OP here - should've titled this thread "lob regret" ! The weekly blowouts, while tempting, won't work as I bike to work most mornings (about an hour each way) and can't go days and days between washes. I think what I was really looking for was a longish blunt cut with a few long layers -- more like a growing-out lob than an actual lob. Photos would have helped a lot (duh). A couple long layers in the front may do the trick, like a few PPs suggested, until I get more length back. Today's a salt spray / wavy day and it's not all that bad.

One silver lining is that I've been very motivated to shed the last bit of the winter weight as I don't have all that hair to hide behind!

Anonymous wrote:PP is actually kind of right. The "lob" with beach waves started out being very cutting edge (no pun intended) but then it was just everywhere on Pinterest and yeah. I kind of feel like it is the new mom hair.

I had something that verged on it a while back, and I remember it was hard to grow out the back so that it was even with the front

21:38 here - I knew it was a bad cut when a decidedly NOT trendy guy that I work with said "Oh, your haircut is the new Rachel".

Go and get the hairdryer talked about in these two threads:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/623780.page

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/633682.page

Use some good product and see how it goes.

Anonymous wrote:I would just get weekly blowouts until it grows out more. I don't understand why it only lasts 40 minutes if you straighten it. i have super curly hair, but when I get a blowout it lasts days and days until I wash it again.

Because it's been so rainy and humid lately? Pretty much every morning lately there's tons of moisture in the air or a fine mist. Ruins my curly hair as soon as I step out and would absolutely lay waste to a blowout.

I would just get weekly blowouts until it grows out more. I don't understand why it only lasts 40 minutes if you straighten it. i have super curly hair, but when I get a blowout it lasts days and days until I wash it again.

How embarrassing.

Ooh girl curly hair CANNOT be lobbed. She should have known that and dissuaded you.

PP is actually kind of right. The "lob" with beach waves started out being very cutting edge (no pun intended) but then it was just everywhere on Pinterest and yeah. I kind of feel like it is the new mom hair.

I had something that verged on it a while back, and I remember it was hard to grow out the back so that it was even with the front

Anonymous wrote:Try a salt spray. Bumble & Bumble makes one. I also like to make my own with a bit of olive oil and sea salt--the oil keeps things from getting too sticky / crunchy.

NP here - this is the ultimate MOM CUT that everyone has. I think this is probably what OP has now but was trying to avoid. It's the cut that my stylist gave me that I ended up fixing on my own putting some layers in the front. The long in the front short in the back look is AWFUL.

Always show stylist a picture or two I have learned.

massaging your scalp helps your hair grow ‘cause it increases circulation so your hair follicles get more nutrition It’s just hair!
Run to your nearest drug store. Load up on tiny clips and bobby pins– you’re going to need them.
Messy buns is a good idea, personally for me it's look stylish, and there are tones ideas of hairstylezz
And remember, it’ll grow back. Not like you gave yourself a bad tattoo or something.

I had something similar happen 15 years ago where a stylist underestimated the shrinkage of my 3A curls and I went from shoulder length bob to chin length disaster.

The best thing to do is get a Keratin treatment. That will relax it quite a bit on it's own, plus it makes it more manageable in the heat and humidity. It also made my blow dry time faster. If you did decide to go the extension route it would be easier to blend your hair and the extensions in.

Last thought, salt sprays will dry out your hair if you use them every day. I use a leave in conditioner, then put in a little curling mousse, let it set, then use the salt spray to give it more definition. Not Your Mother's has their salt spray in a travel size, so I keep that in my bag for when I need to do that step away from home after the curls dry.

Flatiron and an anti-frizz spray are my recs for when my curly hair gets cut too short.

These are great tips - thanks! I have tried a salt spray but not B&B, and they make good stuff. What proportions do you use of salt/water/olive oil?

I've been wearing it curly the past week or so -- scrunch it with MoroccanOil anti-frizz cream -- because the straightened look (while it does a sort of cool Bardot thing on the crown) only lasts about 40 minutes in rain/humidity. Ironically it takes longer to blowdry/straighten at this length than it does when longer.

I do get highlights and will go back to my same stylist in a couple weeks to get them touched up -- she always does great color -- not sure if I'm ready for more cutting yet but will talk thru some interim options with her. We have a good relationship and have exchanged several messages in the interim (so, previous poster, not *that* passive aggressive, I hope); she also suggested a few long layers in front. I think she was as surprised as I was at how much shorter it was dry than wet as she's only dealt with it long. As whiny as I sound here, I try to have a sense of humor about it because yeah, it's just hair, and yeah, it'll grow. My kids now know what Robert Plant's hair looked like in the early 70s and what Whitney Houston's looked like in the 80s and have decided I am somewhere in the middle. : )