type can be transformed rather easily through blow-drying and hot irons that consequently will leave the hair smooth and straight, but alas with body and hold.
Short female haircuts on wavy hair texture are adjustable, flexible, and most of all can be a great way to accentuate a person’s face shape and attributes when executed expertly.
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short hair
Cutting or layering curly hair shorter will encourage it to bounce up, restore it, and can look amazing providing you get the right haircut. Short curly haircuts are all about shaping hair, using geomeryty against a client’s face shape and other attributes to come up with the winning look. There is an art to cutting curly hair, remembering that the nature of curls will appear much
shorter when styled naturally.
Advantages for having short female curly haircuts include versatility, better hair condition, and saving valuable time.
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short hair
Females have been cutting their locks off and working it for centuries now. Popular female short haircuts have come and gone over the past 100 years and some of these include:
● 1920’s Browband; where a jewelled band was worn across the forehead accompanied by feathers or flowers.
● Late 1920’s Eton Crop hairstyle where hair was slicked down firmly and a distinctive kiss curl swirl of hair stuck over women’s foreheads.
● Finger waves
● Short Angled Bob Cuts with Solid Bangs
● Marcel Waves, where hot tongs created deep crested waves.
● Pin Curls
● Italian Cut
● Short Crop, introduced to mainstream by Audrey Hepburn in 1953’s Roman Holiday
● The Pageboy in 1960
● The Bob, reintroduced by Vidal Sassoon
● Geometric Bobs
● Mop Tops
● Afro
● The Wedge
● Spikes and Pixie Cuts
● Concave Bobs (Victoria Beckham)
● Short Crops
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short hair
YES, from 20 years of haircutting experience I can declare this to be true. Now what is important is the way short haircuts are planned around particular face shapes, always taking into account a person’s hair type and then other physical and personal attributes.
For example, people that have oblong (longer face shapes) should try to minimise any height on top that will add more vertical length. However bangs (fringes) help to halve the vertical length, as do side parts that make long faces appear less narrow.
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short hair
Some types of current short haircuts for women include the following;
● Short Crops
● Pixie Cuts
● Layer Cuts
● Undercuts
● Graduated Short Bob Cuts
● Wedge Cut
● Stacked Bob Cut
● Blunt Cuts
● Faux Hawk
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short hair
Always consider your hair texture first, what will it do when hair is cut off, when weight is taken away? Wavy and curly hair types will no doubt bounce up and appear even shorter while straight hair textures may need some special cutting techniques such as chipping, slicing, razor cutting to encourage wispy ends, shag, body, or blunt ends to do the opposite.
The next thing to consider is your face shape, what are you trying to hide or promote?
The rule of thumb is to always aim for the most oval adjustment possible.
Category:
short hair
My advice is to really not overthink this, just find a bunch of images that you really like and then send these or take them along to your hairstylist that should know right away which of these could fit your hair type, face shape, attributes, time requirements, and personality.
Category:
short hair
It’s normal to be frightened of what is unknown, or what may be irreversible; however, there is a saying: nothing ventured, nothing gained. The fact that you may not like your new short hair makeover is a poor excuse for not doing it. Remember, an opinion is a poor substitute for an experience so don’t make your mind up without giving it a go.
Category:
short hair
YES, these tools are a great way to go one step further than simply selecting some favoured hairstyle looks on other people.
Seeing yourself with a new virtual short haircut, or hair color is very insightful and safe. Further to this, it’s not the overall look that people struggle with in makeovers, but rather the sudden change, and so a virtual hairstyle makeover gives you time to adjust, buy in, get opinions from people around you, and to accept the new short haircut before you actually get it
done.
Lastly, remember your hair may not allow you to do everything a virtual hairstyle shows, however this is where your hair stylist will provide you with their expert advice during the valuable consultation.