At the beginning of 2019, I was looking for a change. I had 27 inches of long, wavy hair, and I was sick of it. It had been through a lot. Chlorine from pools, heat from hair dryers and flattening irons, and just daily wear and tear had taken a massive toll on my curls. After a bad chin-length bob my freshman year of high school, I had sworn I would never cut my hair short again. Then one day, as I braided my hair to get ready for bed so that maybe it would cooperate with me the next morning, I found myself daydreaming of a lower-maintenance cut. I knew I would have to get some length taken off. I had horrible split ends and if I was going to start having healthier hair, I needed a more dramatic chop.
There was one cut that loomed above the rest. A look that was described as a “power move” or the ultimate commitment to starting your hair off fresh. I spent hours on Pinterest, scrolling through board after board of gorgeous women with perfect pixie cuts. I tailored my search to curly and wavy pixies, knowing I’d never be able to pull off that sleek Emma Watson do without using heat, and I knew I wasn’t going to get up and flat iron every day. I asked friends and family for opinions and tied up my long hair a million different ways to try and see what it maybe would look like if I just cut it all off.
I made an appointment, and on January 21, 2019, I said hello to the shortest my hair has ever been.
And I loved it.
I had a lot of reasons to chop it all off, from maintenance to just crossing it off my bucket list. Here’s a list of eight reasons why if you’re considering a pixie cut, you should just go ahead and do it.
- Cut your getting ready time in half
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When I had long hair, my morning routine always had to have some wiggle room depending on how long I needed to get my hair fixed for the day. I have never been an elaborate person. I wouldn’t flat iron in the morning, I wouldn’t wash it before school or blow it dry. However, it never seemed to want to do the same thing from morning to morning. I would wake up to knots, frizz, and anyone with curly hair knows you can’t just brush it. I’d have to wet it, brush it before it dried, roll the dice on whatever product I thought would do the trick that morning and, if all else failed, pull it into braided pigtails so I could leave the house at a reasonable hour. I wore those braided pigtails a lot. After getting the pixie, I know that I can do the same thing every morning and my hair will look exactly like I want it to, and it’ll take me five minutes, tops.
- Variety in style
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A lot of people will tell you that you’ll get bored with your pixie cut. They think that because you have a limited length, you’ll also have a limited range of styles. This is untrue. Many beauty bloggers and YouTubers have video tutorials of different ways to jazz up a pixie cut, from just a simple cute headband to elaborate braided bangs. I’ve never been skilled enough to pull off those tiny twists, but even a small clip or bobby pin can add something fun to your pixie. My favorite style is to take a small scarf and tie it in a bow over my bangs, Rosie the Riveter style. Oh and, by the way, bonus reason to get a pixie cut: people will say you look like Rosie the Riveter, like all of the time.
- Products, conditioners, etc. all last forever
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You only have to use a little bit of product (if any) when you fix your hair, so you’ll come out way cheaper on those curl creams, pomades, or hairsprays. A little bit goes a long way on hair that short, and you’d be surprised what a difference a small amount of styling wax can do.
- Your style just suddenly feels that much cooler
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Whether you like leather jackets and boots, flowy dresses, or just jeans and a t-shirt, that pixie cut will take your aesthetic to the next level. It is called a pixie for a reason. You will look and feel like an ethereal being no matter what your style is. It’s complimentary to any personality too. A lot of people associate the pixie with punk or goth styles, but a soft, longer pixie looks amazing on someone who prefers pastels. A clean-cut with pulled-back bangs is a versatile look for the working woman. Of course, if you are into the punk style, get it buzzed or style it spiked up. It can fit any style for any woman, and you’ll have your confidence boosted by how awesome you look literally all of the time.
- Your hair will look and feel so much healthier
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Like I said before, a major factor in my decision to get a pixie had to do with how my long hair was so unhealthy. Right after my cut, I couldn’t stop touching my hair because I couldn’t believe how soft it was. When you cut off that much hair, you’re not just getting rid of the split ends. You’re taking out all of the heat damage, all of the chemical damage, and letting your hair grow from the root totally and completely healthy. If you have damage from bleaches, dyes, or heat, the pixie cut could give you that fresh beginning you’ve been looking for.
- “Guys won’t like it” is a stupid reason not to do something and it’s not true anyways
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Every girl in the history of girls that have wanted to cut her hair short has heard this. “Guys won’t like it,” “Your boyfriend won’t like it,” “Men like long hair.” If women never did anything they thought guys wouldn’t like, we wouldn’t be voting, we wouldn’t be wearing pants, and most of us wouldn’t be speaking. If your boyfriend is the only person telling you not to get a pixie, my recommendation is to cut your hair however you like and cut him out of your life instead. Any guy that matters isn’t going to care how long your hair is, and anyway it’s your hair.
- Take a chance
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If you’re reading this you’re either:
a. A pixie veteran here to judge my advice
b. Someone on the cusp of a major choice, or
c. scrolling through articles and clicked on this because you were confused by what I meant by “getting a pixie”. If you are that second person, sometimes you just have to take a risk because you know you want a change. When I got my first pixie I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like. I had my Pinterest screenshots and I had my hopes, but there was no way to be sure that it was going to look like what I imagined. And it didn’t. When your hair is that long, it weighs down everything by the root, so I didn’t see a real curl to my pixie cut for a few weeks after the initial chop. Even so, I was so happy to see the difference before and after. I loved having a change like that to my style and it boosted my confidence to take what felt like a huge risk and have it pay off in such an awesome way. - Major confidence boost
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I’ve said it over and over again throughout this whole article. There is power in the choice to change yourself. There’s a lot of pressure to stay the same, make the same choices you’ve always made. Letting your hair grow longer and longer is cool, it’s a long process with steps and maintenance and gradual success. I would measure my hair once a month when it was long to check out my “progress” and I was known in part for having long, curly, (dyed) red hair. I grew it out for three and a half years. I had the same goal of having that super long hair for three. and a half. years. And it feels silly to think about, but when your hair is that long, it’s been with you through a lot. Maybe it was that nasty break up or that friendship has gone wrong. Maybe you had some good times, maybe you hit some hard times. Maybe you grew up. People say you shouldn’t attach that much importance to your hair, but when you’re in the chair and you feel the literal weight falling to the floor, it feels like you’re leaving some of that stuff behind. You’ll be showing off more of your face since you can’t hide behind long hair, and you’ll feel empowered with your choice.
As a disclaimer: I did not cut my hair as a result of depression, anxiety, a breakup or other social tragedy, or trauma. A haircut will not fix these problems for you and you should not expect it to.
To the girl who is looking for a change, to the girl who wants to shake it up, or to the girl who’s just tired of her split ends, from a pixie veteran, do it. You’ll love the cut and you’ll love yourself for taking the leap.