A Guide to Short hair: The Big Chop
Hello!
This week's post is a special as I collaborated with......*insert drum roll here* CIENNA RIANNE! Cienna is a wonderful human, gifted in many aspects including political journalism, track and field, and activism. Now at this point you may be saying, "That's great and all, but what does Cienna have to do with your blog??" My hair has since grown out, but Cienna and I have both had short hair! She is currently rocking an absolutely stunning shaved head look. It's lit, no joke. Before continuing, know that the opinions expressed in this post are each our own and you are not inclined to agree.
We decided to work together to give you a blog post on first cutting your hair, a guide to all that you need to know before, during, and after the big chop. Let's get started!
Your scalp will FREAK OUT: When I first shaved my head, it took a solid five days to a week for my head to stop shedding dead skin at my slightest movement. Shocked at finally being able to breathe, my scalp started shedding buildup like crazy. I left a trail of dandruff behind me everywhere I went. Every time I touched my head, dead skin and shampoo flakes fell like rain, and although I had a massive overall increase in confidence after cutting my hair, this specific part of the process made me feel very low. I felt dirty knowing that all of this junk had been on my head for so long without me knowing, and I felt even worse now that all of it was making a sudden appearance. But luckily, for me, (as in most cases), this stage lasted only a few days, and now, my scalp is the healthiest it has ever been.
Bonus Early Tip: Invest in a good clarifying shampoo for this period while your scalp is going through this vigorous cleansing process. Help it out a bit by scrubbing the buildup out as soon as your scalp releases it. This purchase will not be a waste, as you will continue to need this shampoo for days when your hair- and therefore your scalp as well- have been heavily exposed to the elements, when you’ve been sweating a lot, or when your scalp just feels bleh. If you’ve ever had short hair, you know the feeling, and a good clarifying wash, along with a nicely scented conditioner if desired, will banish it in a heartbeat.
Chloe:
When I cut my hair my scalp definitely freaked out. I have fine hair and while I didn't deal with much shedding, my hair stood up in every direction. It was used to being held down by the weight of my long hair and when I cut that hair off, my scalp looked like it was screaming, "I'M FREE!" For the first month, I straightened it, put mousse in it, and blow dried it, but my new hair never failed to ignore my directions and did whatever it wanted. In the wise words of every hairdresser, "You have to train your hair."
The first month and a half was pretty brutal, but then my hair was so versatile! With each trim it gave me an entirely different look. It grows incredibly quickly so within three weeks of an unfortunate trim I had a whole new look.
Cienna:
Cutting your hair will remove damage: I’m sure many of us have been in the situation where you look at your hair and think to yourself: “Is this my hair or a piece of straw?” Especially if you are/were a serial hair dyer like I was, you will know exactly what I am talking about here. Before cutting my hair off, I had dyed my hair from my natural dark brown to a strawberry blonde color, back to brown, darker brown, red, a blonde streak on one side, and finally black, which is the dye job from which I shaved my head. I naturally have extremely coarse, unmanageable hair to begin with, but the damage I inflicted on my hair with all of that dye only made the situation worse. Cutting my hair off gave me the freedom to not only rid myself of the havoc I wreaked on my hair but also allowed me to feel as if I could express myself through my hair without having to damage it in the process.
Chloe:
I cut my hair to try a new look and by cutting my hair I also got rid of all the hair I bleached from medium brown to blonde with a grocery store box hair kit; it made the list of worst mistakes. My hair ended up with a pink hue which did not jive well with my skin tone. A salon visit involved bleach and dye a few shades lighter than my original medium brown. Yikes! My hair looked and felt like straw. When I cut it all off, I was able to rediscover my hair's natural texture. The bleach made my hair fall out, and it grew back from the pixie cut, thicker and healthier and bleach-free.
Cienna:
Cutting your hair will add a level of androgyny to your look: This point lies slightly in a matter of opinion, but I am still going to share my personal views on this subject. To me, androgyny is beautiful. I have always been attracted to androgynous men and women. Blurring the line among genders is lovely to me, and shaving my head gave me the ability to toe that line in a way I had always wanted to. Hands down, my favorite part of having short hair is being able to fluctuate fluidly between femininity and masculinity and yet somehow have it make sense. I love being able to look classy and girly in a dress or tough and boyish in drop crotch pants and sneakers. Of course, dresses aren’t confined exclusively to women nor pants to men, but being able to simultaneously rock clothing preciously assigned to only one gender only increases the level of blurring between traditional gender norms- the same ones which decided that women shouldn’t have shaved heads.
Whether you like it or not, having short hair- and especially having a shaved head- as a woman will involve conversations about gender –specifically, gender norms and expectations for beauty in our culture. Shaved heads on women are not considered “feminine” by society at large, or more specifically, by old, white guys who apparently now are writing the rules for what women can do with their bodies. But guess what? YOU as a woman, not aforementioned old, white guys, get to decide what femininity looks like for you. Only females get to define femininity. For me, androgyny is how I embrace and define my femininity. Shaving my head is what helped me discover that.
Chloe:
One of the most common things people told me when I cut my hair was, "You need to play up your girly-ness so people don't mistake you for a boy." During the time I had very short hair, I spent so much time trying to find things to make me appear "girly" and never gave myself a chance to discover my own personal style. I look back and regret that about my short hair experience. I let other people's worries and opinions control my life and wish I had the courage to let go of what people said to me and embrace my own personal style. Despite my best efforts, people still mistook me for a boy on at least one occasion. It doesn't matter what you do, people still hold on to the conception that short hair is only for boys. If I can give you one piece of advice about embracing your short hair, dress how you want and don't let other people try to convince you that you "aren't girly enough." There is no such thing as "girly enough." You should concern yourself only with how girly you choose to be.
One of the biggest reasons I grew my hair out was I had been convinced that short hair was somehow disrespectful to women who embrace traditionally feminine traits. Recently, I overcame this toxic mindset. I cut my hair because I thought it looked cute. I continued to have short hair because I liked the way it looked. People constantly assumed that I had short hair because I "wanted to be different than other girls" or "be stronger than other girls." I had short hair because I liked the way it looked, not because I had some kind of problem with being a woman. I strive to unite women as too often we have been conditioned to break each other down instead of build each other up. Whether you have short hair or long hair, wear makeup everyday or choose to rock your natural glow, I think women should stand together instead of buying into toxic ideas that being traditionally feminine is weak or that having short hair makes you "hate being a woman." Do what makes you happy, and encourage others to do the same.
Cienna:
People will know you before knowing you: As I previously mentioned, I used to dye my hair obsessively in the hope that people would be able to see something about my personality when they looked at me. I have always craved that. I personally find the idea that someone could know something about me as a person before ever speaking to me enticing, and I have almost always tried to make that possible. I want people to know who I am and what I stand for by my clothes and my hair and my jewelry and my bags. In cutting my hair, I felt like those who saw me now had another level of knowledge about me from looking at me. To me, women with shaved heads emulate strength and empowerment. I want people to look at me and think, “She is graceful and powerful and strong.” But then again, maybe they look at me and think I’m a trainwreck.
Cienna:
All attention will be directed at that face of yours: Be prepared for all the attention to no longer be on your flowing locks (or fried, frizzy locks, in my case) and now be directed at your face. With no hair to frame or distract from your face, your facial features will be now be the main attraction. To some, who are uncomfortable with certain facial features or use their hair as a security blanket to hide from their face, thinking, “This sounds absolutely awful. Why would I choose to bring attention to my face?”: I’ve been there. That was me on the morning of July 25th, the day of my big chop. I was insecure in my weak jawline, small eyes, and my nose, which I thought to be “just weird”. However, the oddest thing happened that afternoon when I no longer had my hair to hide behind. I fell in love with my eyes, my jaw, and my nose. I feel that my features look better balanced and more beautiful in my eyes now that they are in full prominence. Cutting your hair just might give you the opportunity to fall in love with that part of your face that you are just SO uncomfortable with right now.
This week's post is a special as I collaborated with......*insert drum roll here* CIENNA RIANNE! Cienna is a wonderful human, gifted in many aspects including political journalism, track and field, and activism. Now at this point you may be saying, "That's great and all, but what does Cienna have to do with your blog??" My hair has since grown out, but Cienna and I have both had short hair! She is currently rocking an absolutely stunning shaved head look. It's lit, no joke. Before continuing, know that the opinions expressed in this post are each our own and you are not inclined to agree.
Facts. We tell you what happens, you decide whether it's a pro or con.
Cienna:Your scalp will FREAK OUT: When I first shaved my head, it took a solid five days to a week for my head to stop shedding dead skin at my slightest movement. Shocked at finally being able to breathe, my scalp started shedding buildup like crazy. I left a trail of dandruff behind me everywhere I went. Every time I touched my head, dead skin and shampoo flakes fell like rain, and although I had a massive overall increase in confidence after cutting my hair, this specific part of the process made me feel very low. I felt dirty knowing that all of this junk had been on my head for so long without me knowing, and I felt even worse now that all of it was making a sudden appearance. But luckily, for me, (as in most cases), this stage lasted only a few days, and now, my scalp is the healthiest it has ever been.
Bonus Early Tip: Invest in a good clarifying shampoo for this period while your scalp is going through this vigorous cleansing process. Help it out a bit by scrubbing the buildup out as soon as your scalp releases it. This purchase will not be a waste, as you will continue to need this shampoo for days when your hair- and therefore your scalp as well- have been heavily exposed to the elements, when you’ve been sweating a lot, or when your scalp just feels bleh. If you’ve ever had short hair, you know the feeling, and a good clarifying wash, along with a nicely scented conditioner if desired, will banish it in a heartbeat.
Chloe:
When I cut my hair my scalp definitely freaked out. I have fine hair and while I didn't deal with much shedding, my hair stood up in every direction. It was used to being held down by the weight of my long hair and when I cut that hair off, my scalp looked like it was screaming, "I'M FREE!" For the first month, I straightened it, put mousse in it, and blow dried it, but my new hair never failed to ignore my directions and did whatever it wanted. In the wise words of every hairdresser, "You have to train your hair."
The first month and a half was pretty brutal, but then my hair was so versatile! With each trim it gave me an entirely different look. It grows incredibly quickly so within three weeks of an unfortunate trim I had a whole new look.
Cienna:
Cutting your hair will remove damage: I’m sure many of us have been in the situation where you look at your hair and think to yourself: “Is this my hair or a piece of straw?” Especially if you are/were a serial hair dyer like I was, you will know exactly what I am talking about here. Before cutting my hair off, I had dyed my hair from my natural dark brown to a strawberry blonde color, back to brown, darker brown, red, a blonde streak on one side, and finally black, which is the dye job from which I shaved my head. I naturally have extremely coarse, unmanageable hair to begin with, but the damage I inflicted on my hair with all of that dye only made the situation worse. Cutting my hair off gave me the freedom to not only rid myself of the havoc I wreaked on my hair but also allowed me to feel as if I could express myself through my hair without having to damage it in the process.
Chloe:
I cut my hair to try a new look and by cutting my hair I also got rid of all the hair I bleached from medium brown to blonde with a grocery store box hair kit; it made the list of worst mistakes. My hair ended up with a pink hue which did not jive well with my skin tone. A salon visit involved bleach and dye a few shades lighter than my original medium brown. Yikes! My hair looked and felt like straw. When I cut it all off, I was able to rediscover my hair's natural texture. The bleach made my hair fall out, and it grew back from the pixie cut, thicker and healthier and bleach-free.
Cienna:
Cutting your hair will add a level of androgyny to your look: This point lies slightly in a matter of opinion, but I am still going to share my personal views on this subject. To me, androgyny is beautiful. I have always been attracted to androgynous men and women. Blurring the line among genders is lovely to me, and shaving my head gave me the ability to toe that line in a way I had always wanted to. Hands down, my favorite part of having short hair is being able to fluctuate fluidly between femininity and masculinity and yet somehow have it make sense. I love being able to look classy and girly in a dress or tough and boyish in drop crotch pants and sneakers. Of course, dresses aren’t confined exclusively to women nor pants to men, but being able to simultaneously rock clothing preciously assigned to only one gender only increases the level of blurring between traditional gender norms- the same ones which decided that women shouldn’t have shaved heads.
Whether you like it or not, having short hair- and especially having a shaved head- as a woman will involve conversations about gender –specifically, gender norms and expectations for beauty in our culture. Shaved heads on women are not considered “feminine” by society at large, or more specifically, by old, white guys who apparently now are writing the rules for what women can do with their bodies. But guess what? YOU as a woman, not aforementioned old, white guys, get to decide what femininity looks like for you. Only females get to define femininity. For me, androgyny is how I embrace and define my femininity. Shaving my head is what helped me discover that.
Chloe:
One of the most common things people told me when I cut my hair was, "You need to play up your girly-ness so people don't mistake you for a boy." During the time I had very short hair, I spent so much time trying to find things to make me appear "girly" and never gave myself a chance to discover my own personal style. I look back and regret that about my short hair experience. I let other people's worries and opinions control my life and wish I had the courage to let go of what people said to me and embrace my own personal style. Despite my best efforts, people still mistook me for a boy on at least one occasion. It doesn't matter what you do, people still hold on to the conception that short hair is only for boys. If I can give you one piece of advice about embracing your short hair, dress how you want and don't let other people try to convince you that you "aren't girly enough." There is no such thing as "girly enough." You should concern yourself only with how girly you choose to be.
One of the biggest reasons I grew my hair out was I had been convinced that short hair was somehow disrespectful to women who embrace traditionally feminine traits. Recently, I overcame this toxic mindset. I cut my hair because I thought it looked cute. I continued to have short hair because I liked the way it looked. People constantly assumed that I had short hair because I "wanted to be different than other girls" or "be stronger than other girls." I had short hair because I liked the way it looked, not because I had some kind of problem with being a woman. I strive to unite women as too often we have been conditioned to break each other down instead of build each other up. Whether you have short hair or long hair, wear makeup everyday or choose to rock your natural glow, I think women should stand together instead of buying into toxic ideas that being traditionally feminine is weak or that having short hair makes you "hate being a woman." Do what makes you happy, and encourage others to do the same.
Cienna:
People will know you before knowing you: As I previously mentioned, I used to dye my hair obsessively in the hope that people would be able to see something about my personality when they looked at me. I have always craved that. I personally find the idea that someone could know something about me as a person before ever speaking to me enticing, and I have almost always tried to make that possible. I want people to know who I am and what I stand for by my clothes and my hair and my jewelry and my bags. In cutting my hair, I felt like those who saw me now had another level of knowledge about me from looking at me. To me, women with shaved heads emulate strength and empowerment. I want people to look at me and think, “She is graceful and powerful and strong.” But then again, maybe they look at me and think I’m a trainwreck.
Cienna:
All attention will be directed at that face of yours: Be prepared for all the attention to no longer be on your flowing locks (or fried, frizzy locks, in my case) and now be directed at your face. With no hair to frame or distract from your face, your facial features will be now be the main attraction. To some, who are uncomfortable with certain facial features or use their hair as a security blanket to hide from their face, thinking, “This sounds absolutely awful. Why would I choose to bring attention to my face?”: I’ve been there. That was me on the morning of July 25th, the day of my big chop. I was insecure in my weak jawline, small eyes, and my nose, which I thought to be “just weird”. However, the oddest thing happened that afternoon when I no longer had my hair to hide behind. I fell in love with my eyes, my jaw, and my nose. I feel that my features look better balanced and more beautiful in my eyes now that they are in full prominence. Cutting your hair just might give you the opportunity to fall in love with that part of your face that you are just SO uncomfortable with right now.
Tips and Tricks:
- "Pay special attention to your eyes and eyebrows: As previously mentioned, when you take some serious inches off your hair, the eyes of passerby will be drawn to your face, instead of your hair. Specifically, your eyes and brows will be center stage. Because your time spent on hair maintenance will most likely decreases, you will be able to afford to spend some extra time making sure that when these areas pop, they look as good as possible. Be sure to create a look that you will feel comfortable with people’s eyes being drawn to- whether, for you, that means no makeup, light mascara, or a full face." -Cienna
- "If your ears are pierced, statement earrings will suddenly become your best friend. Those awesome dangling earrings you have that used to constantly get caught in your hair, will now sit gracefully above your shoulders and sparkle. With this new space to utilize, the right earrings can actually function as your only accessory piece." -Chloe
- "Necklines are important: If you cut your hair to your shoulders or shorter, necklines will suddenly factor much more heavily into your shopping experience. There’s just something so graceful and lovely about a woman’s shoulder/collarbone area, and when you have short hair, it would be wise to take advantage of the fact that this area will be visible for a much higher percentage of time than before. I would suggest buying tops with a variety of necklines. Hooded jackets, collared shirts, off the shoulder tops, and halters are some of my favorites. I would also highly recommend investing in one or two great bralettes for that added lacy detail." -Cienna
- "Try on different hair styles using a hairstyle swap app before you chop so that you can get a feel for about how you want to take off. I know that really short pixie styles don't bring out my best features, but a medium length pixie with side swept bangs looks great! experiment with the different options to find what looks best on you." - Chloe
Thanks for reading our post! I also contributed to a post on Cienna's blog about surviving in a politically hostile environment, you can find it by clicking this link. She writes such beautiful work and I hope you find the time to check out her page and read some of her great posts. Enjoy!
Love,
Coco Cat (And Cienna 😉)
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