The bob is an elegant, timeless haircut that has been trending since the 1920s. Specifically, it is a short haircut that usually ends at jaw length and is easy to attain. However, bad bobs can happen from time to time.
Maybe your hairdresser should have paid more attention while cutting, or you tried to cut your bob at home without proper experience. Either way, you can relax because you can fix a bad bob cut and make it look better with or without scissors.
Read on to learn what a bad bob looks like and how you can fix it.
What Is Bad Bob?
A bad bob is a haircut gone wrong. It may look sloppy or unkempt, and the fringes may look more trashy than edgy. The back of the head may look particularly messy, as new hairstylists can mess up this portion of the head.
Bobs are cool and clean haircuts. An ugly bob haircut will not make you look classy or fresh. Instead, you may look messy, and the hair might be choppy in the worst way. Different parts of the head will have different lengths.
Remember, even if a blunt bob looks easy, it is one of the more difficult hairstyles. Creating a perfectly straight edge can be difficult.
Sometimes, however, a bob is only “bad” because it does not fit a person’s face shape. The haircut may be fine, but it could be the wrong choice for this person’s face.
If you have a longer face and a pointier chin, you may think you have a bad haircut, but in reality, you need a longer cut to accentuate your features.
Either way, do not panic. There are solutions to bad bobs.
Examples of Bad Bob Haircut
1. Uneven Layers
Although layering does mean cutting the hair at varying lengths, uneven layers are not acceptable at any cost. Such a mistake will turn your fresh bob cut into a disaster in no time.
Keep in mind that layers are supposed to blend in, and that is exactly what a professional hairstylist will achieve.
2. Asymmetrical Bob
There’s no harm in playing around with the symmetry of your bob, cutting one side shorter than the other.
The problem of a bad bob arises only when chunks are chopped unevenly in between, resulting in disconnected spaces that never look good. Let go of some hair length to fix the issue.
3. Strange Shape
Strange shapes like the one depicted here look good only for a short while in photos and fashion show ramps.
They are quite impractical in reality, and even if you pull one off, you’ll need elaborate hairstyling on a daily basis. Still craving for an unconventional shape? Experiment with it on a wig!
4. Punk Style Bob
Bobs are meant to be classy and elegant and not punk. This one with buzzed sides, messed up layers, and an unusually long back can barely be regarded as a bob. The only way to fix such a bad bob haircut is by chopping it into a pixie.
5. Messy Stacked Bob
The term ‘messy’ refers to the hairstyle and not the haircut, of course. There is no such thing as messy stacked layers.
Moreover, the sharp angular cut has left only a few chunks long at the front that, along with those uneven micro bangs, make an oblong face look even longer.
6. Bad Colored Bob
A good bob can turn into a bad bob quickly if you couple it with the wrong hair color. Avoid cheap dyes no matter what as they are sure to damage your tresses.
Coming towards the hair shades, consult an expert to find a color that accentuates your skin tone and eye color the most.
7. Choppy Bob + Shaved Sides
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Choppy layers are supposed to add volume and movement all over the head and not only to the top, making it look disconnected.
Apart from that, bobs with undercut look funky, but only when the buzzed, not shaved, sides are partially covered by longer strands that are snipped unnecessarily short in this case.
Is It Possible To Fix a Bad Bob Haircut?
Whether it is possible to fix a poor bob depends on the problem.
If a bob is too short, there may be no other option than to wait for it to grow out. Try an updo, like a braid or half-up style, if you dislike how the short strands frame your face.
If the issue is that the haircut is uneven or sloppy, do not fret. You should be able to fix the haircut. That said, you may have to go to a professional hair stylist if you do not have experience with scissors.
Regardless, most bobs are salvageable with a new cut or part.
How To Fix a Bad Bob Haircut
Below, find the best methods to fix a lousy bob haircut.
1. Try a Middle Part
Most hairstylists cut bobs with a center part to make it symmetrical. Even intentionally asymmetrical bobs will look best with a center part since this is what the stylist uses to cut it.
The issue may be that you are parting your hair to the side. Try a center part and see if that fixes the look. It should look even and clean.
2. Re-Trim the Back of the Cut
The back is the easiest part of the hair to mess up while cutting a bob. If the back of your head is choppy, go to a hairstylist and have them retrim it. Professionals will be able to clean the cut without sacrificing volume or shape.
3. Consider Bangs
Bob cuts are known to look lovely with bangs. Consider blunt or curtain bangs if you feel your bob is boring or does not frame your face well. They can refresh and add more dimension to a look.
4. Try Different Styles
Sometimes, a bob is not necessarily messy. You may just dislike the way it looks when it is down.
Play with braids, pigtails, half-up-half-down styles, and headbands. Even a simple hair clip can elevate a look.
5. Wait for It To Grow Out
If you think your hair is too short, the only option is to wait for it to grow. You can play with different hairstyles until then.
Try a hair growth supplement or serum to make your hair grow faster, and give yourself daily scalp massages to expedite the process.
What Is the Difference Between a Bad and Good Bob Haircut?
A good bob haircut is clean. Some bobs are intentionally uneven, with one side longer than the other.
However, even with these cuts, the edges are clean, and the sharp angle looks intentional. It will look good around the entire circumference of the head.
A bad bob haircut will look sloppy. Chunks of hair may have different lengths rather than scattered, fringey chops, and the back may look uneven and messy.
Overall, it is not a bad haircut if you feel confident about it. If it makes you feel insecure, you should look into fixing it for no other reason than to feel better about yourself.
Finally, a bad haircut can happen to anyone and there is no reason to be embarrassed about it. The best thing you can do is consult a professional to re-cut it. If this is not an option, make do with what you have by playing with hairstyles until it grows out.
FAQs
Below are answers to some common questions about messed-up bob cuts.
There are several different layers in this cut. They must get longer toward the front, which is hard to achieve for beginners. Only professionals should trim this bob to fix it.
Yes, an experienced hair stylist can fix a badly stacked bob haircut if the layers are salvageable.
Try different updos or part your hair in the center to make a bob look better without cutting it.
If a bob is too short, you will have to wait for it to grow. In the meantime, play with different hairstyles like braids and headbands to make the look more manageable.