Sometimes the boldest steps are taken with the smallest decisions. Turn right here, take a left there, and you could end up somewhere you never expected.
Our personal look and style can be similar. We ask ourselves, How did we arrive with the look we have? What decisions lead us to our current style? We could grow our hair long because we were traumatized by a bad haircut… for safety and security. On the other hand, we could chop off our hair in a dramatic way after the trauma of a break up…for freedom and independence!
BUT we don’t necessarily need massive events in life to make a change. You would be amazed at how a small cut, just inch or two, will make you feel and change how you look.
Here’s a handful of quick changes and small steps that are requested in the salon all the time! We love watching how a simple change can make a big difference for our clients.
1. Invert
A beautiful lob (long bob) can transformed into a slightly edgier inverted swingy bob with just a few snips at the nape in an inversion V direction and only about an inch off the length, maintaining the long collar bone skimming movement in the front. Movement makes every haircut feel fresh and youthful.
2. Fringe
I heard recently that after a certain age, a woman must choose Botox or bangs. I think cutting a playful fringe is always a great option to shake up a look. Regardless of your age bracket or wrinkle situation, a long side bang adds a little mystery and allows the style to be worked with center or either side parts. Think lots of flexibility with a long side fringe. A heavy blunt straight bang adds a youthful, fashion forward effect to many straight styles. Even though there might not be much length removed, the overall look is bold and high drama.
3. Layers Lifted
Long layers can get lazy when there has been too much time between haircuts. Those layers are no longer doing their job because they have become too long to defy gravity adding volume and movement. Instead they just weigh down the entire cut. Trimming the layers back, creating texture, will encourage natural wave or curl, allow for volume and bounce, and can flatter face shape instead of being a haircut buzzkill.
4. Weak Length
Many clients experience breakage from environment changes, chemical processing and heat styling. I never like to see anyone cut their own hair with a flat iron because the heat is cranked up over 400 degrees! (Public Service Announcement: unless you have course, virgin hair, please keep your blow dryers on medium and flat irons below 400. Your hair will thank you.) In spite of our best efforts to protect our precious hair, it can still break and fray on the ends creating a weak shape. Taking just an inch off the length, blunt and straight across on any length longer than a bob instantly gives strength and health back to the hair. Reinvigorated, healthy hair on the spot! Now, if only we could do something so immediate with our bodies and skip the gym…
