Growing out a Pixie Crop: Part 1 | The first 3 months.

I'm growing out my pixie cut.
Again.

This is my third pixie grow-out, and it's never an easy ride.

It also (unfortunately) gets harder as you get older.

The common tips for growing out your hair, such as wearing pretty clips, headbands, kirbies and headsquares, can look downright pathetic on an older woman.
{Unless it is your usual style.}

The only way to tackle a grow-out successfully is to keep trimming!
Real patience is needed.

Over 40, it is more important than ever for each stage of the grow-out to look like a definite style.
A scruffy, and unkempt, pixie (with the inevitable uneven grow-out pattern) is not a good look.

 My Pixie Grow-out, Part 1

Initially, I asked my hairdresser to shape my hair, but leave a little length all over.
She kept her clippers to herself this time!

To my horror, a mullet began to develop, and I did not like it at all.
Every part of me wanted to scream...

"Chop it off!!"

I wanted my tidy pixie back again.
{The subtle undercut (at the sides) was helping, but this mullet was not for me!}

Help!
I've got Lego hair!

I had another appointment, and I asked to keep the hair growing down (from the top) but to trim the weight out of the back. Remove the dreaded mullet, and tidy me up a little.
Phew!
That's better.

This next stage is super-awkward, and there is very little you can do about it.
Your hair starts to grow over your ears, and is neither one thing or another.
Sitting like a flap ....I call it the Deer Stalker stage.
This is the toughest time.

My hair starts to look chunky and frumpy, so I had another trim to get more weight removed.

Thinning out the sides, to make the lego effect less depressing.

A few more weeks and my hair feels like it's on it's way to where I want it to be.

I am due to go back again soon for another tidy up, and maybe some funky colour.
This business of growing-out takes dedication but it's worth it in the end!

My 9 tips for growing out your pixie cut, as painlessly as possible.

1. Forget about cute clips and pretty hairbands. These can look a little crazy as we get older. Unless, of course, your "normal" style involves this kind of accessory. If it does, lucky you! Growing out your pixie will be a doddle.
2. Keep getting regular trims. It goes against everything logical (especially when those extra millimetres of hair are so precious) BUT you must get them tidied up, and cut into some kind of "style". Hard as it is, this will make the grow-out so much more bearable!
3. Trim it yourself. There is nothing wrong with doing a little DIY (as long as you know what you are doing). I have been trimming my fringe, chopping my mullet and trimming bits of my hair, for years. If you are confident then go for it. However, nothing can replace the skillful cutting of a professional. So, only DIY as a stop-gap between appointments.
4. Get your colour done. Keep on top of your colour. If you regularly cover your greys, keep doing it. Nothing is as depressing as a scruffy, partially grown-out pixie with grey temples. Pass the paper bag!
5. Change your colour. If you hit a wall, and the grow-out is getting too painful, consider changing your colour. A new hue can make an old style seem fresh again. It also gives the impression that your growing hair is a deliberate style choice.
6. Muss it up, and play with texture. Growing out your pixie is hard. There is no easy way to do it, and there will be days where you feel like a mess. On days like these, try and play around with the texture of your hair and mess it up a bit. Making a feature of its non-uniformity makes it easier to bear.
7. Consider an undercut. It does not need to be shaved, just shaped, to stop your hair looking too 'grown-out', and more like a deliberate hairstyle. An undercut can also break up the weight of growing hair, giving it a funky edge.
8. Invest in some nice products. No product will make your hair grow faster, but it will make you feel better! Treating yourself to a nice shampoo is always a good idea.
9. Keep going. When things get tough, remember that your hair will be "bob" length in less than six months... Keep going, you can do it!!

Have you successfully tackled the pixie-grow-out?
Please share any growing tips you have, in the comments.
I would love to hear them!