Face shape, face shape, face shape

I can't say it often enough. The reason choosing a hair style from a magazine doesn't work is because you are looking at a hairstyle that was designed for a face shape different from your own.

Form and texture

Are you trying to make a hairstyle do things that it just naturally won't do? It is very common for women to try hairstyles for years that are not right for their hair. Why fight against your hair? Working with it will yield much better results. See my tips on form and texture.

You don’t really know yourself!

Do you remember the first time you heard yourself on an audio recording? That voice didn't sound like you, did it? A similar distortion happens when you look into the mirror. You can't see yourself as others see you. Your best friend knows what you really look like—you should depend on her opinion.

I test this theory in my classes and never fail to demonstrate the distorted image we each carry of ourselves. The bottom line is, you do not see the real image when you look into the mirror—you need to get an objective outside opinion.

Our internal tape recorder

Our sensory acuity antenna is constantly on alert for reactions about who we are and how we look. Our memory stores any reaction or feedback regarding our looks. This includes both positive and negative reactions. We pick up the slightest of non-verbal cues. Over your lifetime, you have stored millions of bits of information about how you look, based on your interpretation of the reactions of others. Much of it is contradictory, often misread and just plain wrong.

Bad input carries a heavier weight in our memory banks than positive experiences. That's why we run out of ideas for hair style choices as we age. You'll find your self asking the question, what should I do with my hair? Is it any wonder we are confused when we arrive at the hair styling salon? One reason an outside party can be objective about your hair style is that their internal tape recorder is blank.

Our hairstyle biases

That's right, we all have hair style biases. Often I hear a woman tell me that she would never wear a certain hair style. When I ask her why, I get an answer like, "I just think that hair style looks terrible on me." This is almost always a hairstyle bias talking. Maybe in the fourth grade she had a run-in with "Betty the Bully" and Betty wore a similar hair style. Or the girl who stole her high school boyfriend or a rival at work, and the list could go on. From the time of that experience forward, she is likely to carry around in her brain a bias against that hair style. She won't consider it, even if it makes her look fabulous.

You may have the wrong hair stylist!

Maybe it's time to end a long running relationship that has run out of creativity and ideas for your hairstyles. You may have been sold on so many hair styles that didn't work, that you are left in a rut. To move forward and find what works for you, a new hairstylist may be exactly what you need.  See how to choose a new hairstylist.

You're listening to the wrong people!

Mainly yourself . . . remember you do not see the real "you in the mirror". If you are determined to look your best and can't order a hairstyle makeover, what should you do? Seek input on new hair styles from others. However, when you do, leave out your own opinion, or you will not get honest feedback. Don't pre-frame others by telling them what you like and dislike before hearing what they like. Then, suppress the part of you that judges, and just LISTEN! You will learn things about your hair that you have never even considered.

Who should you listen to?

• Your best girlfriend.
• Your hair stylist.
• Close girlfriends.
• Co-workers you trust.
• Neighbors who know you well.
• Any stylish woman.

Who you should not listen to! 

• Yourself.
• Your husband or significant other.
• Men (they don't have a clue).
• Your mother.
• Your sister.
• Your children.
• Any one who lives with you.

Questions you should ask them!

• Will you be honest with me?
• What do you think my face shape is?
• What do you think is my strongest facial strength?
• What is my weakest facial feature?
• What color best describes my eyes?
• What is my skin tone?
• What hair color best describes my hair?
• Am I warm or cool?
• Should my hair style be longer?
• Should my hair style be shorter?
• Should I color my hair?
• Should I perm my hair?
• If you were me, and going to make a hair style change . . . what would you do?

• Cute Funky Hairstyles!
• Bi-Level Crop Hairstyle
• Medium Hair Styles -Stuck in the Middle
• The Mid-Length Feather Cut Hair Style
• Fanciful Fringe a Hair Style With Layered Bangs
• The Classic Bob Hair Style
• How to get the Chipped Haircut
• The Shattered Shag Hair Style Look
• The Medium Length Flip Hair Style
• The Bouncy, Swingy, Blunt Cut Hair Style
• Long Hair Style With End Action
• Look What Layers Can Do For a Hair Style
• Options For Long Hair
• Round face shapes can be slimmed
• The hair style most recommended by hair stylists

Read Barb's Daily Hairstyle Blog

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