She's Got The Cut!

Well, well, well, here you are and here I am. Hope you are all having a wonderful day so far. The sun is shining and it looks like winter is gone for good, well, atleast for 4 months. And of course, with spring and summer on the mind, everyone wants a change. You are in luck, that is what this weeks post is about.

Hey.. I was wondering if you can show me some cool styles for hair. I dont really know how to get my hair cut. It's just straight and long, about to my shoulder blades, so I just wanna get it cut in a fun style.. but I don't know how... thanks.

Letecia,
Regina, Sk

Oh, I am so glad you asked this Letecia. This is the kind of thing I live for, changing people's hair. You did not mention how much of a change you are looking for, but wether you want a big change or a small change, there are many different things you can do.

For straight hair, you have a lot of options. As long as it is not fine and thin, but if you have medium to corse hair and it is medium to thick in density, you have a lot of options.

First, I will start with the smaller change. I don't know if you have layers in your hair right now. The best thing for hair that long, If you want anything that has volume and lots of movement, you are going to have to take a lot of length off. A lot of people get scared when I talk about taking a lot of length off, but if your hair is just lying there or you are putting it in a pony tail everyday, then there is no point in having lone hair. So, I would say that, at a minimum, you will have to lose about 3 - -4 inches off your base length. I would suggest adding in lots of layers, as that will give you the movement, fun and body that you want. When I talk about volume, I do not mean southern texas volume, I am talking about a little bit of volume so you hair is not flat to your head. Here are some ideas...

1.

2.

Moms

3.

Long4

If you want to really do something different, you can really chop up you hair into what you affectionatley call, a shag. A shag consists of a lot of very short layers, as illustrated in the picture to the left. The purpse of a shag is to give maximum volume at the top of the head, with minimal volume towards the bottom. Beware when going for this cut tough. Make sure you have thick enough hair so the hair on the bottom after the layers have been cut in do not look stringly and straggly.

Next I would like to move into little more drastic changes. I get alot of women wanting their hair 'gone'  so to speak. What they mean by gone, is shorter by at least 6" or more. I get this more often then people would think. Most people, after a while, especially if they have had short hair for a good portion of their lives, get sick of the longer hair and want it gone. Here are some more drastic changes to look into to getting.

1.

This cut is for the adventurous and it can also be modified to be a little less funky. It is a pretty popular cut in it's basic form; shorter in the back and longer in the front. However, this cut is modfied from that basic look to create a more fun look. It is also asymetrically cut, the left side being left longer then the right side. The fringe is versatile, which always is a good thing to look for, unless you have parted on the same side everyday of your life and refuse to change. The back can be either pushed up to ' spike' out or smoothed down to give a more polished appearance, This works well for thicker hair as opposed to finer hair as you need the heaviness to really support the asymetry.

2.

This is a less dramatic version of the above cut. It give a lot of movement and volume on the top and is great for finer, thinner hair. Again, this give the option of pushing the back up to have it spike out or wearing it smoother for a polished look. Always, I say, have some type of a fringe. The majority of cuts and styles look their best with some type of a fringe, be it short or long.

3.

The bob is always a popular was to go if you are wanting to go shorter. There are many different ways to wear a bod, such us the smooth, heavy, Vidal Sasoon look, like the top picture to the left. I do not recommend wearing this particular bob if you have a square face. The second photo down is one of the most asked morw haircuts in salons as well as the one below it. The second hair cut to the left is what we call an 'inverted bob'. This cut maximizes the volume you are going to see at the top of your head. There are usually layers in these cuts, however, they are not usually too short, 1/4 " - 1" from the longest length only. The idea is still smoothness. The bottom picture is the opposit of the top picture. It is still a bob, but as you can see, there is a lot of texture and movement involved, this cut works for just about anyone, even for finer and thinner hair.

The key to finding the right cut for you is to look at pictures and find the cuts that draw you to them. Always keep in mind you face shape when looking at cuts and remember that you are not going to look exactly like the picture, you are not that person.

If you have a square face, you want to stay away from hard lines like the Vidal Sasoon style bob. The angles and heaviness will acctually accentuate the squarness of you face. Look food cuts that have a lot of layering around the face ot help soften those sharp edges, such as the last bob picture or a shag.

If you have a round face you want to create more volume towards the top of your head, not on the sides, as this will make your face look rounder. Look for a side swept fringe to help narrow you face a little.

If you have a heart shaped face, dont go for too much volume on top. You want to create volume near the chin area to widen it to make it more even with your forehead. A great cut would be the shag or the very first cut as it creates depth around the chin.

If you have an oval face you are lucky, pic whatever you would like and have fun.

Well, Letecia, I hope that helped you,  and anyone else, with your predicament.

Goodnight everyone and happy hair days.