by ZOE FOSTER
I recently had a haircut in which I walked away with longer (looking) hair. There were no extensions or wizards involved (I stopped going to Slinky Sam’s Magic Hair Emporium years ago, thank you), just a clever chap who knew that I was trying to grow my hair, and that the one-length style I’d had when it was short was not translating now that it was past shoulder-length.
Here’s what he did, and some other swift tricks to cheating long looking hair.
1. The haircut.
When you sit down, ask your cutter for – and try not to be offended when they giggle – a cut/trim that will make your hair look longer. Usually (as it was with mine) it means getting blended layers that will make your hair look… flowier as opposed to a flat, blunt style. Not all-over, 90s layers, just a bit of choppiness and cutting with some slightly shorter layers around the face, usually. This will not involve a one-length cut, so if that’s the style you’re after this isn’t for you. And do use hair masks/treatments and get trims every six weeks even if you’re on a megamission to get it long – split ends won’t add to lengthy lusciousness, they will stagnate and look lank and brittle.
2. The styling
Should you have ever had your hair curled or waved in salon by a clever person wielding some tongs or a styler, and spent the next few days wondering how come your hair looks longer than when you do it using the very same tools, I will tell you how: It’s the ends! It’s all in the ends. The pros will usually leave a few cm straight at the end of the waves and curls, which creates an optical illusion of the hair being longer. It’s easy to do at home, just leave a few cm out of your styler/tong clamp. Or, cheat, by going the ends of already curly/wavy hair with your styler and making them straight.
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Top Comments
I read it as "stubbly pageant" thinking she won the pageant for the most stubble on her legs which would be most impressive but not really the thing beauty editors should do
I've always loved long hair..........as a little kid, when my mum used to get my hair cut (even permed - yikes !) I'd get out my secret stash of her assorted - colour laddered stockings and create long plaits which I'd fix to a head-band and wear in the car so that people would think I had "beautiful long hair".
I'd have problems taking people with short hair seriously because I'd be looking at them thinking "What's up. Why did you do that to yourself ?"
Moving forward a few decades and I still sing the praises of long hair because there's no doubt (in my mind anyway) that longer hair looks softer, and more youthful on most women.
So, thanks for the tips.........I hope the fashion for longer locks hangs around for a bit longer - even if all of those models & media women DO look oddly related........lol.