I’ve been rockin’ the pixie cut for almost six months now, and as I look back at my outfit posts featuring the pixie cut, I see some highs and lows and definitely know a little more about which pixie chop is best for me.

Though I must admit that I proceeded with caution with the pixie cut (Not too short! Give me some fringe around the face to play with! I need to be able to tuck something behind my ears!), I’ve learned that with a pixie cut, you have to go short to get the best look.

You aren’t really supposed to be able to tuck anything behind your ears with a pixie! That’s what a bob is for.

The look on the left (from June 10) was the first outfit post I did post-pixie. I’m kind of floored that this cut on the left is the same as this cut — you always look better straight out of the stylist’s chair!

The look on the right (from June 24) haunts me. There’s just way too much hair on the sides and a bit of poofery happening. I’m feeling borderline helmet here. We live and learn, yes?

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned:

• Go easy on styling product, especially with fine hair. Look for low-hold, low-shine pomades or waxes, and apply a pea-sized amount to your hands and fingers.
• Invest in a good small/medium metal round brush to use during blow-drying. This is key for volume at the crown and for shaping fringe up front.
• You have to get your hair cut shorter in the beginning. Remember, it grows out, and even if you are going every four weeks, you will acquire some shag, especially around the ears.
• Keeping with the point above, forget the hair around the ears! Cut it short. You will look more mushroom / crazy short bob than pixie if you keep it long.

As you can see from both pictures above, I’m still holding on to the side-swept bangs and glorified pixie-bob.

While I love softness in this look (particularly in the picture on the right), it’s still too long to call it a proper pixie.

What’s great to see, though, is how my shorter pixie may grow out. I’ve heard that phase gets very awkward and frustrating!

The look on the left is from July 8 and the look on the right is from July 17. This is the same haircut just aged by a week!

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned:

• When you have a pixie-bob, play with it a bit more! Use a flat iron or curling iron to add waves, and dress up the long locks with pins.
• With longer hairs like this — and a bold attitude — consider a fun side shave. I haven’t been able to commit to this, as I feel a little too girly to pull it off, but I admire the badass look of a side shave + long hair.

Aw, a trim! The look on the left could be perfected with shorter hair around the ears (are we seeing a theme here), but the poofery isn’t quite there so this cut was very fun while it lasted.

The look on the right was my attempt at swooping my bangs off my face in some sort of hip fashion. My fringe was too long to spike, but with the right amount of hairspray, anything can be swooped!

The look on the left is from July 22 and the look on the right is from July 29.

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned

• Know what shape you want your bangs / fringe to be. If you will be spiking your pixie most days, opt for shorter bangs that require less product. If you prefer to wear your bang down and soft, don’t let your stylist cut them too short or risk them not sweeping to the side the way you like.
• Experiment with styles! So what if your hair is too long to spike? Maybe you can make a fun swoopy thing that you think is cute. Hair is all about fun and creativity; in the end, it’s just hair.

Here’s a basic before and after of a look from September 23 and a look from September 27.

If you can’t tell, I fancy the side-swept bang and finally went in for the shorter side hair — can you see the difference it makes in thinning out the hair around the ears? It seems to make my face appear thinner, too.

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned:

• Take pictures as you cycle through the weeks post-pixie! You can better see how your hair grows and edit your style from there.

These two looks, from October 4 and October 11, were taken the same weekend as the post from September 27 above!

I must say that this has been my favorite cut in my pixie cut journey thus far. The bangs are soft and feminine and the perfect length; they can spike somewhat easily (hairspray becomes a good friend).

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned:

• When you love your pixie cut, take a lot of photos!

Here we go again with this swoopy hair thingy (left, from October 15). I’m going to retire that look; seeing it now, I see that it’s kind of a silly style with the longer hair, but hey, that’s hair styling for you!

The style on the right is new as of last Saturday and the debut of the style on the blog was November 18. I’m still figuring out how to style this ultra-short, buzzed-and-razored pixie.

I have extremely short, spiky layer on top that make it easier for me to — you guessed it — spike my hair.I may or may not have had a few meltdowns post-cut because I was overwhelmed by how short it was, but I’ve had some very good hair days with this style, too.

This tutorial has helped me figure out how to get the spike I wanted without sacrificing the softness in the front. I hope to get photos of that style on the blog soon!

Pixie Cut Lessons Learned:

• Get rid of the swoopy thing when you’re in need of a cut. It will only accentuate the long ear hair that is growing straight out (thanks, fine, straight locks!)
• Don’t be afraid to go ultra short! I didn’t communicate with my stylist that I just wanted to replicate my previous cut, but I’m glad she cut me this short — it’s made me figure out how to spike without losing some girlish edge, and I know that as this cut grows out, it may be the perfect length every week (as long as those damn ear hairs don’t poof out).

That’s it, folks! If you’re interested in learning more about what products I use to style my pixie, stay tuned for an updated post to come.

For now, you can reference this post on the best pixie styling products I used during the beginning of my pixie haircut journey!