Short hair is everywhere right now. From blunt bobs to chic pixie cuts, it seems like everybody is chopping off their lengths in favour of shorter styles. And we can’t blame them. There is something wonderfully classic and chic about opting for a short power cut, especially at a time where long, tousled hair has been championed as the go-to style for so long.
Having said that, as beautiful as short styles look, the daily maintenance can be enough to put anyone off. Whereas long hair can more or less be left to do its thing, rolling out of bed without tending to shorter styles isn’t always an option. Gorka Arraras, Head of Creative at Charles Worthington explains, "Short styles need cutting regularly, preferably 5/6 weeks max. In some cases, shorter hair needs washing daily to achieve the desired shape and the style. The advice is little and often, in comparison to longer styles which take longer in time to style, but maybe only need styling twice a week.”
If you’re feeling a little fed up with how long your daily styling sessions seem to be taking since you got the chop, keep scrolling for all of the expert tips and products that are guaranteed to make things a little easier.
Blunt Bob
The blunt bob has really proved itself to be the rising star of cuts in the last few months. From sleek straight finishes to curly but sharp cuts, there’s something inexplicably chic about a blunt bob. The good news is that styling your blunt ‘do shouldn’t be too tricky, providing it’s been cut correctly. "A blunt bob will be easy to style if the cut is right, it will sit nicely and won’t need much styling apart from a heat protector, primer and a finishing serum for a sleek finish,” says Arraras.
And Jonathan Soons, Creative Ambassador at Headmasters agrees. "A straightening iron is a must as it will take out unwanted volume and encourage shine, all while emphasising shape,” says Soons.
And what about curly styles? Soons advises that it’s important to get as much moisture into the hair as possible. "For type 3/4 curls, add a leave-in conditioner and oil to your styling routine, and make sure that you comb conditioner through the hair when soaking wet,” he says.
Best Styling Products for Blunt Bobs:
The Platinum+ might be a slightly more expensive styler, but it truly is the best of the best. Monitoring its own heat 250 times every second, the damage inflicted on your hair from heat styling is minimised when using this particular styler.
This hair oil is great for damaged or coarse strands that require some moisture. Run one pump through your ends for a sleek, glossy finish.
To minimise frizz and flyaways, this leave-in conditioner is wonderful. Plus, it really helps to detangle and nourish lengths for healthy-looking lengths.
Unlike other heat protectants, this hair primer uses oils to nourish and condition so you can minimise any heat-related dryness. Once you've used it, you'll never look back.
Pixie Cut
Congratulations—if you’ve got a pixie cut, you’ve secured just about the easiest short hairstyle to manage. "A pixie cut is the ultimate cut for low maintenance. Simple wash the hair every day or just wet it every time you want to restyle,” says Arraras.
For times when you want to give your hair a real styling, it couldn’t be easier. Arraras advises, "Most pixie cuts only need a 5 10-minute blast-dry with fingers. The key is product use. Use matte wax and pomades for definition on medium to thicker hair and texturising spray, spray wax or super dust for finer hair types.”
Best Styling Products for Pixi Cuts
It might not take you long to dry your cropped hair, but with this super-speedy hair dryer, it will probably take a matter of seconds.
Sculpt and style your pixie crop with this heavy duty, easy-to-use putty.
For days when you can't much be bothered with too much hairstyling, simply spray this texturising spray from a distance and massage in.
For finer hair types, thick pomade and putty might prove too heavy. This lightweight volumising powder provides just enough grit to add texture without overloading the hair.
Choppy Bob
While choppy bobs look great, the downside is that you have all of the upkeep troubles of short hair, usually combined with the styling expertise required for long, tousled waves. To make life easier and save some time, Soons recommends swapping out your normal curling tong for a waver. "Opt for a large tong to create lazy waves that accentuate the choppiness of the cut rather than time-consuming curls,” he says.
As for product, it’s all about texture. "To get the texture on a choppy bob, we would recommend you apply a mat wax on the palms, heat it up by rubbing both hands, then tilt your head upside down and rub the product on all the ends,” says Arraras. And if things start looking a bit crazy, fear not. "When you bring your head back, all the definition of the style will show. It might look a bit extreme to start with, but will settle within 30 minutes,” he adds.
Best Styling Products for Choppy Bobs
Perfect for adding texture and volume to almost any hair, this texturising spray has a powder consistency that makes it lightweight but effective.
The matte pomade gives amazing volumising and texturising results when warmed through the palms and applied to waved ends.
With a wide barrel, this tool creates the perfect soft, subtle wave.
Lob
Sitting right on the border of short and long, if a lob is your style of choice, truthfully, how you wish to style it is up to you. However, if you want to keep things fresh and current, it’s all about waves. "To keep your lob on-trend, keep it super textured. Use a medium tong, twisting the hair around the tong in different directions to create an undone curl,” says Soons. To keep things looking low key, simply brush your curls through and apply product to the ends to help with hold.
Best Styling Products for Lobs
The coated barrel on this medium-sized tong is great for minimising flyaways and frizz.
This is the hairbrush of all hairbrushes. It glides effortlessly through tangled lengths with next to no tugging or pulling.
On top of the fact that this dry shampoo is great for lifting roots and giving texturised volume, it smells like total heaven too.
Next up, this is everything you need to know about hair fall and hair loss.
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