Ask a Hairstylist: The Best Haircuts for Thick, Straight Hair

Q: Hiya Bill! I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my hair. It's generally quite well-behaved—I'm half Chinese and naturally, it's very dark brown, heavy and straight. 

Two years ago, I had what in retrospect was wonderful long hair, with a fringe. 

I decided I wanted a pixie cut, but on the day, got talked into this bizarre square-edged bowl cut, which I instantly hated. 

Since then, I've been lurching between weird haircuts, most recently, this horrible, stripy, mega-light, shaggy nonsense. 

I've now got it down to the collarbone, but I don't know what to do with it from here.

My question (before I panic and go to yet another new hairdresser, who will do something disappointing to me!) is what would you do, given absolute free rein? 

Is the pixie crop an idea best forgotten? Should I settle in and wait for it to grow without messing around with it constantly? What would you go for colour-wise? Mold me, Bill! Thank you very much! — Lauren

A: Lauren, thank you for your consultation request. You have amazing bone structure and cheekbones. Wow! The way your cheeks pop out is so pretty. 

I think that long hair without bangs will be the best way to work with your hair type while showing off your beautiful features.

I know you don't like the photo of your highlighted hair, but those shades work really well with your skin tone and eye colour. 

If you were to go lighter again, I would suggest moving away from the chunky highlights and doing a soft Ombré. Be sure to keep the roots darker, and consider adding some very fine, Balayage highlights to frame your face.

Of course, your natural dark brown or even black would also look great with this no-bang style. This will be a lot more dramatic.

If you do go back to bangs, I recommend avoiding the heavy, blunt style that you had before, which hides too much of your face. I would do a long, curtain-style fringe with a split in the middle, and a softer colour overall.

This narrow, choppy fringe would also be a great look for you.

Although you are quite versatile with all your style changes, I am not a big fan of the rounded geometric cuts on you, especially in the dark colour.

If you want to go shorter, then a looser cut with long layers is what I recommend. It will be more flattering on you, and a lot more versatile.

As for the pixie, you definitely have the bone structure to pull it off. Here are two shapes that would work with your thick hair and not hide too much of your pretty face.

I hope this helps to give you a new direction with your hair, Lauren.

billyxoxo