A woman’s hair is the often the point we start our beauty regime off with in the mornings.  Your hairstyle can be your crowning glory or somedays be your fall down!

Every woman deserves the best hairstylist money can afford.  But how do we know who a good hairdresser is?  In my experience it is not the most expensive hairstylist in the most expensive salon that offers the best service.  Yes, they might serve wine and lunch and have those wonderful full body massage chairs, but if they do not take your type of hair, face shape, skin tone and personality into consideration – you paid for nothing.

Firstly we can distinguish between dry hair, oily hair and balanced/normal hair. Each type of hair needs special treatment. Dry hair is usually due to inactive glands, over exposure to the sun, harsh shampoos or other chemical treatments and therefore needs special nourishment.  Oily hair is associated with people with oily skins and can be spot at a distance.  This type of hair needs shampoos rich in neem and henna.  If you are lucky enough to have normal hair, you have shiny hair that does not easily dry out.

Hair can be further be categorized as either fine or thick and curly or straight.  A good hair stylist will take the hair texture, density, porosity, elasticity and wave patterns into consideration.

Your face shape determines which hairstyle, especially length will flatter you the most.  We can distinguish between the following shapes:

• Oval: An oval face shape is often mentioned as the ideal face shape. A person with an oval face can wear most hairstyles, but should avoid styles that add too much volume to the top, making the face look long.  Layers near the chin or cheeckbones are flattering.
• Long: People with long faces need to create an illusion of width.  Long side swept bangs, chin-length bobs, curls and waves that frame the face are preferred. Extremely long or short hair can make the face look even longer.
• Round: A round face necessitates that you need to add length to it.  Hair cut just below the chin or in layers would suit a round face the best.
• Square: Ladies with a square face have a angular jawline.  You need to draw the attention away from the jawline by texturing the hair.  Short curls or long layers just below the jawline would do the trick.
• Heart: A heart-shaped faces have prominent pointy chins that draw attention away from the eyes. Side swept bangs, a fringe on the brow or long layers on the top brings focus to the central part of the face. If you want long hair – layers that touch the cheekbones looks best.

When coloring your hair, your hairstylist should make sure that the color you add does not actually make you look dull.  If the tint clashes with your skin tone the results can be less than you anticipated.  A good hairstylist will check with a golden and silver cloth to see which brings out the best in you.

It might sound silly that a hair stylist should think in terms of your personality when cutting your hair, but if you are extremely sporty and gym every morning before going to work – a hairstyle that requires a lot of hair drying and styling might not be the right style for you. A funky hairstyle might bring out a spark in you if your personality can pull it off, but a very withdrawn person might feel silly with the same style.  Make your hair speak for you and not be like a loud embarrassing cousin!