After cutting 10 inches off my hair, I learned that there is a lot more to it then just determining the new length! I wanted to share this blog post with you guys so give you the inside scoop on things to be cognizant of being making the chop! Also, I’m going to share some of my tips for getting great volume in your hair since so  many of you guys have been asking me that recently. Alright, let’s get to it!

It’s funny when I first made my hair appoint I didn’t even schedule a cut! I only planned to go in for a highlight touch up. Then about a week later I was like, okay my hair definitely needs a cut, but only  a trim. Then about a week before I went in for my cut and color, I don’t know what struck me but I was thinking–maybe I’ll do a big chop?! I went to you all on IG stories and the majority of you said to go for it so then I started to really consider it (see, I have you guys to thank!!).

After that, I asked one of my friend’s, Mark Bustos (who I met at the Johnson & Johnson NYC trip), if he had any tips or advice for me because he KNOWS hair. He brought up a few things that I wouldn’t have thought about but are all super important things to consider when taking off a significant length. One of the first things he asked (after seeing my inspiration photos) was how I normally style my hair. Something that a lot of people don’t think of is if you’re actually going to be styling your hair like the photos you’re using for your hair inspo. For example, if you are looking at a haircut with loose waves but you aren’t going to take the time to style your hair like that during the week, then that may not be the best haircut for you. When it came to the approach to the haircut itself he suggested wearing my hair natural/air dried to the appointment and having it dry cut about 2.5 inches longer than I wanted. When hair goes from wet to dry it can shrink up a lot more than you think and you can be caught off guard with the shorter length. The other reason to do this is since I wear my hair wavy most of the time, I don’t want to cut too much off where it’s was then too short once it’s wavy and not straight.

When I got to my appointment at 6 Salon, my stylist Brittany, agreed with everything Mark and I had discussed. She also saved me from making another big mistake!! So one of my “biggest fears” when cutting my hair was losing the volume–my worst nightmare is short hair that is flat! Needless to say, I made sure to relay this to Brittany. Okay, so remember when I mentioned the mistake with the hair inspo photos? After showing Brittany the haircuts that I liked, she looked at one in particular and asked me if that going to be enough volume for me. I took a closer look at the photo and was like–definitely not! So we stayed away from that type of cut and went shorter. And since I like to flip my part back and forth, she gave me a cut where I could do that (I like doing that so my hair looks like it has more volume!!) In the end, I was super  happy with the cut and color she gave me. Also, for the girls in RDU that have asked me about my stylist, she isn’t accepting new clients right now but she said she most likely will be in March 🙂

**EDIT: I now see @hairbyashlouise (tell her I sent you if you see her!) but you can see how I get my exact short haircut that I have now here.

So this is the cut that I originally liked but we decided that it wasn’t enough volume (for me).

Okay, so now onto tips for getting more volume! There are a few things I’ve found helpful when it comes to styling it, and then there are some products that I love to use (which I also used when my hair was long). For starters, if you’re going to wear your hair straight I definitely recommend blow drying it. When you blow dry it, you can pull the top layer of hair up (towards to ceiling) and it will help give it more volume. When you’re done blow drying it, I love using the same volume spray that I used when my hair was long–so long hair or short hair, I definitely recommend using this! There are a bunch of brands out there, but I am obsessed with Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast. When my hair is fully dried and I spray it under the top layer of my hair and then a little throughout the middle, and then just work it into my roots and scalp, and run my fingers through it. It feels a little sticky at first but the more you rub it in/mess with your hair, it will dissipate. A little goes a long way so start small! Otherwise, your hair will feel super sticky and stiff. If you decide to wear your hair wavy this already helps add more volume–wavy/curly hair naturally has more volume so this helps. Once I’m done styling my hair and using hairspray, I will then add the Volume Blast. I also like to adjust/flip my part to back and forth which makes my hair look like it has more volume as well. Whether I’m wearing my hair straight or wavy, I use this 1″ flat iron!

Also, one other tip/thing to keep in mind is the heavier and longer your hair is the harder it’s going to be to achieve that volume! If your hair is long, I would recommend having some of the bulk/weight cut out of it or you can add more layers. When it comes to shorter hair, you’re naturally going to be able to get a little more volume!

Any other questions about my cut or products I use, leave them below!! Thank again guys for all your encouragement to go for the cut! I’m soooo happy I did! 🙂