Almost every disappointing haircut starts the same way: a photo of someone with different hair, a different face and, usually, a stylist who blow-dried it for the picture. The cut in the photo is real. It just was not cut for you.
What actually decides whether a cut suits you comes down to two things — the shape of your face and the behaviour of your hair. Get those right and almost any length works. Ignore them and the most fashionable cut in the world sits badly.
Find your face shape first
Pull your hair back, stand in front of a mirror and look at the outline. You are checking three things: how wide your forehead is compared to your jaw, whether your cheekbones are the widest point, and how long your face is relative to its width.
Round
Width and length are similar, with soft edges and full cheeks. You want length and vertical lines: long layers, a deep side parting, a cut that falls past the collarbone. Avoid a blunt chin-length bob, which sits at the widest point and adds width.
Oval
Longer than wide, balanced throughout. Almost everything works, which is genuinely not a compliment we hand out to be nice. Choose based on your hair texture and how much time you want to spend styling.
Square
A strong, wide jaw with a forehead of similar width. Softness is the aim: face-framing layers that break the jawline, waves, a side-swept fringe. A blunt one-length cut ending exactly at the jaw emphasises the corners.
Heart
Wide forehead and cheekbones narrowing to a pointed chin. You want volume low down: a lob that ends just below the chin, layers starting at the jaw rather than the cheek, a curtain fringe to reduce forehead width.
The fringe question
A fringe is the fastest way to change how a face reads, and the fastest way to regret a haircut. It takes three to four months to grow out, so it is worth thinking about properly.
- Curtain fringe: parts in the middle and sweeps to the sides. Softens a wide forehead, grows out invisibly, and suits almost everyone.
- Blunt fringe: strong and graphic. Needs straight, fairly thick hair and a trim every three weeks.
- Side fringe: forgiving and easy to pin back. Good for square and heart shapes.
- Wispy fringe: light and see-through. Works on fine hair where a blunt one would look heavy.
One practical warning for a coastal city: if your hair goes wavy in humidity, a blunt fringe will not stay flat from June to September. A curtain fringe will.
Layers: the part people get wrong
Layers do not add volume by themselves. They remove weight, and removing weight lets the hair beneath lift. On thick hair that is exactly what you want. On fine hair, taking weight out can leave the ends looking sparse.
Where the shortest layer starts is the single most important decision in the cut. Starting at the cheekbone opens the face and adds movement. Starting at the jaw is safer and grows out more gracefully. If you are unsure, start lower — we can always go shorter next time.
“We would rather cut conservatively and have you come back in two weeks wanting more, than take off length you cannot get back for a year.”
How to actually ask for what you want
- Bring two or three photos, and say what you like about each one specifically.
- Bring a photo of something you do not want. It narrows things faster than anything else.
- Say how long you spend styling on a normal morning. Be honest — a cut that needs twenty minutes will not work if you have five.
- Mention if you tie your hair up most days. It changes where layers should sit.
- Say when you last had colour or a keratin treatment.
How often to cut
Short, structured cuts lose their shape in four to six weeks. Mid-length layered cuts hold for eight to twelve. Long hair with minimal layers can go three or four months, but the ends will need tidying every ten to twelve weeks regardless of length.
If you are growing your hair, trimming is not counterproductive. Split ends travel up the shaft — removing half a centimetre every three months means you keep more length over a year, not less.
Come in and we will look at your hair dry before we wash it. How it falls naturally tells us more than anything we can see once it is wet, and that is the conversation worth having before any scissors come out.