Home / Beauty/Grooming & Fashion / Hair Styling Tips
Hair Styling Tips

Hair Styling Tips

When your bad hair days outnumber your good ones, it may be time for a change of hair style! Yet, before you go under the knife – scissors, take time out to sharpen up your style knowledge with a few hair styling tips!

Solving Common Hair Styling Problems 

Corralling the Bang Cowlick

Bangs are great for softening a severe cut or style and can add dimension to a too angular face shape but, when accompanied by a cowlick (Patch of hair that won’t normally lie flat because it grows in a different direction), they can transform a hair style from chic to hick. To corral bang cowlicks, try drying bangs forward using a vented dryer or round brush.

Alternatively, you can turn the negative into a positive by basing your hair style on the natural lift of your cowlick. Camouflage your cowlick and add a look of natural lift to your bangs by parting your hair at your cowlick. Using your styling brush or vented brush like a hot roller, imitate the lift of your cowlick in other sections of your bangs. Pull short layers forward to effectively weigh down the cowlick.

Don’t Flip Out – Flip Under!

When your hair is rubbing you the wrong way, don’t flip out. Use your styling brush or vented brush to flip hair into a hair styling classic, the pageboy. Dry hair to about ¾ and then apply a working spray to the ends of your hair. Turn your dryer to hot. Then just as you would with hot rollers, use your styling brush or a vented brush to roll your hair under. Blow dry for about 15 seconds. Let the curl cool for about 10 seconds; then carefully remove your styling appliance. If you’re lucky enough to have a lot of volume, you may wish to separate your hair into ‘bottom’ and ‘top’ sections. Pin up the top section and use the technique on the bottom section first and then the top.

Grounding Fly-Away Hair

The reason hair doesn’t fly away every day is because hair follicles naturally attract and retain moisture. However, it takes moisture to attract moisture; when conditions are dry, you need to provide your hair with some supplementary help. Although the better commercial moisturizers contain “humectants” to assist in moisture attraction and retention, you can find one inexpensive yet effective alternative right in your kitchen! The safflower oil you use for cooking is one of the beauty industry’s best-kept secrets for treating dryness in hair due to weather, perms, hair coloring, and hair relaxation techniques… and all it takes is a couple of drops.

Rub a couple of drops of safflower oil between your palms. Your hands will look shiny in the light. Then scrunch the oil into your dry hair, starting at the ends and working towards your scalp. Leave this “conditioning” treatment in your hair. You won’t even notice it, but you will notice that it works wonders in keeping frizzies and fly-aways in their place – completely out of sight!

To keep ends in better condition, always dry with focus on the hair closest to your head and not your ends.

Taking the Limp Out of Long Hair

To build volume in thinner hair – while it’s still damp, lean over and let your hair hang forward. Finish drying starting at the nape of your neck and working towards your forehead. When you flip it back, you’ll likely see that your “mop” has turned into a magnificent mane! 

Choosing Your Hair Style

Face shape, curl (straight, wavy, curly, kinky), texture (fine, medium, thick) and the volume of your hair are the deciding elements in choosing your best hair style. However, with today’s hair styling techniques you can change almost any aspect of your hair, so the most important consideration is your face shape.

Determining Your Face Shape

Put long hair into a pony tail; wet and slick back short hair. Using a bar of soap, a water soluble marker, or a crayon, look into a mirror and trace the outline of your face. Follow your hairline and trace starting with the center of your forehead to temple, jawbone, chin, jawbone, temple, and back to forehead. Stand to one side and look at your outline. It should resemble one of seven shapes. Oval, Triangle, Square, Round, Heart, Oblong, Diamond.

Oval: Sometimes called the “perfect” face shape, the balance of the oval allows you to wear almost any hair style you choose. However, don’t cramp your style with heavy bangs or forward directed hair styling that masks your lovely cheekbones or features.

Triangular: If you have a cleft in your chin, your face shape is the exact opposite of the heart shaped face. Short cuts will help balance your dominant jaw line and you are a great candidate for today’s wedges, shags, and other styles that feature fullness at the temples.

Square: Soften the angles with short, wispy bangs and soft tendrils along the sides of your face. Naturally curly hair is an ideal accent for a square face. If you don’t have it, consider a perm or body wave. Add extra dimension to your style by layering in extra height at your crown and wearing an off-set part.

Round: Lengthen your face to get the appearance of an oval by adding some height at your crown. Keep hair swept back to show your features to their best advantage. Wear off centered parts to draw attention away from the symmetry of your face. Wear either short or long hair styles, but stay away from the medium. Keep hair either above or below your chin line.

Heart: Chin length (or longer) hair styling looks great on the heart-shaped face, adding fullness and volume where you need it. You’re also a candidate for styles that feature wispy bangs, layered at the sides to sweep forward, accenting your eyes and stunning cheekbones.

Rectangular or oblong: Try short to medium length hair styles with extra fullness at the sides. Use wispy bangs and romantic tendrils to soften the angles. Layers also add softness and roundness to straight lines. Too long hair, high hair, and center parts will serve to lengthen your face. Keep your hair above shoulder length and work to add volume at the sides of your hair style.

Diamond: Your face is almost an oval, but a bit more angular, which gives you a dramatic look that allows you to try many different hair styles. Leave weight at the nape of your neck to add weight to a narrow chin and do keep the hair out of your face to keep from hiding your great bone structure!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Scroll To Top