Unless you count the occasional pumpkin spice latte or my proclivity for a Bridgerton [1] binge, I don't typically succumb to peer pressure for trend's sake. I stuck to my measly four-step skincare routine despite the K-beauty boom, remained loyal to nude nail polish even with the return of the french manicure, and hadn't once considered hopping on the bob haircut [2] bandwagon — despite nearly every celebrity [3] (and their moms and cousins and . . . ) in the last year trying out the style [4].
Yet one day, over the weekend, when I was staring at my long hair [5] in the mirror and wondering if that's what was elongating my oval face to the point of near-aardvark relation, I decided: it's time to cut it all off. Without a second thought, I booked an appointment at The Salon Project [6] in NYC and stomped in two days later on a mission. "I'm dying to try the blunt bob trend [7]," I told salon owner and veteran hairstylist Joel Warren [8], "but disclaimer: I have to be somewhere in 45 minutes."
I fully anticipated a "GTFO and come back later" with such a request, but instead, he laughed. "This is not a complicated haircut [9]. With fine hair like yours, you'll be out in 30. I'll even show you a new way to style it."
And kids, that's exactly what he did. Six inches to the ground and half an hour later, plus a whole new hair routine punched into my Notes app, I'm a whole new person — and she doesn't look at all like a long-snout animal. See the full transformation (and some embarrassing photos of me for good measure) ahead.
Before My Bob Haircut
Because I hadn't quite anticipated going as short with my hair as I did that day, I didn't manage to sneak a "before" photo right before my appointment. But this selfie, taken last week at a photo shoot, shows the length of my hair hits a few inches below my shoulders when curled. (Please excuse my very fashionable metro cards; they were meant to set my hairstyle — a story for another time.)
Making the Cut
Like Warren said, the bob haircut [10] isn't exactly complicated if you have fine hair like I do. My problem with having long hair was that it would lose its volume and oomph quickly, and it made my face look smaller in comparison. "When you have long hair, and it's fine, it doesn't really do anything for you — you need movement or texture," he said. (Note: I also don't dye it or have any layers to help on that front.) "The bob adds an element of something."
If you're of a medium or coarser hair texture, and you're not lacking on movement, Warren suggests going the blunt route. "A good stylist will know if layers or no layers work best for you."
How to Style Your Bob Haircut
Once we lopped off six inches of hair — a process that took a whopping three (!) minutes — we moved on to styling [11]. Warren worked in a mousse throughout my damp hair and scrunched, scrunched, scrunched to give it volume and hold. (He used the Goldwell Kerasilk Style Bodifying Volume Mousse [12] (£18); I love and swear by the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Take Charge Curl-Boosting Mousse [13] (£6).)
Then, a wild revelation: "I'm only going to use a diffuser to dry your hair," he said. I clearly looked shocked. "A lot of people with fine hair don't know when they actually have a natural wave to their hair. A diffuser will bring out your curls."
Tip For Using a Diffuser on Bob Haircuts
If you're like me and have used a diffuser as often as you have your dentist's flossing recommendation, Warren offered some sage advice: "When you're drying your hair, make sure to use your fingers to pull your roots upward away from your head when the heat is on it, but don't comb all the way through. That'll break your curl pattern."
One diffuser I've since dusted the cobwebs off of: the T3 SoftCurl Diffuser For Cura Dryers [14] (£26).
The Finishing Touch
Listen, I'm the person who asks hairstylists to skip the hairspray even on the most humid of days, but Warren says this is key for making this style work. "Don't be afraid of hairspray," he said as he — and I'm not exaggerating — bathed my hair in Kerasilk Style Fixing Effect Hairspray [15] (£16). "Seriously. For this style to hold, especially if you have fine hair, you almost need to drench it."
After Getting the Bob Haircut
Much to my disbelief, diffusing my new bob haircut completely worked — and the result was perfectly imperfect, dishevelled but cool, and exactly the hairstyle I've been wanting. . . but always felt too hesitant to try.
