Let me get this out of the way: I LOVE a pixie cut. The shape, the bold look, the ease!
Depending on how it’s cut, it can be anything from simply adorable to totally badass. Like all brave aesthetics, though, it comes with a handful of pros and cons.
Read on to see what I’ve learned during my time with a pixie cut. Keep in mind that I gleaned this information from a grand sample size of one; this is purely based on my own experience and may not apply to everyone!
Pros:
Easy to Fix
I have relatively normal hair: decent thickness, a little coarse, slightly wavy. When my hair is long, it takes a good ten to fifteen minutes to dry with a blow dryer, longer if I’m hoping to use a round brush and do it right.
It’s not much, but I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t planned workouts, dinners, and outings around how much time I had to wash my hair.
With a pixie cut, this problem is gone!
It might take a minute to learn how exactly to get your hair to lay with a pixie cut, but once you do, you can go from the shower to the door in an effortless five minutes. Then, once you are out in the world, you don’t have quite as much to worry about. The humidity hits different when you don’t have hair down to your waist!
Fits a Range of Looks
A pixie cut gets a reputation for opening a slimmer creative door, but I never found that to be the case. Because the cut itself is so bold, I found that it opened up possibilities for an even wider range of looks!
Because the pixie haircut cut is already so iconic, a simple v-neck and jeans already feel dressier than it does slouchy. Simple, classic accessories are enough to take it from one end of the fashion spectrum to the other. A pixie cut and sundress doubtlessly never feel too plain or similar to a pixie cut and leather jacket.
If what you’re after is greater creativity not just in fashion but in hairstyles, there are tons of easy clips, headbands, and other accessories to shake up the usual routine.
Great Start for Damaged Hair
If your hair is damaged from bleaching or mistreatment, a pixie cut is a great way to give it a fresh start and new life.
Once you’ve cut off the damaged hair, you’ve been given a second chance to take care of what’s left. A word of warning, though: growing out a pixie haircut can be a bit of a pain. If you’re taking this route as a way out of previous poor hair decisions, prepare yourself for a journey.
Better Summers
I live in the South, where the humidity stays near 100 percent, and the heat can go even further. People underestimate how much extra sweat you have to deal with if you’ve got the human equivalent of a horse’s mane hanging down your back.
With a pixie cut, you’ve got so much less weighing on you– literally!
Cons
Has to be Fixed
On the one hand, fixing your pixie cut hardly takes any time; on the other, this cut leaves you no choice but to fix it.
Gone are the days of taking a night shower to sleep in a little longer. Unless that is, you’re okay with going to work looking like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket.
With long hair, it’s easy to hide a bad hair day with a braid and a baseball cap. A pixie cut doesn’t provide you that option. If you’ve got greasy, dirty hair, there’s no natural way to cover it up without feeling a little bit like a twelve-year-old boy.
Everyone has an Opinion
Are you okay with strangers walking up to you to comment on the way your face looks? If so, this might be the haircut for you. For me, it was kind of my version of Hell.
If you are the kind of person to approach random girls at gas stations, no offense, but I don’t need your opinion on my haircut choices. No, I don’t care to know what you’d do to your wife if she were to chop all her hair off.
No, I didn’t get this haircut because I hate men. However, this fun little conversation is enough to make me reconsider that opinion.
Even the lovely comments get wearing after a while. I understand that you want to share your admiration; it’s a very sweet sentiment. I’m just trying to get my groceries and get home, though, and the more you talk to me, the more aware I am that I haven’t washed my hair in two days.
Requires Frequent Shampooing
Speaking of washing your hair…. If you go a few days between washes with a pixie cut, the world will know.
Needs Regular Upkeep
When your hair is long, you can go months– years really– without a trip to the salon. For the really bold, you can even cut your hair yourself, and no one will really know!
To keep a pixie cut looking cute and fresh, you’ll need to plan frequent trips to the salon, as in, every three to six weeks. All that time and money can definitely add up, but the alternative is even worse.
When a pixie cut is fresh, you feel like an absolute model. When it’s past its due date for a trim, however, it’s itchy, impossible to fix, and sticks out in all the wrong places. Like I mentioned previously, growing out a pixie cut can be an actual endeavor.
Conclusion
I’ve had hair every length from just above my ears to below my belt-line. I’d like to say it was because of the adventurous fashion taste, but in all actuality, it was a combination of boredom and laziness. Even for all its difficulty, I can say for sure that it’s a cut I’d try again!
Of all the haircuts I’ve sported, a pixie cut makes the top ten.