Hairstyles: Four Steps to Designing
Your Hairstyle

Most women look to celebrities when they want a new hairstyle. Sometimes this can spell disaster. Hairstyles are not a one size fits all. There are many different factors that can make or break a certain hairstyle. For example, consider your hair texture. If you have very thick hair, you don't want to pick a celebrity hairstyle that is for thin hair. Sometimes it will work, but most often you are asking for trouble.

Another example, if you have very frizzy hair, you don't want to go with lots of short layers. The shorter your hair, the more the frizziness will be visible and the hair will be much harder to control. So, there has to be some judgment calls when you bring in your favorite celebrity hairstyle photo to your stylist and say copy that.

If you have a good hairstylist, he or she may tell you right off that that style will not work for you because of your hair texture, hair type, etc. This is a good thing. I once took a picture of a medium length dark blonde layered hairstyle photo of Jodie Foster to my stylist and said that I really wanted that look. My stylist told me that first the color choice was not appropriate for my skin tones, and that the hairstyle featured lots of layering (and I had been complaining about existing layering all over the place). So, instead of creating the exact hairstyle, she went with a modified style and added a few highlights that were more suitable for my skin tone. I was very happy with the outcome.

In the end, designing your own hairstyle can be the best way to get a flattering hairstyle that works for your hair and skin tones. Here are four easy steps that you can take to design your own look.

1. Start with your face shape. Pull all the hair off your face and stand in front of a mirror. Trace the outline of your face in the mirror with something that is removable, i.e. soap, dry erase marker. Stand back and look at the shape you have drawn. What shape does it most resemble? Oval, circle, rectangle, heart, inverted triangle or diamond?

2. Find out which celebrities have your face shape and start looking at all the different hairstyle options these celebrities are wearing.

3. Write down which features of those hairstyles you like. Maybe you like the side swept bangs from one celebrity hairstyle and the long layering from another hairstyle. Make copies of all the hairstyle features you like.

4. Go to your stylist with your photos and notes. Show the stylist what features you like and ask him/her to design a hairstyle for you that accentuates the main features you like. It is important to ask the stylist about each facet of the hairstyle.

If the first haircut doesn't suit you, keep tweaking it. Sometimes it can take years to get the best style.

"Hair Styling Tips: Four Steps to Designing" by Perriann Rodriguez:
Perriann Rodriguez is the founder of the Hair Resources Network located at http://www.hairresources.com. Find your next hair style in the vast hairstyle galleries, find out about getting hair extensions, deal with hair loss, add bangs, search for wedding, prom and homecoming hair and much more.