Spice up hair with styles for face shape
Whitney Phillips
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Lifestyles
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Students who fail to think about how a haircut will look on them may end up with a style they're not happy with.
Kassie Werner, a licensed cosmetologist who is currently setting up her own business in St. George, said people who don't think about how a style will fit them may end up making their faces look disproportionate.
Some students also notice when a style doesn't quite fit a person. Hattie Byrd, a freshman nursing major from Cheyenne, Wyo., said she thinks it's interesting how much damage the wrong hairstyle can do to a person's look. She said one example of that damage is when people don't balance their hair with their face size.
"People who have really small faces but long, thick hair…are sort of lost in their hair," she said.
Living with a bad style can have a profound effect on future cuts as well.
Freshman Stephanie Myers, a secondary education major from Taylorsville, said she remembers an instance when she decided to get an extreme haircut with a lot of short layers. She said the cut was very wrong for her and others noticed, so now that she has grown her hair back out, she basically sticks with the same style.
"It didn't fit me, let alone my face," she said. "Now I keep it the same length and color."
To avoid being disappointed in a hairstyle, students can keep their face shape and body type in mind.
First off, students seeking the right style may want to determine what face shape they have. Werner said the shape of your chin should indicate what category your face shape fits, but a hairstylist will also be able to tell for sure. Also, one Web site, www.hairstyle.com, gives a list of all the face shapes and a guide to help people determine which one they have.
While everyone's face is different, there are several general classifications of face shape. Werner, with the help of her textbook, "Salon Fundamentals" by Clif St. Germaine, gave some basic guidelines to follow with some of the most common face shapes.
Oval: For this shape, St. Germaine suggested enhancing features and keeping the face in balance.
Although some consider this shape to be the most ideal, Werner said too much volume can throw off the proportions of an oval face.
"With this shape, don't have the Utah poof," she said.
Round: According to the textbook, this shape demands height at the crown of the head and width at the jaw line.
"An A-line cut would be good for a round face," Werner said.
One mistake people might make with this face shape is going too short with a style. Werner said to avoid a short, one-length cut in order to keep from making the face look bigger.
Oblong: Unlike the round face shape, the oblong shape will most likely look best with a very short cut.
"The hairstyle you'd want is the shorter look with height on top," Werner said. "You're also going to want a side part, not down the middle."
Werner said she would warn clients with oblong faces not to straighten their hair, as that could make their face look even longer.
Heart: According to the textbook, people with this shape would want to add width to their jaw line to balance a wider forehead.
"Don't have shorter layers with a heart-shaped face," Werner said.
Square: The best rule to follow with this style may simply be to keep locks growing.
"With a square face you want to have your hair long because it'll make your face look longer instead of square," Werner said.
Werner added that it helps to avoid the straight bob with a square face, just as people with rounder faces would do.
Diamond: Layers will most likely work well with this shape.
"You could do bangs, and then if you have a bob, chose a longer layer," Werner said. "You don't want short layers."
In addition to considering face shape when searching for a new hairdo, Werner said students should also take their body type into account.
St. Germaine wrote that taller people should aim for volume. He said women's hair should at least be to their shoulders; men should also keep their tresses lengthier.
"Taller men should go for more of the shag look," Werner said.
People of average stature may look good with short or long hair. Werner added that height at the crown of the head will make a person look taller.
For shorter people, Werner said she suggests a shorter cut with a good amount of volume on top. Still, information in the "Salon Essentials" textbook said shorter people should go for either long or short hair but nothing in between.
Since most budgets are fairly tight these days, students may want to use these tips to avoid spending money on an unsatisfactory haircut. Werner said one general piece of advice for students is to know what tools and tricks a new style will entail.
"Make sure your stylist shows you how to do your hair," Werner said.
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