When I was a kid, I would cry after a haircut if I thought the stylist cut too much. In actuality, she didn’t cut much at all but I was a brat and I made the stylist feel bad and I embarrassed my mom.
Of course, one french braid later and I felt great again!
As adults, we likely don’t have such strong reactions to our bad haircuts, but I bet most of us have had at least one traumatizing experience. While it might not be a french braid to the rescue anymore, there are some methods that can hold you over until your hair gets fixed (or grows out!).
When you go too short
You said you just wanted a trim, but you leave the salon with a chin-grazing bob and a fake smile that says you love it. Now, you have to face at least a month with a short haircut you hate and then that seemingly endless awkward phase waiting until it grows out again.
As unfortunate as this is, try to make the best of it with hair accessories. You can twist sections away from your face and pin them back with bobby pins, or add a fun headband or clip. The more accessories you wear, the more distractions you have from the bad cut.
Use the awkward phase as an opportunity to try out all those fun updos you’ve seen on Pinterest! There are endless options for pulling your hair up and away from your face, making it impossible to tell how long it really is. Now that the braid has made a major comeback, there are even more options for creative hairstyles that you can try.
In fact, the “awkward phase,” which is usually defined by shoulder-length hair, is actually perfect for updos, because it’s long enough to be able to twist and braid, but not so long that it’s too heavy to stay up.
You HATE your new bangs
You thought you could rock those Zooey Deschanel bangs that are so in style these days, but as it turns out, they do nothing but swallow up your features and look totally awkward when you style them. This is one of the worst scenarios because, of course, these hairs are the shortest and most obvious, being on your face and all.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to pin, weave and twist this fringe so it’s not that noticeable. Gather all of your bangs together at the top of your hairline and secure with bobby pins, leaving the rest of your hair up or down. Or, part your hair deeply to one side and create a braided headband. Spraying your bangs with hairspray before braiding will help keep the super-short pieces in line.
Distract, distract, distract
Styling with tools and products is one of the best ways to distract yourself and others from a bad haircut. Take out that curling iron that’s been sitting at the bottom of your bathroom drawer and try it out on your freshly-shorn tresses. Experimenting with different techniques using heat styling tools or even new products like gels and mousses might make your cut tolerable. Or, like me in sixth grade, you might find that you love your hair when it’s styled a certain way!
To learn more, visit Keranique, on Amazon.
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