Ten years ago, I spent my gap year living in Paris. I leaned into all of the clichés: I drank red wine, wore a beret (yes, really), and cut my hair into a bob. Unfortunately, the bob part wasn’t intentional. A combination of my shoddy French and a lovely but scissor-happy hairdresser meant that I walked into the salon intending to have a couple of inches trimmed off, and walked out with hair that no longer reached my chin. Just like that, the long locks that had been my safety blanket for 19 years were gone, replaced by a limp, bowl-shaped cut that made me look much younger than my age.
The months I spent growing out that cut were a blur of awkward mid-lengths and occasionally being mistaken for a child, which did my ego no favours as I stood on the cusp of my twenties. It took about 18 months, but by the end of my first year at university, my hair had finally grown back to its original length. I vowed never to cut it short again. Until recently.
Last month marked 10 years since my traumatic cut. Perhaps due to the existentialism that comes with entering my 30s, I found myself fantasising about what it would feel like to do it all over again. I grilled my colleagues with chic bobs: how do you keep it so sleek? How often do you wash it? Is it really easier to manage, or is that just a myth?
Meanwhile, social media fed me clip after clip of perfectly coiffed bobs. Before I knew it, I’d tripped and fallen into a Hershesons appointment with the amazing Ryan Wilkes (hairstylist) and Hannah Gayle (colourist). What I had sworn to never do again, I was in fact doing again.
Watching the first lock fall to the ground in what felt like slow-motion, I was gripped by a mixture of elation and terror. Only this time, in Ryan and Hannah’s capable hands, the apprehension quickly fell away as I saw a new me come to life. [Insert inspirational line about entering a new decade with a fresh look/outlook.]
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Before the cut, I’d dutifully shown Hannah and Ryan the inspiration pictures that I had saved on my phone, and they helped me adapt my vision to make sure the final result was a style that suited my face shape and complexion. I explained that I am – and always will be – low-maintenance when it comes to hair, so it was important that we ended up with something that wouldn’t need too much styling.
Ryan advised me towards a modern bob that could “flick out at the ends”, with a blunt but choppy finish, agreeing that something with movement would suit my low-effort morning routine nicely.
With Hannah, we spoke about dyeing my hair dark enough so that it felt like a “moment” but not so dark that it looked like a wig. The result? A cool bob that still felt like me. I was – for lack of a better word – bob-sessed.
Words of advice before getting a bob
Having gone through the tricky first few weeks post-cut, I have learnt some invaluable pieces of advice for anyone adjusting to a new bob.
No matter how much you love your new bob, nothing prepares you for that first post-cut hair wash, where everything you once knew about how to make your hair look good goes out the window. I initially looked a little like Lord Farquaad from Shrek, before I learned how to style it properly through a process of trial and error.
For me, this means not brushing my hair when it’s wet, but rather allowing it to dry with some texture and subtle waves. If I brush it when wet, it tends to dry in a bowl shape.
I’ve spent most of my life hiding behind messy, long hair that’s been poorly coloured using box dye. Now, with a shorter cut and professional colour, I feel far more put together. The jury is out on whether it makes me look younger or older (I’ve had mixed feedback on this front), but something about the bold colour and neater cut makes me feel ready for business.
My hair was cut in a way that means I can pretty much get out of bed and be ready to go. (Thank you, Ryan.) But I’ve also been enjoying styling it in different ways. I like to slick it back like Danny Zuko, or tuck it behind my ears and secure it with bobby pins. I’ve also found that it makes certain outfits look more chic or edgy – a definite bonus.
It’s true, some days you will wonder if it was the right decision. But just remember that you had plenty of bad hair days when your hair was long, too. Repeat after me: it’s just a bad hair day.
