there are a multitude of flat irons available with a narrower space; I have cheap flat irons and one good quality one, the latter works much better.....

You may be past the point of decision, but I thought I'd chime in just in case. I am also growing out my hair, and I was a hairdresser for twenty years. Growing out is almost always a pain. My suggestion is if you have gone this far, hang in there. You can always cut it later if you decide it isn't what you thought it would be. About style. I've done the short bob thing like you are doing in the past and this time I have been keeping it in long layers as the top grows out. I have found this MUCH easier to deal with that a really short bob, and as soon as I had a little ponytail I started clipping it up. For awhile I flipped it out and now it is long enought to flip or go under. This is in part due to the fact that I look rotten in a short bob and much better with layering. I just want to say I will never have short hair again. I'll be a little old lady with a bun :-) You can get a short look with putting it up especially if you have layers around the front...well, not quite the same, but I love the practicallity of putting it up. About those bangs... A small amount left long and swept to the side is in. No POOFY bangs. I add that because of your age. I am 44 and had "big" hair and it was hard getting away from it :-) All that being said...there are some people that just look great with short hair, and if you are one of them and it makes you happy go for it. I have to say I love feeling more girrly with it a little longer though. Everyone always told me my short hair looked great too, but I like it longer! As far as flattness, some of that may have to do with your style in the past and what you are use to. Kind of like when you stop getting perms! I have found that as my hair grows out I really like using velcro rollers and a heat set spray. After spraying get the velcros really hot with the hairdryer and then let them cool completely. This will give you MUCH more volume and may even be too big at first. You just have to play with the roller size and placement and see what works for you. This works great for me at this point, and lasts all day if I use a little Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine in it (it holds but you can still run your fingers through it when dry to break up the frozen hair look. Heat sets sprays are different and you may have to experiment with your hair to find the best one for your style. Remember that when you set hair do it in a similar manner that you dry...for example if you hold the hair up in the crown, or pull the top forward set it the same. This will give you the fullness.

Trailrunner, Jterrilynn, & Nance...thanks for the kind words! Golddust, I love your haircut. It enhances your pretty, delicate, heart-shaped face & high cheekbones. Adorable! Dlm, wow! You have great hair & look marvelous with it straight or curly! Nice to have options. I assume that's your DH & son? They are certainly handsome too! Beautiful family. LvrGolden, Mona, & Rose...all beautiful ladies over 50 with great hair! Oakley, I am dying to know what you think of your virtual hairstyling! I think Kelly found just the right do for you, and you know what? You really, really do look like Meg Ryan! You two have very similar features except that you are not scarecrow thin like she is (fortunately...'cause that's scary!) You would look great with layers around your face if you want to take baby steps toward shorter hair. I'd be delighted to get free advice too, if anyone has any suggestions. All feedback is good feedback. It can be hard to know what hairstyle options to pursue as we find ourselves no longer 25!

Long (bottle) blond hair on women seems to be socially required around here. I see many women who've missed the 'cut off' date for that look (blond or not). When Mom poses with her HS or college-age daughter, and they have the same hair-extension look...really time to let it go, Mom. I dislike the five o'clock shadow sported by some men. It's prevalent in advertising -- along with gender-confusion. I used to see that on high school boys eager to display their new 'maleness'. Our DS laughs as DH and I roll our eyes at his various styles of beards. He looks best to me with a haircut and freshly shaven. He and his BIL used to compete for bizarre hair cuts, and lengths, and *colors*. I like to see people who are well-groomed in styles appropriate to their ages. They're self confident. They don't need to display anything to be noticed. They are past adolescent rebellion.