Hair stylists on face shapes
Hair stylists need to spend more time with clients on face shapes
As this article points out, cosmetology schools spend time now teaching students about the relationship of face shapes and hairstyles. The result is that the typical hair stylist should be competent at designing a hairstyle that is compatible with the clients face shape. So why is it then that I see so many women who have a hairstyle/face shape mismatch?
“hair stylist relents and gives the client
what she wants”
Here is how I think it goes. The client walks into the appointment with a photo of a celebrity or model and says to the stylist “that’s what I want to look like”. (Clients don’t typically have training on the balance of face shape and hairstyle but rather just know what they like.) The hair stylist, not wanting to shatter the clients dream, cuts the hair like the picture, disregarding what they know, or else they never did understand the concept of balancing face shape and hairstyle to begin with.
So, if the hair stylist relents and gives the client just what she wants, its a pretty big failing on the stylists part, would’nt you say? Don’t you pay your stylist to keep you from making faux pas?
Can you imagine walking into your doctors office, asking for a procedure you read about and having him do it, only to see later it was terribly wrong for you? Your doctor would refuse to perform the procedure, or at least you would expect him to, if he knew it was’nt right for you. Shouldn’t your hair stylist be doing the same?
Anyway, thanks to the Minneapolis Star comes this nicely done piece that explains some design principles, so you can arm yourself with some of the do’s and don’ts about matching hairstyle and face shape.
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Look to the stars’ face shapes for haircut do’s and don’ts Minneapolis Star-Tribune Thinking of getting a sleek new Sienna Miller haircut this summer? If your face is oblong like Sarah Jessica Parker’s, you might want to reconsider. What’s becoming on a heart-shaped mug may not flatter a woman with an oblong or square-shaped face. A perfect oval may be able to pull off many different hair lengths and styles, but a soft-featured, round face looks most pleasing in longer hair. Knowing the contours of your face and what complements it is the key to choosing a haircut that’s not only in style but also looks right on you. “It’s one of the first things we look at,” said Shane, a hairstylist and owner of Mask Hair Designs and Day Spa in Minnetonka, Minn., and Plymouth, Minn. “It’s such an instinctive thing for us that I guess we don’t speak about it out in the world.” So important is face shape in determining how to cut hair, she says, that many cosmetology schools devote two days to the study of face shapes. Lyndon Barsten, an educator at Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, wrote a chapter on face shapes for a textbook that’s used to train students. In the book, called “Introduction to Styling Hair,” he identifies seven face shapes and advises which styles best suit each one. The different shapes — the heart, diamond, round, pear, oval, square and oblong — are meant to serve as guidelines, he says, as some people have a combination of shapes. For example, a person may have an oval forehead and central area where the cheekbones are located, but a square jaw line. A good way to determine your face shape is to pull all your hair back away from your face, look in the mirror and trace your face with a soap bar or lipstick. Many consider the oval face shape ideal because almost any hair style and length is flattering. Heart shapes are marked by wider foreheads and a pointed chin. Their most flattering styles include medium to short lengths and wispy bangs. People with square face shapes have a square hairline and strong jaw line. Curls soften the edges of the face. Parker is a perfect example of an oblong face shape. Bangs swept over the forehead help make the face look more oval, and people with this face shape should avoid too-short or too-long styles. Round faces are wide across the cheekbone area and round at the chin. Hair that falls to the shoulders is ideal as it helps to create a longer, less round look. “Feathered” and longer layers are also flattering. |
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Read the entire article, Look to the stars’ face shapes for haircut do’s and don’ts
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