The Styles for Your Body

Emma Watson with the perfect cut for her shape!

I know that a lot of people pay no mind to the ratio between hairstyles and body shapes, and I think it’s a huge part of finding what will look best. The styles for your body might be a variety of different lengths and cuts, you’d be surprised at what you can pull off!

I wish that I could give everyone a personal consultation, but there’s just not enough time in a day! It’s up to you to read the information and determine your best styles.

Before you go to the salon gather a few pictures of the types of haircuts that you like(one from each suggested category would be ideal). Your stylist will then have the basics to make sure you get a great cut, just let she/he do the rest!

The basic body attributes to consider are:

• Height- Are you short, average, or tall?
• Body Type- Are you slender, average, or more curvy?
• Face Shape- Is your face more round, square, oval, rectangle, triangle, or heart-shaped?

The Styles for Your Body

Height

Many people don’t think about considering their height when it comes to choosing a haircut. Even stylists sometimes forget to consider it when doing a consultation. Although it is not the most important factor, it does make a difference for most women.

If you are very short then you probably don’t want to go any longer than a medium or shoulder length cut. On the other hand, if you are very tall medium to longer styles will look best.

Having a great cut is all about balancing the style with the characteristics of your body:

• Proportion- The main goal when you are considering your height when choosing a haircut.
• Extremes- If you are very tall or very short this category is most important for you!

Body Type

I think that considering your body type when looking for your new style is something most people are familiar with. I often hear clients say…

 “We can’t go too short, I don’t want my double chin to show!”

It’s no secret that a very short cut on someone with a little weight on the face will make it look bigger. I’ll give you a brief overview of what I consider to be the 3 basic body types: slender, average, and curvy. You can find more detailed information about your body type in the sub-posts. For example, If you are short and curvy you can find more in Styles for Curvy Women.

• Slender– People who are very slim can get away with a wide range of hairstyles. Pixies, bobs and layered cuts are just a few vague examples. If you are in this category be sure to stay away from “poofy” hairstyles. If you go overboard with the volume and fullness you could end up looking more like you just walked out of  the 80’s. You don’t want your hair to overcome the rest of your look!
• Average– This category is really vague unless we get into specifics like height and face shape. For example, if you are someone who is short with an average body size and oval face shape a pixie would look great. On the other hand, If you are taller, average, and have a round, square, or rectangle face shape this wouldn’t be the cut for you.
• Curvy– Curvy women can change their look for better or worse when it comes to picking a new style. I am curvy and I’ve experienced many ups and downs with hairstyles. I know that because I am tall and curvy I need a medium to long style that has a little volume and flow. Although this is helpful for most people, if you are short and curvy a long style is only going to make you look like you’re hiding under your hair. Here comes cousin It!

Face Shape

Face shapes seem to confuse a lot of people. It’s not always easy to identify and most of my clients don’t know what theirs is. I’m going to give a little snippet about each face shape to hopefully guide you in the right direction. Like always, you will be able to find more detailed information about each category in my sub-posts.

The main face shapes are:

• Oval- This is the most general face shape and is more commonly found. People with this facial shape can wear most anything. It would be hard to find a hair cut that doesn’t suit an oval face shape. You are one of the lucky ones if you’re an oval!
• Round- I consider this face shape to be the easiest to identify. It’s less common but many people mistakenly consider themselves to have a round face shape because of weight gain. Of course, with ANY face or body shape the more you gain the more round everything appears. If you have a round face short to medium blunt cuts look best. A one-length bob that lays just below the chin is perfect.
• Square- A less common face shape but easy to identify. Squares will have a straight hairline at the forehead and strong  jaw bones. A less predominant chin can also be considered a factor. People in this category should seriously consider the style they choose because the wrong cut can make features look more harsh. Go for softer styles that aren’t too short.
• Heart- This is a more unique face shape than others. It’s identified by a more defined chin, high or strong cheekbones, and it’s most obvious trait, the widows peak. Hearts are similar to ovals in that most any style will look great. Many of my clients with this face shape hate their hairline. I think it can be beautiful with the right style, but for those who want to conceal the peak a side bang can do wonders.
• Triangle- Similar to the heart, instead there is a straight hairline and the chin can be more predominant. Triangles are a little more harsh on the features where the heart shape is slightly softer on the features. Styles that are more full on the bottom than top are best. This will soften the overall look whereas a style with less weight around the face will only put more emphasis on the chin.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what direction to go in when searching for the perfect style. If you hare having trouble figuring out what categories you fall under feel free to contact me for help on your personal characteristics!

You may also want to read:

Styles for Slender Shapes

Styles for Curvy Women

Finding Your Perfect Style