Pixie Haircut: Why You Should Rethink this Style!
I got my first pixie haircut at age 4 and hated it. My aunt taped my bangs to my head to produce a straight "choirboy" cut. It led me to wonder, "Who are these pixies and why on earth do we want to look like them?"
It was 35 more years before I'd let anyone give me another pixie cut. I was living and working in the Caribbean and my long, limp, straight hair was a drag in the heat and humidity. I let my hairdresser take the length up little by little until, for the first time in decades, I had no locks to hide behind.
And guess what? My new pixie cut looked great and felt great.
There was an incredible feeling of liberation and, well, light headedness! Now back in the cool northern climes, I don't think I'll ever return to long, hippy hair.
My pixie has become part of me, part of my personal statement. Maybe it could become part of you, too?
Today's pixie cut tends to be edgy and soft with short at the back (undercut) and slightly longer on top. That extra length provides movement and volume for styling options. The bangs can be tailored to your face shape and be textured to soften and flatter your features.
Cute long pixie, styled in messy texture with shorter cuts on sides and neck - Model: Anna H.
Pixie haircuts are a good choice for women with petite faces, small features, and average to long necks. Celebrities like Michele Williams, Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, and Jamie Lee Curtis have all renewed its popularity.
Taking the Leap: Pros and Cons
Pros: Easy and fast to wash, dry and style. Necklaces and earrings show better because they aren't hidden. Color can be grown out fast when you're ready for a change. You'll feel lighter and freer without the extra hair pulling you down. And the style just exudes confidence and power.
Cons: A pixie haircut needs more frequent cuts to keep it in shape -- every 3 to 6 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows. And some women feel a very short hair style is limiting since there's just one way to wear it. But is that really true?
Getting More Style From Your Pixie Haircut
Your pixie haircut will benefit from the skillful use of products to create new looks for every occasion. My cut and I have explored various styling aids over the years -- clay, paste, putty, gel, wax, mousse, hairspray -- to find the right combination to nudge my stubbornly straight hair into some semblance of shape and volume.
By using products and styling techniques that work for your particular hair type, your pixie haircut can quickly go from elfin to executive to elegant:
The Casual Pixie
A really good cut will need only finger combing into place while blow drying, light hairspray and you're ready to hit the mall, beach or movie night with the girls. (Or if you're Michelle Williams, the Oscars.) Pro Razor cutting adds definition and prevents the dreaded scissor marks in fine, straight hair.
The Working Pixie
The pixie cut is ideal for the office because it's feminine and businesslike at the same time.
- Use a holding product to add volume at the roots and separate chunks of crown hair.
- Swoosh the bangs to the side.
- Or have fun with a messy, scrunchy do.
The Dressy Pixie
Start by building volume from the roots. Backcomb top sections of hair then sculpt into shape using a pomade. For added softness, curl the ends. Or break out the baubles. Accessorizing is so much fun with short hair. Glitter, tiaras, faux flowers, hair clips, stunning earrings and other bling will lift your pixie cut to the next level of loveliness for that special day.
