What hairstyle would be the best for me?

We get asked this question a lot! Remember, a good hair cut masks your downfalls and promotes your best features. It’s all about balancing your proportions. You know what they say: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Science tells us that perfect beauty comes in the form of a math equation! The Golden Ratio, (1.618:1), is believed to hold the key to the secret of beauty.

The Golden Ratio originates as far back as the ancient Greeks and has been discovered in numerous patterns of nature, such as flowers, and many other designs, paintings and objects regarded as visually pleasing. “An attractive person looks unattractive or vice versa after a haircut, because hairdos change the ratios.” The structure of faces – the relation between our face contour and the eyes, mouth and nose – also contributes to our perception of facial attractiveness.

Your face shape is the starting point to choosing a new hairstyle. Your hair type is the next consideration. Is your hair naturally straight, wavy, curly or kinky? Is your hair texture fine, medium or thick? How about the amount or volume?

The first thing we need to do is establish the shape of the face. These include oval, round, rectangular, pear shaped, heart, diamond shaped, and square faces. Some face shapes are a combination of each.

To find out the shape of your face, measure it with a tape measure or ruler. You will take the following measurements.

1. Measure your face across the top of your cheekbones. Place the tape measure about your temple, a little bit below your temple, and go straight across to the other side. Write down the measurement on a piece of paper.
2. Measure across your jaw line from the widest point to the widest point. Write down the measurement.
3. Measure across your forehead at the widest point. Generally the widest point will be somewhere about halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline. Write down the measurement.
4. Measure from the middle of your hairline to the bottom of your chin.

I measured my face shape and found it to be a cross between diamond shape and a triangular pear shape. Across my cheekbones I am 10 inches wide. Across my jaw line I am 10 inches wide.  My forehead measured in at 8½ inches. The length of my face from my hairline to chin is 8½ inches. So that’s why I always felt more comfortable with a shag hairstyle. Now that I am older I prefer the cute chin length bob style.

Oval Face – Considered the perfect shape! You have an oval face if the length of your face is equal to one and a half times width. Just about any hair shape looks good on you. Your features allow you to wear a wider range of styles than any other face shape. So pick a hairstyle that plays up your personality. We suggest long layered cuts for flirty girls, short funky cuts for the girl who’s the life of the party, and curls or waves for the free-spirited girl. Celebs who share your face shape: Tina Fey, Jessica Alba, Mariah Carey and Uma Thurman

Round Face – Your face is as wide as it is long. This may vary a little but generally the measurement is close. By layering the top to achieve fullness and keeping the rest of the cut relatively close to the face, your round face shape will appear longer and narrower. Waves are better on a round face than curls that makes a round face seem even wider. If you have curly hair, ask your stylist to remove some of the volume and try to grow it out. The longer that curly hair is, the more the curls are weighed down. Your goal is to create less volume around the face. You also want to minimize the appearance of roundness. Styles that are flattering and stylish: Try cuts that fall just below the chin. Soft graduated layers are a great bet because they make your face appear slimmer and tend to remove bulk and weight from the sides. Consider wispy and tapered ends. These de-emphasize the roundness of your face. A fringe can be flattering, but keep them long or side-swept. Deep side parts and center parts work well, as does a pixie cut or a longer, layered cut. Avoid: Any cut that hits right at the chin, which will simply frame a round face. One-length, blunt cuts if you have short hair. Curly, short hair is also a no-no. These only emphasize your roundness. Celebs who share your face shape: Fergie, Kate Bosworth, Oprah Winfrey, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Rectangular (Long) or Oblong – Longer than it is wide. Fullness at the sides of your face will add width to the look of your face shape. Chin length bobs work well. Be creative with the angles of the bob! Brow-skimming bangs can be a great idea. Hair that is too long can drag down the face. Long layers work best with pieces hitting at the nose, the chin and the collarbone. Consider a v-shaped style where the length is mainly in the back, while the sides and front of your hair appear shorter. Also consider adding wave or curls to the hair. Avoid: Long straight hair parted in the middle, this will make your face look longer.  Avoid short hair with volume at the top, none at the sides and no length around the neck..  Celebs who share your face shape: Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashlee Simpson, Liv Tyler, Giselle Bundchen.

Heart – Narrow at jaw line, wide at cheekbones/and or forehead. A chin length bob is great on your face shape! Stay away from short, full styles that emphasize the upper face. Too much height at the crown will give the appearance of a longer and narrower chin. Your pointy chin tends to be the focal point of your face. Draw attention to your eyes and cheekbones instead with side-swept bangs, brow-grazing fringe, a strong part and hair that falls at or below your jawline. Have short hair? Keep top layers soft and long. Long hair? Go for long layers that graze your cheekbones.Avoid: Short, blunt-cut bangs and harsh, choppy layers. Celebs who share your face shape: Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, Rachel Bilson, Reese Witherspoon, Ziyi Zhang

Pear also known as Triangular – This face shape is the reverse of the heart-shape, a dominant jaw line with narrowing at the cheekbone and temples. Lot’s of layers to achieve fullness at the temples and taper at the jaw line are perfect for this face shape. Focus on a full crown at top to create symmetry with the wide jaw. Layered looks, like the classic Shag flatter the Pear shape face.Avoid: One length all over hair, layers area must. Pixie cuts are hard to pull off. Celebs who share your face shape: Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anisten, Minnie Driver

Square – your face is about as wide as it is long. However you would have a more pronounced jaw-line giving you a more angular look that the round face shape. Soften the square look of your face with layers and wispy looks around the face. Height at the crown will elongate your symmetrical shape. Texture, in the form of curls or choppy ends play down your strong and angular jaw. You can also get away with short, spiky cuts and long, sleek styles with layers that start at the jawline and continue downward. Avoid: Short, wavy or curly hair with volume at the sides of your face. A bob that ends at the jawline will highlight your square face.  Celebs who share your face shape: Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, Isabella Rossellini and Rosario Dawson

Diamond – A cross between heart and a dramatic oval. Widest at cheekbones, narrow forehead and jaw line of approximately equal widths. Try hairstyles that add width at the chin area such as chin length bob cuts or shoulder length wispy kicked out looks. Styles that tuck in behind the ears also work well to show off a wonderful cheekbone structure. Hairstyles with straight across fringe will also work to shorten long faces, as will side swept fringe. Hairstyles to Avoid: Try and avoid short hairstyles with height on top, particularly ones without a fringe. Avoid styles that leave no hair on the neck area or the chin area. Middle parts will add length so they should also be avoided.  Celebs who share your face shape: Liz Hurley, Scarlett Johansson, and Selma Blair

Your face shape is just the beginning of your perfect style! Learning how to work with your hair is where the help of the stylist comes in. Come in and visit us for a consultation.