I'll just clarify that the quarter of an inch on my piece is only the hair immediately around the ears. It gets longer and longer going toward the top of my head. I think that, with all lace in a full cap, it's safe to go very very short around the ears because no one is looking at the hair behind your ears hair the way they would look at your hairline. Also, even at a quarter of an inch around the ears, the hair covers the lace.