I, like many people, often find myself feeling stumped before going to the hair salon [1]. I'm always in the mood for a change, but not too big of a change; something that's easy to style [2] and low maintenance (because I hate doing my hair), but still has a wow-factor — basically, I'm every hairstylists' most annoying client ever. (Kidding . . . sort of.)
Over the years I've worn my hair all sorts of ways — long, wavy, straight, in a bob, with bangs [3] (if we count the straight-across look I sported in the '90s and the side bang I regrettably had, like everyone else, in middle school) — but during my recent trip to Sally Hershberger Nomad Salon [4] in New York City, I found myself wanting a completely different look [5].
I cut my hair into a bob a few months ago but the style had grown out, and my hair was looking, in my opinion, pretty plain. It was all one length and because I have loose wavy hair, all of the volume was at the ends. Luckily, my hairstylist Anabel Santos [6] knew just what I needed: layers. She described the look she wanted to give me as "face-framing layers mixed with long-layers for more movement and body while keeping the perimeter full."
See how the transformation went for yourself ahead.
My Hair Before the Haircut
Santos asked how I felt about the idea of layers and I responded with something along the lines of "I trust you," and we were off. My wavy hair also tends to be very frizzy so Santos treated it with the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask [7] ($75) after shampooing to help moisturize and repair any damage.
After she worked the leave-in treatment through the ends of my hair it was time to begin cutting.
My Hair During the Haircut
I wanted to keep most of the length so Santos only trimmed it about an inch to get rid of dead ends before adding long layers to the back of my head. Then it was time to cut the face-framing pieces. With my hair in a middle part [8] — because I'm a cool Gen Zer [9], if you couldn't tell — she cut the hair on either side of my face using a downward angle. The shortest pieces hit right at my cheekbones and gradually faded into the rest of my hair. She said the hairstyle was "easy to manage and style," which was music to my ears.
My Hair After the Haircut
Then it was time to blow dry. When Santos finished my blowout the layers framing my face created a soft, outward swooping effect. I was obsessed the second I got a look in the mirror. I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made just adding some variation in the length. It was a tiny change with a massive impact.
The Final Look
Before I left, Santos added soft waves using a curling iron and some texture spray to make it look more effortless and chic, and less polished. Moral of the story: try layers, people. It will change your life.
Before and After
