Growing Out My Pixie: Thick Hair

That's right, I have embarked on the long awkward journey towards long-ish hair.

Here is the backstory.

I am a Leo, and while I reject most of the horoscope hype of the day, I can admit that I am very hair conscious. It's the lion's mane, man; his pride.
I have had some variation of a pixie since I was eleven years old. Sometimes it would grow out to just above my shoulders, but I never embraced it. My aesthetics and comfort zone was very much within the how-short-can-my-hair-get range. I even spent a couple of years shaving the sides and back in a Tommy Shelby style.
Image

I've been creative.

However, now I find myself experiencing hair envy.
This is a pretty crappy feeling when your fringe doesn't reach the middle of your forehead. Basically, you just want to grab handfuls of your hair and pull till it's longer. It never grows fast enough!
Which is a cruel irony, because when your hair is short you swear that you can feel it growing out of shape.

There are a couple of key things to keep in mind when growing out a pixie cut.

1. It will very quickly begin to resemble a Beiber-bop. You do not want this for several reasons, one of which is that you will look like you're twelve; another is that it will swallow you whole.

2. After it Beibers, it will make a strong play for the Kentucky Waterfall. I don't care what anyone says, the mullet is possibly the single most unattractive hairstyles to ever exist. Someone pulled off a mullet and looked good? Guess what? They are probably so naturally attractive that they would look good in anything.

3. Your layers will find new and exciting ways to grow out and be irritating every single day. This means that you will want to find new and exciting ways to hide your bad hair days. Which will be most days.

Let's just fess up right now and admit that this is not a very graceful time in your life.
Listen to upbeat music and embrace the chaos that is your head-garden.

Now, there are a few surefire things that will help you immensely during this transition.

1. Bobby pins.
These little guys will be your best friend as you pin back awkward layers and train your hair away from your face.

2. Headbands.
As things grow out your hair will start to look heavy and all-consuming. A headband is a great way to pin things down, hold it in place, and even redirect some of that unwanted fullness to the back of your head where it will look more artfully messy and "stacked out".

3. Trim your nape.
This is said with much caution. Scissors are something you largely want to avoid using but as things grow, the hair at your nape is going to reach the first knot of your spine before your fringe can cover your eyebrows. This is how the mullet sneaks in. Every couple of months, trim the hair at your nape to work towards a good shape and avoid the party in the back.

4. Off your face.
Keeping your hair off of your face as it grows out is a great way to avoid the inevitable Beiber, and will open up your face so that you don't feel swallowed up.

I realize that I am writing this for people with really thick hair, so people with thin hair may not be able to relate to quite the same extent. But rejoice! That means you have an easier journey.
Having really thick hair can be very restrictive as there is just so much more of it to deal with, and most advice out there is for average to thin hair.
I thought that it might be cool to share this with people and see if it helps anyone.

Eventually, I'll post some photos to show the different stages as I experience them.
In the meantime, have a nice time.
April 2nd, 2018 at 09:11pm