Women’s Haircut and Style

Layer Haircut

Layering is the most popular haircut. It’s a graduated effect achieved by cutting the hair with elevation or over direction. Each subsequent subsection is slightly shorter than the guide when allowed to fall naturally.

Blunt Cut

This method involves cutting the hair straight across the strand. The length of the hair all comes to one hanging level forming a weight line or area.

Blended Elevation Haircut

The blended elevation cut is short on the bottom and long on the top.

Combs and Brushes

Both hard rubber combs and those made of metal are used for blow waving and air waving. It is preferable to use metal combs since they retain and transmit heat better. With metal combs, the hair can be re-styled in the shortest possible time. Combs are available in coarse teeth, half coarse and half fine teeth, and all fine teeth. Special narrow synthetic bristle brushes are used in blow-dry styling. It is often easier to brush the hair into the desired style with a narrow brush. The smaller the diameter of the brush, the tighter the curl, with better staying qualities.

Cosmetics Used in Blow-dry Styling

The principal cosmetics used in blow-dry styling include styling lotions, hair and scalp conditioners, and hair sprays.

Styling Lotions

Styling lotions such as gel and mousse are applied to the hair after shampooing to make the hair more manageable for blow curling or waving.

Hair Conditioners

These are used as a corrective treatment for dry and brittle hair. They are used daily, weekly, or immediately prior to the blow-drying service. Excessive hairstyling by the blow-drying method can cause dryness, split ends, and loss of elasticity. Therefore, it is advisable to use hair conditioners containing a lubricant.

Hair Sprays

These are applied to the hair to keep the finished hairstyle in place.

Women’s Hairstyles

A suitable hairstyle is an intensely personal statement, which explains why everyday salons all over the world are brimming with women looking for contemporary hair ideas (and pictures of hairstyles) so they can style their hair into something newer, shorter, and fresher. And it’s not a surprise that the latest hairstyle trends go from the catwalk to the street in country after country, making past hairstyles current with a few simple alterations. With the classic hairstyles such as the bob returning with a twist, there are also hairstyles for women that are completely unique and original. Because the majority of women have more hair to work with, unlike men, women’s hairstyles are far more vast and experimental. Hairstyle pictures from every hair magazine will present an enormous array of possibilities: different hairstyles for bangs, the latest way to wear a ponytail, and thousands upon thousands of short, medium or long hairstyles. 
Hairstyles play such an important role in the fashion industry overall that they are considered a requisite asset to complete any outfit. The most suitable hairstyle for any woman is dependent upon several factors, including the shape of her face, the quality and texture of her hair, the length of time she can devote to styling her hair on a daily basis, and (of course) her budget.

Every hairstyle has a lifestyle to match. To decide upon the best hair color, skin complexion should also be taken into account. The truth is, with the invention of extensions, length has nothing to do with anything anymore. If a woman has boy-short hair and wants to wear it down her back without waiting a year, any professional hairstyling salon will magically create flowing locks in less than a few hours.

Short Hairstyles

The real definition of short hair would imply chin-length tresses or shorter.  Some examples of the hottest short hairstyles are the pixie, crop, and ever-famous bob. Anything reaching to the shoulders and slightly beyond would fall into the medium hairstyle category.  When it comes to a woman with short hair, she is incredibly lucky if a short hairstyle suits her. Why? Because not every face can pull it off. 

The size and shape of a face and body plays an enormous part in one’s hairstyle, and let’s face it: the shorter the hair, the more to expose. Once pulled off successfully, short hair is clean, sharp, mature, and extremely sexy on many women—not to mention liberating! Many women have been known to carry their posture better, hold their heads up higher, and pay more attention to their attire since they don’t have their hair to hide under. It’s not as forgiving as longer hairstyles on bad hair days since it can’t simply be put up in an up-do and forgotten about.

More frequently than long hair, short hair is often cut with a particular style in mind. This means that a short hairstyle may save you time with a shorter hair routine but might be more of a challenge to maintain once the style begins to grow out. One will never be out of hair ideas given the possibilities for styling short hair; short hairstyle pictures can be found on nearly every famous female celebrity at one time or another and, of course, on the Internet and in fashion magazines.   

Medium Hairstyles

Medium hairstyles might just be the most popular for many reasons. This look is not only the most suitable length for almost every woman, but it is also a length most often seen in the transition phase. When women are trying to grow their hair longer after a recently sported short do, a hairstyle must encounter medium length before it’s grown out to long hair or cut into another short hairstyle. Medium-length styles are short enough to care for on a daily basis with ease and yet are long enough to create a compelling up-do when required. 

Because it’s so versatile, medium-length hairstyles possess huge styling possibilities. Learning the art of blow-drying is a plus when receiving a medium-length hairstyle. These styles can be spiced up with waves and side-swept bangs, bodacious curls, or they can be blow-dried pin-straight. However, if the hair is extremely curly, shoulder-length hair will turn into long hair when straightened. Understanding your facial features will help you better understand which particular medium-length hairstyle will suit you.  If you’re not sure about short or long, stick to the middle and go medium.

Long Hairstyles

A long hairstyle is more difficult to keep healthy than it is to maintain. Because there is so much more of it than with shorter hairstyles, long hair has a tendency to produce split ends more quickly—and it can also become heavy and appear flat on the head.

It’s not uncommon to run into a hairstyle creativity rut with long hair. Most women eventually swoop it up into a bun or ponytail for easy handling, but there are so many non-traditional styles to spice up long hair and various ways to sport a ponytail, bun, or braid. The key to having fun with long hair is exploration. Research some of the latest long hairstyles on the Internet and discover its primary advantage—versatility. Layers are popular, true enough. And yet with long hair specifically, extra-large curlers can actually stay in longer hair. Some women may consider this one of the sexiest lengths of all since it blows freely in the wind, falls gently onto the face, and flips wildly with a few head whips.

But just because it’s long doesn’t make it sexy. Long hair must be well-cared-for, nicely styled, and never be too long to compromise its appeal.   

Back-combing and Back-brushing

Back-combing and back-brushing offer the best means to achieve lift and increase volume. These techniques eliminate splits caused by rollers and pin curls and help the hairstyle last longer. Back-combing is also called teasing, ratting, matting, or French lacing. This technique creates a firm cushion on which to built full-volume curls or bouffant hairstyles.

  1. Starting in the front, pick up a section of hair approximately the same thickness as the teeth on your comb and 2” to 3” (5 to 7.5 cm) wide.
  1. Insert the teeth of your comb about 1-1/2 (3.75 cm) from the scalp.
  1. Press the comb gently down to the scalp, rotating the comb down and out of the hair. Repeat this motion two times.
  1. If you wish to create a cushion (base), the third time you insert the comb you can use the same rotating motion, but firmly push the hair down to the scalp. Slide the comb out of the hair
  1. Repeat this process, working up the strand until the desired volume is achieved.
  1. To smooth hair that is back-combed, hold the teeth of the comb or the bristles of a brush at a 45-degree angle and pointed away from you. Lightly move the comb over the surface of the hair.

Note: One-length blunt-cut is very difficult to back-comb. Hair should be properly textured (thinned) for back-combing to be effective.

Back-brushing is also called ruffing. It is a technique used to build a soft cushion or to mesh two or more curl patterns together for a uniform and smooth comb-out.

  1. Pick up and hold a strand straight out from the scalp.
  1. With a light amount of slack in the strand, place a narrow brush near the base of the strand. Push and roll the inner edge of the brush with the wrist until it touches the scalp. For interlocking to occur, the brush must be rolled. Then remove the brush from the hair with a turn of the wrist, peeling back a layer of hair. The shorter ends of tapered hair are interlocked to form a cushion at the scalp.
  1. Repeat this procedure by moving the brush about ½” (1.25cm) farther away from the scalp with each stroke until the desired volume has been achieved.

Reminders and Hints on Blow-dry Styling

Blow-drying Long Hair

Drying and styling long hair is considered a “quick service.” Towel the hair thoroughly to remove as much moisture as possible. Use your fingers to separate the hair and dry it further. Next, start at the back and throw the hair forward. First use your fingers and hand to direct the hair as the hot air is blown from back to front. When about 50% of the moisture has been removed, start using a vent brush to direct the hair. Only when 90% of the moisture has been removed (this happens rather quickly), start bringing the hair down at the nape, drying each section thoroughly before letting down the next section. Work from the nape up the back, over the crown, and toward the forehead.

Finally,  use a round brush to shape the ends of the hair. Spin the brush trough the ends, direct the warm air onto the brush, and repeat until the ends are dry and formed.  Allow the hair to cool, Then lean forward and  spray the sections underneath with styling/volumizing hair spray. Work the hair back down with your fingers while you shake the front into place. All this takes very little time if you “pre-dry” the hair as suggested. Blow-drying using a round brush creates volume or lift in a finished hairstyle. The degree of lift determines the type of volume curls to be used.

Men’s Haircut

Men’s hairstyles have come a long way. More than ever, hairstyles that were once seen on women alone are equally as popular on the heads of the opposite sex. Men’s hairstyles are no longer limited to crew cuts or buzz cuts. They now can wear their hairstyle bowl cut, spiked up, or long and flowing. 

Although men generally have short hairstyles, it doesn’t mean they don’t face similar styling challenges as their female counterparts. Getting the perfect haircut plays an important role for both women and men alike.  Moreover, even if men are most often seen with shorter hair, it doesn’t mean that short hair will suit every man.  The right hairstyle choice still has to follow the face shape and features guidelines to be pulled off successfully.   

The best hair design for any man’s head is to part it where it splits naturally, whether it’s the middle of the head or the side. This style is simple yet classy and is really a reflection of the hairstyles seen in the 1940s and 1950s. 

Although it’s not necessary for a man to change his hairstyle every season, it’s becoming more and more common to do so because hair to a man is very much like fashion. As is the case with most things, men’s hairstyles are subject to fashion trends. While a wide range of haircuts have appeared in the past few decades, many of these have quickly fallen off the charts. But some men’s hairstyles never seem to fade away. 

Hairstyle photos that crop up from season to season are chic, stylish, and low maintenance. Today’s classic, overly textured, and layered “just got out of bed” look is highly popular with women as well. In previous years, hair dying was mainly popular amongst women, but it’s no surprise that many men are beginning to die their hair as well.

One doesn’t have to stick with traditional styles anymore given that the times are changing. Magazines with pictures of hairstyles serve as an excellent source of exploring all the hairstyle possibilities for your head. 

Men’s Short Hairstyles

A short hairstyle for men is usually a crew cut, spikes, or anything the latest male celebrity is sporting at the moment. But thanks to the changing times, a short hairstyle is no longer reserved strictly for military men, “mama’s boys,” or preppy college students.

Short hair on a man can look sharp, classy, and even edgy if styled right. It’s the perfect length for a no-fuss, no-muss man with a busy lifestyle. Fortunately, men’s hairstyles are not as complex as women’s, but there is still a wide range of options to spice up any man’s short hairdo. If anyone says a man’s short hairstyle has to be simple clearly hasn’t researched pictures of hairstyles on the Internet or in magazines. 

Parted on the right, on the left, spiked up, brushed down, bangs combed forward, gelled back—there are nearly endless possibilities. Styling aids, such as men’s hairstyle products, offer a fabulous means of enhancing hair of any length and can be used as a part of a daily regimen. In a worse-case scenario, there’s always the ‘bad hair day’ hat routine. But with some fun product exploration and hairstyle photos, a short-haired man is sure to have very few of those.

Men’s Medium Hairstyles

Medium-length hair on men can be perplexing because it isn’t short and it isn’t long. Depending on the men’s hairstyle, it might appear to need a cut. Proper styling for medium-length hair on a man can be the difference between a man’s actual hairstyle or the ‘too broke, too busy, or just too plain lazy to get a haircut’ look. But fortunately, it’s a very forgiving length. A celebrity like Johnny Depp is just one example of how medium-length men’s hairstyles can be laid back, non-fussy, and downright sexy.

Depending on the quality and quantity of hair, some men’s medium-length hairstyles may require a bit less maintenance than their shorter low-maintenance counterpart since they don’t struggle to maintain a style as rigidly as short hair. The longer the hair on a man, the easier it is to adopt a more relaxed look and fancy it up for special occasions by using hair products to keep it in place.

Men’s Long Hairstyles

Men have always gotten a bad rap about being less caring and fussy about their tresses than women. And yet, unsurprisingly, there has been a growing interest in men’s hairstyles in passing years. Long-haired  men no longer just frequent the covers of Harlequin romance novels. Today, men of all ages are sporting the lengthier look.    

Long hairstyles on a man are often swept back in a simple low ponytail or left out. For the most part, an up-do on a man is not popular, nor is any other sort of hair accessory aside from bandannas and headbands. It’s important that long hairstyles on men are neatly kept for them to be considered chic, but let’s not forget that a man’s long hairstyle as compared to a woman’s is very different in length.  Most long-haired hairstyles for men fall to their shoulders, whereas for women it’s the middle of her back.

Shave Facial Hair Styles

Q: Can you give me advice on how to shave neat, symmetrical, facial hair styles—and what features I should follow to look correct (such as jaw line)? I have a great deal of difficulty trying to get it to look right. Some ideas would be very much appreciated.
 

A: This is a common problem for many men who want to grow facial hair. Mastering the tricks to grooming facial hair takes practice, but it’s well worth the effort in the end. It’s important to consider your facial geography as “landmarks” to which you anchor the style of facial hair you want. By doing this, you can use your grooming tools to create the look you desire.

The best results require the proper grooming tools. A good grooming kit should include a fine-tooth comb, scissors, trimmers (with approximately a 1” clipper head), and standard- and narrow-width safety razors (or electric shaver). The narrow-width razors are approximately ¾” wide and are usually available at your local beauty supply store. They were originally designed for the careful grooming of personal areas but are great for the control they offer in grooming facial hair styles.

As you create the look you want, use your tools to make even lines and your facial landmarks to give you guides. For example, if you want to create a Vandyke moustache/goatee combination, but aren’t sure how to gauge how wide to make it, lay your comb vertically across your face so that the edge of the teeth creates a line from the inside of the iris straight down the face. Use your trimmers to cut away the hairs to the outside of that line, creating the outline of the Vandyke style. Repeat the process for the other side of the face. Once you’ve trimmed away the excess hairs, use your razors to “clean shave” the face around the Vandyke. By doing this, you guarantee that your facial hair will be symmetrical.

Another good example of using facial geography involves creating the clean lines of a groomed, full beard. In this case, you use “anchor points” on the side of the face and around the mouth to give you a guide to follow. The full beard combines sideburns, moustache, and beard into one continuous facial hair style. Start with the depth you want the jaw portion of the beard to be. You can make a wide beard by using the comb to create a line from the top of the earlobe to the center of the upper lip, then trim the hair above that line along the cheeks. Next, move to the sideburns, and use your comb as a template to make the width of the sideburns (trimming away the excess width and joining the two lines). 

Trim your moustache by stretching your lips wide in a smile and use your comb to create a line to follow for trimming the hairs there. If you prefer, you can use angled lines following the line of the upper lip on each side. For the body of the facial hair, use a trimmer with length guides to keep the hairs uniform in length. The exact length is, of course, a matter of personal taste.

The underside of the jaw/chin is always a matter of contention for those who have facial hair. Some men like their beards to extend under the jaw and down the neck to a clean, well-defined line, while others prefer to stop the hair just under the jaw-line and leave the neck clean-shaven. Whichever look you prefer, use your tools to create your clean lines.

Once you’ve gotten some practice in and have become comfortable with facial hair grooming, you will be able to do much of the grooming freehand. At the very least, after an initial grooming session in which you create the basic look you want, daily shaving of the clear-skin areas and weekly touch-ups on the edges is usually sufficient to keep your facial hair well groomed.

Color Beard and Moustache

Q: How can I color my salt-and-pepper beard and moustache gray?
 
A: If you want to color your beard and moustache to achieve an “all-white” gray color, the best you can hope for is to gradually reach a platinum blonde color through the use of bleaches and toners. There is currently no product that will give you permanent “white” color results. You can find theatrical make-up for use in creating gray looks on stage for actors, but nothing in the realm of professional hair color. 

However, if your question actually concerns applying another color over your salt-and-pepper beard, you have a number of options. You can use one of the many specially made hair color products for facial hair marketed to men for gray coverage. You can also select colors from traditional hair color formulas to match your hair, if desired. The only drawback is that facial hair can be resistant to color and may need to be “pre-softened” (by applying developer to the hair for a few minutes) prior to applying the color.

The thing that will be difficult is applying the color without making a mess on the skin of your face. This can be made easier by using a toothbrush to apply the color mixture—and using a color stain-remover afterward.

Fuller Beard

Q: I am trying to grow a beard and it’s coming in alright. It’s growing somewhat, but it is quite thin, unlike my hair. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to get my beard to come in fuller.
 
A: Facial hair grows in much the same way as the hair on your head and at roughly the same rate (or faster in some cases). In fact, the biggest difference in the hair on the face when compared to the hair on the head is that facial hair tends to be more coarse in texture and often more curly. However, like the hair on the head, there’s little you can do to change the way the hair grows—either in rate of growth or density—unless you have a specific condition that is causing abnormal growth (or an abnormal lack of hair). In cases of suspected abnormal development of hair (either over-production or under-production), you will need to see a doctor to verify the condition and determine causes.

In most cases, though, it is simply a matter of individual genetics and age. Young men will develop facial hair at different rates. Some young men need to shave daily by the time they are a senior in high school, while others reach their mid-twenties without being able to grow reasonable facial hair. The plus side is that most men will find that their facial hair grows thicker as they get older, so in most cases getting fuller facial hair is simply a matter of patience.

The key for you at this point is to simply find a beard style that is most flattering for you, given the amount of fullness you currently can manage. In cases where the beard hair isn’t as dense, keeping the length a little longer will help. If you prefer a well-groomed look and are concerned that extra length will make the facial hair appear too bushy, you can always use a little pomade and a natural bristle brush to give a smoother, more closely-trimmed appearance.

Kids Haircut

When it comes to haircuts for their children, parents are sometimes conflicted regarding when and where to get one. But the solution is surprisingly simple if you use simple divisions. The first division is by age. Kids younger than 12 years old usually don’t need very stylish, social hairstyles since teen pressures do not sink in till middle school. Children over 12 will usually look for popular teen hairstyles that are trendy at the time. For younger kids, hairstyles that are simple yet are still a cute look offer the best options. Anything fancier will usually get compromised by all the activities kids find themselves involved in. Also, because they are much younger, they don’t know how to manage their hair yet, so simple haircuts will suffice—like crew cuts and spikes for young boys and plain ponytails or straight-combed hair for girls. It’s good to teach kids about proper hair care, but when it comes to styling their hair, the rule is simple: let them be kids.

When Children Should Get Haircuts

Children should usually get haircuts around one year old if the hair is growing out very long. Some children do not require a haircut until they are much older because hair growth will vary. For younger boys, once the initial haircut has been made, another haircut will not be needed until bangs become too long. Young boys’ hairstyles are usually good until the bangs go past the eyes and start hampering activities.

Haircuts for little girls should be given more often to keep hair from getting too long and tangling up. Girls’ hair length should be right at shoulder length to provide different cute looks, such as little curls or waves for special occasions. Shorter hair is also good for young girls. Haircuts slightly past the chin are cute hairstyles that allow young girls to be playful. Girls’ haircuts should be cut once a month, or at least every other month, depending on how much growth occurs. 

Haircut Tips for Kids

Here are a few useful tips for kid’s hairstyles:

  • Keep them very simple as kids will usually play and mess up fancy hairstyles.
  • Brush young girl’s hair daily to keep out knots and tangles.
  • For active girls, go with ponytails.
  • Look for special deals like ‘Free first child’s haircut’ or haircut clubs that offer free cuts after certain visits.

Kids’ Hairstyle and Hair-care Tips

Finding the right kids’ hairstyle is typically about finding a cool, fun, and easy-to-manage hairstyle that suits their active lifestyle. 

Children start to take an interest in their own hairstyle from an early age. It’s great to encourage them to choose a style and teach them some hair-care tips.

It’s also important for children to develop good eating habits because healthy hair is very dependent on high-quality carbohydrates and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Good nutrition will promote shine and condition at any age.

Girls’ Hairstyles

Little girls have always had the benefit of sporting hair accessories.  If their hair was too long or out of control, they could put it up in a ponytail, a bandeau, a scarf, and anything else to liven it up. Activity and getting dirty isn’t just limited to little boys.  Little girls are equally as playful, and while their hairstyle should be cute, it should also be simple. 

Short hair just past the ears, or shoulder-length tresses, are becoming more popular.  It’s easy to manage for the child and easy to wash and style for mom.  These two lengths, even though not very long, still allow some great possibilities for adorable looks. This length is also perfect for the athletic child because hair doesn’t get tangled up.  Longer hairstyles can be styled beautifully for special events and pulled back in up-do’s or ponytails for quick fixes. 

Boys’ Hairstyles

Little boys mostly care about the fact that their hair not make them look like a girl. Even then, long hair on a boy is only an issue because it hangs in his face. Because boys tend to be very active by nature, boys’ hairstyles have to compliment their lifestyle. A parent might be hesitant to cut their son’s locks because, at this age, their hair is near perfect.  

From the age of about 11 and older, little boys begin to develop ‘a say’ on their hair. But until that point, most boys’ hairstyles are chosen for them by their parents. Some very popular boys’ hairstyles are the crew cut and spikes. They bring us back to earlier days when a boy’s hair was cut much shorter to his head.  These two hairstyles are perfect for the active boy since they’re short and stay in place. When thinking of a little boy’s hairstyle, consider the fact that, up to a certain age, parents have to fix their child’s hair for them. Crew cuts and spikes will save time from brushing and styling: both haircuts are short, neat, and only require a small amount of gel and water.