I’m in a serious hair rut. I’m desperately in need of a cut, but I’m terrified to try a new stylist in San Francisco (I miss my beloved team at Sine Qua Non!). I’m also feeling seriously bored with my hair – I’m convinced it just will not grow past a certain point, leaving me stuck at the same old below my shoulders but not past my boobs length. Not long, not short. And I’m sick of it.

By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the lob, no? It’s a clever little name given to a haircut that’s essentially a long bob – it tends to hit right around the collar bones and has the slightly longer in front, shorter in the back vibe that a bob is known for. The lob seems to have taken the world by storm with celebs chopping their hair off and pins popping up all over Pinterest that offer “lob inspiration”.

I’m no real stranger to short hair – I actually rocked a bob (above my shoulders!) in college for a few years. Those were also the days where I was likely to be seen with either highlights, making me blonde blonde, or lowlights that sometimes ventured into red head territory. It looked great straight, flat ironing was a breeze and it was a fun change for awhile after having long hair my entire life. But like all good things, my bob run had to come to an end after hair boredom crept in and drove me to grow it back out long.

But there’s just something about the lob that’s really caught my eye. I love how it looks with messy waves, or sleek and straight. It feels fresh and new, which is kind of how I’m feeling with the whole moving to a brand new city across the country thing. So… do I dare make the leap to the lob?

A couple of my concerns / curiosities:

• Curly hair is unpredictable and frizz prone. Is my hair too curly to pull it off?
• What about a lob + keratin treatment combo? Would this give me the easiest hair ever? I’ve heard there are different levels that could leave me with waves, not pin straight hair.
• A curling wand looks like a pretty nifty little tool. Is this how everyone is getting those awesome waves these days?
• Will I go totally insane if I’m unable to rock a messy bun?!

So… to lob or not to lob. That is the question. Anyone out there rocking a lob already? Does anyone have experience (good or bad!) with a keratin treatment? Any San Francisco stylist recommendations? Help a girl out!