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Are you wearing this mistake? If you aren't a client of ours and have long layered hair, there's a 98% chance that you are. Last week I wrote about car-crash haircuts and the lazy A-line.
Sonam had her hair cut in Birmingham and showed another fine example. She couldn't understand it because she'd visited the high profile salon of the region. What she did know was that her hair wasn't working for her. Apart from the clear holes and steps in the shape, it was heavy, frizzy looking, took ages to style and didn't last.
All the result of the dreadful style which I've come to name the 3-Bob haircut, and this isn't more expensive than a 2-Bob haircut 😂! But yes, I am playing semantics and confusing many younger readers.
A Bob was the colloquial term for a shilling. The pre-decimal currency with a value of 5p. Bob-a-Job was the cub scouts annual fundraising method to do community service and collect for charity. The market traders in East Street behind the Old Kent Road where I grew up, would regale us with their patter as they pulled in the crowds to flog piles of old stock that they alluded to being stolen to make it seem more like a bargain.
These characters were like Stanley Holloway in the film My Fair Lady. Helpers would watch out for the police, so they were ready to scarper if a blue helmet was seen coming through the crowds, though in reality they just didn't have a market licence. But they really were fascinating performers, standing up on their boxes and captivating their audience with well worn lines and jokes, "not fifteen bob, not ten bob, not rhubob or shishkabob, to you luv,..... five shillings." at which point a helper would thrust a pile of goods into someone's face so they couldn't not cough up and take the sale.
3-Bob refers to the three separate Bobs stacked into one haircut and then shredded to disguise the steps. It isn't putting a price tag of 15p on these car crash haircuts. That wouldn't be for me to say!
Because this simplistic method of working has taken over the industry across the last 30 years, chances are if you have long layered hair and are not a client of ours, you'll be sporting this mistake. Nearly all long hairstyles have been reduced to two, three, or four stepped Bobs with the chunky steps shredded to try to disguise them, and then blowdried to hide the evidence. If not smoothed out, wavy or textured hair ends up looking like a triangle, pyramid or Christmas tree.
The red lines on the images show the three A-line Bobs stacked. The steps had been thinned out to disguise them leaving it wispy, brittle and frizzy looking. It had flattened and dulled the colour, draining the supple vibrant life-energy out of the hair. The weight distribution of the A-line also made the hair hang unflatteringly heavy and forward onto the face.
Using our signature Diamond Dry Cut™ method, I took a graduated outline and sculpted face-framing layers that filled in most of the holes in the shape, then layered up from the base to shape the outline and provide connection to these long layers. This balances the weight from front to back, so all the hair connects fluidly and moves as one.
Our talented colourist Bryn used a Balayage and lowlight combination to bring a stunning vibrancy and interplay of tones to Sonam's hair.
Sonam has great natural hair and to maintain this quality and keep the colour vibrant she uses LifeSaver Prewash Treatments. LifeSaver® feeds, hydrates and strengthens hair without weighing it down and gives vibrancy to all hair types. They aren’t oil-based and you cannot overuse LifeSaver.
Eureka Blowdry Balm is the best choice for styling Sonam’s hair. Just apply, comb and style, or not if you like the natural look. This award-winning product eliminates frizz and defines the waves whilst protecting the hair from UV and heat damage. The Cashmere Protein Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner also helps soften the hair and give shine. Millie-Rose used a little Thicker Quicker at the roots and a large round brush to smooth the hair for an effortlessly groomed look. Once dried, a little Ten Second Transformation fed through the ends and mid-lengths helps defines the layers, giving texture and shine.
We used the LifeSaver ULTRA Pre-wash Treatment and washed with Cashmere Protein Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner.
We used the Eureka Blowdry Balm, Thicker Quicker Volumising Blowdry Spray, 10 Second Transformation and the Large Round Brush to style.
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