I’ve had long hair for my entire life. Seriously. The other day, I found a baby picture of me with one of my mom’s faux ponytails clipped to my head. Like, I’m this 9-month-old with crazy-long hair! This extended to the characters I played. Romeo and Juliet, True Grit, and Dickinson — I had long hair in every role. It wasn’t too deep or conscious, I just kept my hair super long for the better part of 27 years, and it became part of my physical identity.

Then, a few months ago, I realized I was ready for a change. At almost the same moment, I got a huge push from the Universe (more on that later…) to make it happen.

I can overthink my way into paralysis, so I immediately called Mara Roszak, one of the few people I trust to cut my hair. A few days later, she came to my house with scissors.

In less than an hour, 10 inches of hair lay strewn across my floor and I had a cut above my shoulders for the first time ever.

While I was a little apprehensive beforehand — mostly because I didn’t give myself any time to mull this over, which is not like me — I decided to take a spiritual approach. I leaned into the (kinda woo-woo) idea that with this haircut, I’d be shedding old energy that I was ready to let go of. Of course, it helped that Mara is an amazing artist (keep reading because at the end she shares her tips on how to know if the short-hair life is for you).

Immediately after the haircut, I saw my reflection and felt like the version of myself I’d been waiting to step into. It sounds crazy but that’s how I felt. I know I’ll look back at old photos someday and think about how much I loved this haircut as a representation of this time in my life. It’s sappy but true!

After living with my short hair for a few months, and styling it in different ways, I’ve grown to love it even more. There are challenges — like, figuring out how to tie it up without a million pieces falling out everywhere (the answer is bobby pins) — but they’re not the same challenges I was expecting. To illustrate, here are the fivethings I learned through the experience of cutting my hair short. It might help you leap.

It will look better than your attempt to clip it up in front of a mirror.

Before I cut my hair, I clipped it up every which way trying to visualize what it would look like short and it always looked round and funky — which is probably why I never cut it lol. At the end of the haircut with Mara, my short hair fell almost perfectly, better than I could have imagined through sheer visualization.

You won’t forget how to do your hair just because it’s short.

I worried I’d magically forget how to do my hair after I cut it. But my hair didn’t change, just the length. I’ve found styling to be pretty easy. I have a slick-back routine (I use the Got2B Gel, which I stole from a set, and that shit’s not moving). Then, for a special occasion or a day I have extra time, I’ll use these hair rollers from Amazon. Rollers take some time, but the process is probably faster than a blowout on long hair.

The Awkward Phase — it's what you make it.

I find you can either 1) accept that the threat of the awkward phase could be the reason you have short hair forever (that’s a strong possibility at this point) or 2) you can embrace every length and keep experimenting (working on that part lol).

You'll get the bug to go shorter.

What’s another inch?? That bug is so real. Now that my hair is well above my shoulders, I want to keep going shorter. It’s so tempting to keep pulling it up — I did it again last week (oops!)

It's not that serious.

Sometimes it’s so liberating, honestly, to not think and just do! After all… it is just hair.

Now, at this point, you're probably thinking about your hair — maybe it’s long or mid-length or in a grow-out phase — so it’s a great time to bring in Mara! As one of the most trusted hairstylists in Hollywood, Mara cuts the hair of incredibly talented actors, like Zoe Saldana, Emma Stone, and Natalie Portman, just to name a few. She also recently developed a haircare line called RŌZ; the products are amazing! But what makes Mara such a genius is her intuition. She understands hair as energy — like, she can look at someone with long hair and tell they’re meant to have a bob.

A conversation
with celebrity hairstylist
Mara Roszak 

Hailee: So many of us think about changing our hair, but we hesitate. Is there any way to know it’s time to go for it?

 

Mara: If your hair feels like it might be holding you back, it probably is. One indicator is if you’ve had it with your hair — if you carry it like its dead weight, or talk about it negatively — it might be time for a big chop. Or, another good sign is if you have a feeling of real confidence and a settled excitement about what's to come in a very open way. That’s how it was with you. You were ready and excited to see yourself in a new way.

 

H: Everyone says short hair is hard to style. Is it?

 

M: It’s personal. Like, with you, we talked about getting a good shampoo and conditioner that wouldn’t be too heavy and weigh your hair down. (I gave you the RŌZ shampoo and conditioner.) We discussed how you could quickly smooth the front pieces with a Dyson Airwrap or a round-brush dryer. But the most effortless, easiest hair product to use is the RŌZ Milk Hair Serum— it detangles, smooths the hair, and prevents frizz. Apply it to damp hair right out of the shower; I also apply a little bit on dry hair. Then you can just air-dry. It’s your bob’s best friend.

 

H: What’s the best way to prepare for a major chop?

 

M: 1) Pull all the photos and visual references before you go in. 2) Check in with yourself — that’s super important. This is an incredible, exciting transition (one we should all make at some point in our lives, IMO) but it is emotional, so make sure you're ready to do it. That's something only you can know. I'm a big believer that it should happen, only when you're ready for it.

H: There are a bunch of different bob trends. How do I know which style to go for? Which ones do you like?

 

M:

  • Swing bob: Your bob has a very subtle swing to it. Knowing that the length would bounce up once it was styled in rollers, we didn’t want to go too short, just above the shoulders. My favorite part (and yours) is the long, thin layer that frames the face, gives the haircut extra movement, and keeps it super modern.

  • Clavi-cut: This is what a lob used to be. It’s a little longer. A lot of my clients have this kind of cut right now.

  • French bob: It's cut below the chin, above the shoulders. Sometimes there’s a bang. But everything with French style is effortless. With this bob, you're never worried about blowing it out — that would go against the French way. You want to be able to scrunch it up and go (RŌZ Air Thickening Spray would be helpful). Maybe blow out the bangs, but that would be about it

  • ‘Kicked’ bob: I love this bob. There are different lengths, but it's more about how you style it. The only thing I would note about the cut is that it’s choppy; you don't want a bob that’s too heavy or thick at the bottom. When you put the wave in it, it doesn't go under the ends but instead kicks out at the bottom. You could use a flat iron.

H: What would you say to someone who’s on the fence about a bob?

 

M: If you’re considering it, I say, go for it. It's the best decision, the best style. It's so versatile. You can still throw it up in some version of a little pony. Half-up looks cute. Find your version of it and do it. It's so freeing and so chic.

Consider this our intro to BS beauty content!


So many of you mentioned skincare and makeup as topics you want to dive into in coming newsletters (thank you for sending so many amazing ideas, btw). We’ll get into some fun stuff next week.  

I think you’ll be very into it:)

x Hailee (Beau)

Photo credit: Carly Sharp.