A girl and her pixie cut
When I was a senior in high school, I decided to chop all of my hair off. It was shoulder length, a weird texture combination of frizzy and wavy, and in sore need of some attention. I'm pretty sure it was an unnatural orange at the time, since I had dyed it every natural color under the sun - from blonde to black. I'd straightened it, permed it, bleached it, and pretty much abused it. So off it went. When the hairstylist turned my chair around and I saw short-hair-me for the first time, I fell in love with pixie cuts. It was different. It was unique. It was...Chloe.
Short hair became a sort of identity for me. Pixie cuts and Chloe went hand in hand. When I was a freshman in college, I was one of only three girls I knew of on my small campus who had a pixie cut.
My pixie gave me nothing to hide behind, and since I stuck out and people remembered me pretty easily just based on my haircut. It started some great conversations and got me out of my comfort zone. Through college and beyond, my personal style has evolved and the pixie has played a role in the shaping of my personal style.
Here is a bit of my pixie cut journey, pictures included!
My hair has been super short. Here is a picture right before I left to be on the Prayer and Action team. (Read more about my summer mission trip in other people's back yard here!) Since I knew I'd be away from my hair stylist for a while, I told her to take it as short as she could without shaving it. I didn't need a haircut for a long time after that cut.
Pixie cuts and hats go hand in hand! Don't worry that putting a hat on will make your hair disappear completely! I stayed away from hats for way too long with short hair because I was worried that everyone would think I was a dude. Actually, more people have mistaken me for a guy without a hat on. So bring on the hats!
Speaking of being mistaken for a guy - on a train ride to Virginia Beach for a history conference, the barista at the coffee shop said, "Here's your coffee sir." Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
Short hair can also look good under hats too! This is me on spring break a couple of years ago. We didn't have access to showers since we went backpacking in the back country of Big Bend National Park in Texas. After a couple of days, the hat stayed permanently on.
Pixie cuts also look great with hair accessories! When I got engaged, I considered growing my hair out for the wedding. After all, hair can grow a lot in ten months. You can read more about why I decided to keep my hair short here. So I was a pixie cut bride! I skipped the veil (most of them were too poofy for my short hair) and went instead with a headband that I bought from one of my favorite stores, Francesca's. It stayed in place the whole day and I loved how it added something extra for the wedding day.
One of the things I love the most about pixie cuts is that, as they grow, you can have a lot of great looks. Here are some pictures of the pixie as it continued to get longer.
This is the only picture I was able to find with a view of the side and back. This is a view of the side in one of the longer stages.
If you have a natural hair texture that isn't straight, don't think that curly hair can keep you from a pixie. Here's my pixie with a little bit of curl and an 1800's dress. What can I say, I told you I was old fashioned!
And here it is at Easter of this year - I'm growing it out to a bob, and my wavy hair rears its head. But it's still manageable in its natural state, too!
Are you thinking about chopping your hair off and trying a pixie? Here are five quick thoughts on pixies!
01. Yes, YOU can have a pixie cut.
Most of the time conversations about my pixie start with someone saying 'I love your hair, I could never pull that off!' If you want to try a pixie, you should! Check out this post about how to match your face shape to the right pixie for you. And remember, I have a pretty round face and a small head. If I can pull it off, so can you. Make sure you have a chat with your hairstylist about the cut, but be courageous!
02. Get to know your hairstylist. . . you'll being seeing them more regularly
You never realize how fast your hair grows until you get a pixie cut. Instead of a visit to the salon just to trim up those dead ends, plan on coming back to get a haircut about every 4 to 6 weeks. If you don't mind the changing looks as your pixie gets longer, you can go longer between cuts.
03. Remember that it will grow back.
If you take the plunge and don't like short hair, don't worry, the cut isn't permanent. Your hair will grow back. The average person's hair grows about 1/2" a month. So give it a couple months and you'll have a whole new haircut!
04. You'll love how quick your morning routine is with a pixie
Before my pixie cut, my morning routine would last forever. I'd wash my hair, straighten it, hairspray it, and then finally get around to getting dressed (only to ruin my hair as I pulled my shirt over my head). With a pixie, my morning routine is literally get out of bed,
05. Femininity isn't a hair length.
You can be beautiful with short hair, even though the world says femininity is found in long, luscious locks that spill down your back in cascading curls. But more important than realizing that it's possible to have a pixie cut and still feel beautiful, I've discovered that femininity is exponentially more than the length of one's hair or even physical appearance in general. Your beauty is found in your identity as a child of God - He loves you no matter what your hair looks like! Thank goodness, because short hair bed head can get pretty crazy!
P.S. Yes, I did have long hair once. Can you spot me in the picture below? I'm the one in the Easter peeps shirt, keepin' it classy.
