Ten Tips for Growing Out a Pixie (and Staying Sane!)

SHIRT // JEANS // BOOTS // SUNNIES // EARRINGS
I've been rocking a pixie since December of 2014. And it's been a fun journey. I've learned so much about how to style short hair and how to take care of it. Over the last few months, you may have noticed my hair growing, little bit by little bit. I've decided to grow out my long pixie to more of a chin or mid-neck bob for now. I haven't decided what I want to do after that, but I know I need a little more hair to have more hair options open to me. Even as it's grown just a few inches, I've already had so much fun doing different things with my hair. And that is why I'm here today.  Since I mentioned that I'm growing it out, I've heard from quite a few of you that you too are in the mullet/eww/gross growing-out phase. Well you aren't alone. I've been there and in some ways I'm still there, and I thought I'd share some of the ways I've been coping during this hair phase.   1. Pin back the front- in any way, shape or form. Whippy Cake recently grew her pixie out, and I got this tip from her. It really does work to save a rotten hair day. You can see the bottom layers and how they have grown without showing the lack of growth in the front. If you're like me, the back grows way faster than the front, so it's a constant mullet. 
2. Go in for trims and shaping. This is essential. You can't just stop getting it cut and expect it to look decent. If your hair was shaped for a pixie, it won't look good once it's no longer a pixie. I've still gone in every six to eight weeks since I started growing my hair just to have it shaped. She doesn't take much off, but she does take care of the mullet situation, and she shapes it to look like an intentional cut. Just be sure to tell your stylist that you are growing it out and that you know the back needs a trim while the front may not.
3. Get creative. I've found that with a pixie cut, my go-to look was straight and swept across my face. As I grow out my hair, wearing it down and straight isn't my best look. It's just not a cute shape for that. So I have been getting creative with braids, twists, tiny buns, and lots of bobby pins. If you follow me on IG, I've been trying to share videos of hair styling, and you can find them by searching the hashtag #OLMhair. 
4. Use curls or waves to hide a bad shape. If all else fails, add some texture to your hair with a flat iron or a curling wand. Usually curls will hide a lot of problems with shape, and pinned back curls will do an even better job of that. I have been know to try wearing my hair down, then I end up curling it, and then I end up pinning those curls back after they turn out wonky. It happens to all of us. 
5. Wear hats. Hats are your friend. As long as you have some kind of long bang you can show in the front, wear a cute felt fedora this fall and let that hair grow out under its shade. Also try a headscarf. I have a tutorial on IG for tying a long skinny scarf as a headscarf, and it works great to cover up a weird hair day.
6. Take your vitamins and take good care of your hair. With short hair you get most of it cut off every couple of months anyway, so you always have new hair. But if you're growing it out, then you're keeping it. I stopped bleaching my ends as soon as I knew I was growing it out because I didn't want to fry the hair that I was so desperately trying to grow. Use a hair mask every few weeks, wash only twice a week, and go easy on the heat.
7. Change up the color. I know I just said to not fry your hair, but I do think a careful color job can make you fall back in love with your hair. I recently went darker with mine, and it's been a nice change while I wait and wait and wait and wait for it to grow.
8. Try a different part. As I've been growing my hair, I've tried more of a flipped part (think 90s), and that has been a fun way to change it up. My hair isn't long enough for a center part, but yours might be.
9. Stop thinking about it. There have been a lot of days in the last few months where I just didn't even think about my hair. I dry shampooed it, teased it a little, and tucked it behind my ears. It won't grow while you're watching it, so just try and forget about the hair and focus on something else.
10. Own it. Most of feeling confident is owning it. There are women out there who are cutting their hair, on purpose, to the length that yours is currently. Someone wants the cut you have. It just feels like a hack job to you because you don't want it anymore. So get creative, do your best, and own it.
If you've been through this process before, what helped you? Any other great tips you have to share?