To cut or not to cut?

I think all that oily stuff is the problem. Just use basic shampoo and conditioner and then a bit of gel to tame the fringe. Use hair spray as well if needed. I have short hair. Rarely brush it. Bit of gel to put it in place with fingers and then light spray.

I think an urchin cut would look great on an older person - think Judy Dench. Easy to look after. That said,I have been trying to grow my hair a bit longer after years of having it pretty short. But mine is thick and heavy so finding it hard to manage. I will probably have it all cut off again.....

Luckygirl
I have to agree with what some have said: oil is not your friend on fine hair, as is leave in conditioner.
We have a hairdressing academy here in Southend and to go with that there is a big shop that sells everything you could want appertaining to hair, there lies danger for me

Can't bear my very fine, but lots of it, hair touching my face so never had a fringe. Have it layered on the top and the rest goes behind my ears. Thank goodness for the variety of hair sprays on the market.

Mine is very fine (since it grew back) I use caffeine shampoo was told by hairdresser not to use conditioner it makes hair limp especially if using Argan oil products . I also sometimes use styling powder . Must say I'm just glad it grew back I definetly didn't suit bald look. Like some people I have seen ?

elleks - that is weird about the large frames - I too am very short-sighted and need the very high index lenses or they are like bottle tops/bottoms. I have varifocals and they always say I cannot have the small frames as I need them deep enough to accommodate the different prescriptions within the lens for distance/middle/reading. Try a different optician - you can take your prescription away with you and tout it round any optician you choose - and online. I have had some success with online opticians, even with my difficult prescription.

Icyalittle - that's just what I would like - but the fringe would turn upwards! I get it in place, then leave the house and it has turned up again!

petra - I was brought up near Southend - I lived in Hadleigh and went to school in Rayleigh. I had my singing lessons from Madam Freda Parry (niece I believe of Hubert Parry) in Southend - I also worked there for Rossi's Ice Cream during the school holidays - and got my bum pinched by the Italian waiters!

Jalima I object! It's the Croydon facelift. Us poor Essex girls get the blame for everything!
Oops, sorry cavewoman!
I knew it was somewhere east of me!!

Whether or not to have a fringe depends on face shape too - a long face probably looks better with a fringe and a round face without?

I've just chopped my fringe and I think it's a bit short, but it was starting to get the Claudia Winkleman look, in my eyes.

I'll look out for the mattifying powder too - mind you Schwartzkopf translates as "blackhead" which is a bit off-putting!

How about an asymmetric bob, where one side is shorter? I'm near Southend too, and I do tie my hair up. too lazy to do anything else with it.

Mine is nearly always tied up in one way or another - or in plaits, which with my dark hair, fringe and large glasses makes me look like something out of St Trinians!

Its a messy one in this picture but kind of like this?

Think hard before giving up your fringe. I love mine because it covers all the forehead wrinkles!

I have to have a fringe. Enough wrinkles to screw my hat on!

Using conditioner in your hair, whilst taming it (to a degree) will always make your hair look more limp, thus thinner, than it would if you dried it with your head held down. Yes, it will look like a parasol when you stand upright but then you can run John Frieda Frizz Ease through it then finish your style with a barrel brush and dryer or (as I have) an InStyler which lifts, smooths and and leaves an unbelievable shine. Mind you, it's not the easiest tool to use. You might consider a heat styler which is a plug-in barrel brush around which you wind your hair to lift it.
Why not ask a good hairdresser to give you ideas about a new style?
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I gave up using conditioner on my fine hair about ten years ago, and it looks much better as a result.
I dry it off with a towel, leave it for a while then put a golf ball sized blob of mousse through it, then style it.
I think long hair would be a nuisance to do, so have have a layered bob, so easy.

Would be interested to know whether mousse users wash their hair every day? I don't like the idea of build ups of 'product' so have avoided it but some of these posts make me think I should give it a try again. My hair is fine, curly and unruly, I wear it layered, and often notice that it looks best on day 2 or 3 after washing. Discovered by chance that it seems to be better without conditioner but haven't experimented with that long term.

I agree with others that conditioner and oil products make hair look flat and limp. My hair is fine, almost chin length bob (a Granny-bob - you know the style ) and I only use mousse (John Freida). I like a fringe for its wrinkle hiding properties but would like to grow mine out and the whole thing longer. It’s poker straight by the way. We’re never really satisfied are we ....

I am having my hair cut and coloured next Thursday and can't wait to get it done and have my fringe cut. I cannot bear it being long so have it clipped to the side. What with my grey roots and the hair clip I look awful. Should have made the appointment sooner but kept thinking I'll do it tomorrow..................

As a Chelmsford girl, I have neither an essex facelift, stilettos or Jaffa orange skin! And neither does anyone I know! I do have bonkers hair tho x

Lucky, your Barnet sounds a lot like mine. So stubborn & a fringe, much as I've always wanted one, is impossible.

Please don't chop till you've tried some other options! I've done that so many times & always regretted it.

Jalima read my mind about the bob and Cherrytree about the side fringe at an angle.

Perhaps start with taking off just a bit to get rid of some of the weight ... that can really make a difference in how it feels. Try the side fringe if you like the idea. Then you've got the option of pinning the rest up, plaits, ponytail, etc.

Don't worry about a side fringe not working just because a regular fringe doesn't. You've no idea how my hair resists a fringe, but it loves the side version. The very qualities that make for a rotten fringe can make for a lovely side one - the flippy-factor works in its favour!

If you're not happy then you might want to move on to the immortal bob, which is so incredibly easy and flatters almost everyone.

Big specs usually look good with both the hair-up with side fringe look or bob with side fringe, imo. The urchin cut can look marvelous at any age (like my Mum) with or without specs, but my experience has been that short hair is infuriating. You wake up in the morning & it's sticking out like you've been electrocuted. You're sitting on a chair or sofa, lean your head against the back, or - heaven forbid - scrunch round to the side a bit to look at someone or out the window, and that's it: your hair's moved with you & because it's short it just stays there. If it's longer it moves about better. Doesn't map your every move!

All I care about re. hair is a) that I have some & am v. grateful as I lost masses when I was a child & it was so embarrassing, & b) that it's as easy to take care of as is humanly possible. The simplest things I've found are either: long enough to pin up (with side fringe of course!) or bob (chin length or shorter, just below earlobes) - also with side fringe because otherwise I'm all forehead.

Hope you find something you're happy with!

GabriellaG
What was the make of your Instyler?

I have always had read straight fine hair and from the age of fifteen (my first Toni perm) have had to perm it lightly at least three or four times a year. As I aged the hair became finer and finer. Unless you have a reasonable amount of hair, a bob won't work. My hairdresser forbade me blonde streaks when I reached 75 because the hair will not stand for perm and streaks. Now, at 80, I have very little grey and a short, sweptback, style with a brush across fringe is the best I can do.
A fringe and natural colouring does take years off. Be prepared for spending money on professional blow-dries and body perms. Ageing is not cheap. TV
If the worst happens and you get caught in rain you can restore your style a bit by using self clinging rollers on dry hair and removing the carefully. Get a blow-dry as soon as poss. Also get a home hairdresser who will get to know your hair and be cheaper, too.

Magicmaggie
I'll put a photo on here. Bought mine £30 from QVC. There are YouTube videos showing how to use it.