The 10 Stages Of Getting A Pixie Cut
I was born with a very obsessive personality. From the time I was young, if I got an idea in my head, I was stuck with it for quite a long time. This means if I find a video game I like (Sims I’m looking at you), or a particular show, or YouTuber even, that person or thing is literally all I can focus on. I will do nothing productive until the very last minute because I will be hyper-focusing on the thing that I’m obsessing over. So when I started toying with the idea of getting a pixie cut, well, you get the picture. Here are the 10 stages I went through during my pixie cut journey.
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1. The initial thought.
In my freshman writing class, a group of girls I was working with were talking about haircuts, and a particular girl mentioned how she really needed to get her pixie cut trimmed. I had a pixie cut back when I was 15 (but had been growing it out for the better part of 3 years because I couldn’t keep up with the costs of monthly haircuts), and enthusiastically shared this fact with the girls. Wanting to see proof, I rounded up a picture from Facebook (yes in class – I know, shame on you, Nicole) and showed my classmates this picture:
2. The planted seed.
Oh God, awkward 15 year old me, I don’t even think I brushed my hair in this photo. But my friends seemed to love it, and when I mentioned having thought about going back to a short hair style, they encouraged me. And thus the seed was planted.
3. The firm decision.
That was on Thursday. Friday I spent a majority of my day busy in classes, unable to think of anything that wasn’t German or Public Speaking, but made it back to my room pretty early. I sat in my dorm and decided to look at a couple of different pixie cuts online. That’s it, I was hooked. 227 pins on Pinterest, about 50 hours of YouTube pixie styling tutorials, and a fair bit of annoying the heck out of my poor roommate; it was decided. I was cutting off my hair.
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4. The necessary approval.
So then I texted my mom, who basically was just like: “it’s your hair, your decision…but remember how fast your hair grows, that’s a lot of money for cuts every month or so.” But I took this as a green light, and after talking to my friend Ali about it, she was enthusiastically excited to drive me to get it done…but now to find the right place.
5. The seek for advice.
I went to my peers (and by peers I mean Yik Yak) and asked, “Looking to cut off about 7-8 inches of hair, any good local salons recommendations?” After getting a few replies, I asked around face to face, and came up with a decision, I would go to a small salon called “Blonde on Broad” located on Broad St. in downtown Rome, GA.
6. The confirmed appointment.
I called the salon and specifically asked, “Do you have anyone who specializes in pixie cuts?” – a tip I had learned from a few videos on YouTube (I was obsessed okay, don’t judge me!) The lady on the other end said certainly, and we set up an appointment for the next day at 4 pm.
7. The pre- pixie cut anxiety.
Tuesday was a long day and 4 pm took FOREVER to arrive. I met up with my friend Ali after class and off we went to the salon! I was really anxious and was on Snapchat all day basically saying “WHY ISN’T IT 4 YET?!?!”
8. The mid- pixie cut excitement.
We get to the salon and I’m told Ms. Dee will be taking care of me. She sits me down in the chair and asks, “So are we doing a cut or a trim today?” I smile at her and simply say, “A pixie cut.” I then showed her some of the inspiration pins I had found. She then took me to the shampoo chair (it was a massaging chair too!) and of course, it was HEAVEN! If there is something that I love about haircuts, it’s getting shampooed because it’s basically a massage on your head. She tried to comb out some of my split ends, which I’m sure was a nightmare, and said, “Since we’re going to get rid of this anyways, I’m just gonna whack some of this off!” And so she did.
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9. The first look.
An hour later my head was about 15 lbs lighter, or so it felt. My pixie was back, but it was so much better than my last one! It framed my face so well and I felt confident and happy – I felt so right for the first time in a LONG time.
Like I said, I had never felt more confident or like myself, ever. It’s been about a week now and I’ve discovered my hair lays flatter if I part it to the other side, but overall I still love it. This was a week after the first cut:
10. The obsession.
I’m still loving how confident my pixie cut has made me, and honestly, the obsession part of my personality was a blessing in disguise. It meant that I really did my research this time and spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what I wanted and didn’t want!
Some advice for those thinking about getting a pixie cut:
Some advice if you’re thinking of getting a pixie cut: go in knowing exactly what you want. There are so many different kinds of pixies out there, so if you leave it up to the stylist’s interpretation, you might end up with the wrong variation. Also, get a stylist that you trust or that you know has a good reputation for pixies, or short hair in general. And lastly, JUST DO IT! It’s hair, it’ll grow back, trust me! So don’t be afraid to take the plunge and get the chop!
Featured image source: pixie-cropped.
Nicole Lea Gilmer is a Freshman Psychology and Communications with a concentration in public relations double major. Nicole Lea is originally from Winder, Ga. and graduated from Winder-Barrow High School. She is a huge fan of YouTube and spends way too much time keeping up with her favorites on other social media. Nicole Lea hopes one day to work with LGBTQ+ youth as an advocate. But currently enjoys working as a volunteer with Coosa River Basin Initiative and as a GED Teacher for the Berry College ESL Program as a Bonner Scholar.