How to Find Your Ideal Hairstyle

There’s SO much inspiration, ideas, opinions and factors out there that to put it simply choosing your ideal hairstyle can be daunting. Let’s say one thing first there is NO “perfect” hairstyle. I do believe however there are ideal hairstyles for each individual depending on several factors. Think of it as a Venn diagram and in the center is your ideal look or looks. There could be a few that fit the bill. Instead of stressing or spiraling let’s look at a few simple factors when narrowing down the options.

Ideal Wedding Hairstyle Venn diagram

Your ideal hairstyle is broken down into 3 main factors and their subsequent overlaps. The 3 main factors are “your hair”, “Inspiration/personality” and “Outside Logistics”. Let’s look a little deeper into each of these. Your hair includes the real life logistics of your hair. It is the raw material we are working with. This includes the length, density, texture, curl pattern and how you care for your hair. All of these things do have an impact on styles. That’s not to say that changes can’t be made but it is our real world starting point. The second factor is “Inspiration and Personality” . This includes not only that Pinterest Inso board but also things such as your vibe/aesthetic, how you feel most beautiful, any personal concerns and personal habits ( like touching your hair). The third factor is “Outside Logistics” or external concerns. This includes things like weather, temperature, wind etc and how it impacts your hair.

Now beyond these 3 main factors we want to find ways to mitigate anything that doesn’t overlap and match up. Between the factor of “Your Hair” and “Inspo/Personality” you will either need to adjust your hair ( extensions, routine, highlights) or the inspiration. Between the “Inspo/Personality” and “Outside Logistics” you will need to consider if the inspiration needs to be modified or are there logistics that can be enacted to protect against outside factors if those are a concern. Between “Outside Logistics” and “Your Hair” you will need to evaluate the impact these outside logistics may have on your hair and if there’s anything you can do with your hair to combat them such as a salon treatment. Once all of the 3 main factors have been considered and the deconflicted through the overlaps you have your ideal style. Your stylist can also help you with this.

To provide an example if “Suzy” has collar bone length hair that has a bit of a natural wave and is considering either 1/2 up or fully up. Her hair has some frizz and she sweats around her neck especially when it’s warm. It would be wise for the stylist to bring up that the sweating on the neck could be a concern with her hair 1/2 up and the sweating could bring out more frizz so perhaps an updo may be best logistically. The stylist can mitigate frizz but it’s important for Suzy to not touch her hair because this will create more. There are frizz mitigating salon treatments as well if she was concerned and wanted to go a stronger route. She wants to retain her natural curl pattern so any inspiration photos that do not have a natural curl it should be understood or mentioned that her hair will look a bit different though still beautiful. Without extensions they can still create a beautiful up but if she wants the bun fuller or crown to have more volume then there is the option of extensions. Since Suzy normal wears her hair down on a daily basis it’s advised to keep some pieces framing her face. I would still recommend showing both a 1/2 up and fully up option so she has the ability to see both but point out the thought process all along the way.

Does this help in your process? Stylists, can you use this to help have better consultations with your clients? Clients, does this help guide you to find the style you truly love in your heart of hearts? There’s so many options and they can all be beautiful but it’s important to think about which fits you best.