Tips for Choosing a New Hairstyle

Changing your haircut can be a difficult decision - especially if you are attached to your hair. There are thousands of beautiful cuts to choose, but which one is right for you? Before your lob off your locks, take a good look at your options, time, and talk with your hairstylist to help make your decision.

Damaged or Healthy?

Even if you have long hair and want to keep it, if it is damaged keeping your hair long may not be in your best interest. The best hair repair for damaged hair is a good cut - and that means cutting off all the damage. You may be stuck with hair that is shorter than you like for a while, but it is better to do that than to keep the damage. This is because damaged hair will become increasingly damaged the longer you keep it. If your hair is extremely damaged it is going to break off anyways, so you might as well beat it too the punch line - and before you have random short pieces in your long hair.

How Much Time Do You Have?

Common sense tells you that if you only have 10 minutes to do your hair in the morning, you want to keep the style simple and fuss-free. You may find a style you love, but it may be more maintenance that what you are looking for. Also remember you are probably not a professional stylist, so a fancy hairstyle that takes a few minutes for your hairdresser to do, may take you longer.

Long or Short?

There is a myth that short hair is easier to take care of. Depending on the style and your type of hair this may be the case, but there is a chance it may not be. Keep in mind before you get your hair cut short that you will be taking extra trips to the salon for cuts to maintain the style. Also, depending on how short you want to go, it may take a while to grow out if you decide to switch styles. However if you have long hair and keep it in a ponytail all day, it is better to cut off the ponytail. This is because ponytails cause damage to your hair - each time the band hits your hair you are causing breakage. So before you choose a long or short style, look at your lifestyle. Also, if you have short hair, its not stuck that way. Extensions have come a long way, so if you want to add length to your short hair it is an easy and fairly inexpensive fix.

Work with Your Hair Texture

For the easiest and best hairstyle possible, work with the texture of your hair - not against it. Curly and wavy hair can be damaged due to heat processing, from both the blow dryer and flat irons. Straight hair can be damaged in the same way if it is perpetually curled. Not only can heat styling be damaging, it can be time consuming. A good hairdresser will be able to give you a great cut that works with your hair texture and not against it. Keep in mind, the more you have to work against your hairs natural texture, the longer it is going to take to style.

Do You Really Want to Use Product?

Hair products may make styling easier, but are they really conducive to your lifestyle and where you work? If you work in an office, using product to keep your hair manageable is fine, but if you are working in an industrial environment you may want to keep product to a minimum. Don't choose a style that will take a lot of product to maintain, if you don't plan on using product. Otherwise you hair will not look as good as it possibly could.

Ask Your Hairstylist

If you have been going to your hairstylist for a while (or even if you haven't) ask your stylist for thier advice. As long as they ask you what you are looking for and choose a cut that works with your face shape, you should be well on you way to having hair that you love.