Esthetician Simedar Jackson on Short Hair Satisfaction

To celebrate our newly reformulated collection of shampoos and conditioners, we’ve asked creators and makers to give us a glimpse of their Living Proof haircare routines.

Simedar Jackson is no stranger to experimentation. The Chicago-based esthetician and beauty writer shares their adventures in skincare, haircare, and makeup and empowers those typically overlooked by the beauty industry on their Instagram feed. And now, they’re helping us celebrate how healthy hair makes us feel — joyful, confident, and delightfully surprised — by sharing their hair diary, complete with a new stylist, a fresh cut, and her go-to wash essentials. Together, these help them bring out the best of their short hair.

Day one: Self-realization of baby mushroom

I desperately need a haircut. Since moving back to Chicago, I’ve struggled to find a new hairstylist that gets it. Like any beauty-loving person, when you find the person who does your wax, nails, or hair just right, you stick with them. Parting ways with a hairstylist is particularly risky because it leaves you vulnerable to experiencing that very specific type of sadness that comes when you’re asked at the end of the appointment, “What do you think?” — and you cannot, in fact, share what you really think.

So, I’ve been holding out for longer than I usually do, and my hair is starting to veer outside of my comfort zone in terms of length. Instead of cute, my short cut is giving baby mushroom. So today I laid my edges and tied everything down with a scarf to put it out of my mind. I’m planning to work out today anyway. I’m also going to try and book an appointment finally. Pray for me.

Day two: Time for the chop

Good news! I have a hair appointment. Less-good news: it’s not only with someone I’ve never been to before, but it’s also with a barber. While a good barber is known to get someone fresh, I’m a little worried about walking out with harsh lines and too much taken off the top. However, barbers are significantly cheaper than what I’ve been paying for at a typical hair salon — and also available at a moment’s notice. So that’s where we’re going today.

Because barbers don’t typically wash or style, I have to arrive at my appointment with my hair styled already. I worked out yesterday and know I will have to wash my hair again after the appointment—so to avoid over-cleansing and stripping my hair, I used the Curl Conditioner to co-wash. After, I applied the Dry Scalp Treatment to deal with the post-workout itching that wouldn’t be addressed until after the cut, then styled with the Curl Elongator for a softer hold I wouldn’t mind having to re-do in less than 24-hours. My appointment is in an hour. Wish me luck!

Day three: Fresh with a side of nerves

I was nervous, but the final result looks…good? I’ll be honest and say it’s a little different than I’m used to, but I still like it! The barber was extremely knowledgeable and made me trust him immediately. I’m just not used to looking so *fresh*. It’s growing on me more every time I look in the mirror though!

I’m very grateful that the experience of cutting my hair has made me less precious about it overall. Even if I get a cut that I don’t like, I have a better appreciation for the fact that it’ll grow back—so there’s no point in stressing about it! Just one of the many perks of having short hair.

I’m going to a party tomorrow, so that’ll be an ultimate test of how the cut looks with my dressed-up ‘fit.

Day four: Hindsight on wash day

Technically, I’m writing this after returning from the party, but I officially am in love with the hair. I fully washed my hair last night with the Curl Shampoo and Conditioner to get rid of product build-up and remove the leftover pieces of hair sticking around after the cut.

A styling trick I learned from my old hairstylist is not to completely wash out conditioner because it essentially works like a leave-in to maintain moisture — so, I also did that. I finger coiled the longer curls on top with the Curl Defining Gel and hit everything with the blow-dryer on low. This is another important part of the styling process I’ve recently come to understand: Blow-drying my hair right after I style it makes the curls juicy and more defined. Whenever I let them air-dry, the frizz develops quickly. The more you know!

I got so many compliments on my haircut at the party! I’d already settled into the new look, but that was just what I needed to solidify it. Love this for me.

Day five: All about my headscarf

Ending the week back in a headscarf. The only downside of short hair is that I have to style it more often, but it takes half the time — so that’s something I can live with. Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy cute, new scarves for those days I need to skip a restyle.

It’s been a good hair week. I remember when I very rarely had those. Cheers to a new barber and a new outlook on my hair!

Looking to start your own Lp. hair journey? You can easily find the right shampoo, conditioner, treatments, and stylers for your individual hair type and concerns by taking our hair quiz — think of it as your starting point to a whole new redux on wash day. In suds we trust.