Haircut Tips For Being Realistic While Still Getting The Vibe You Want

There's no arguing with the fact that your hair is one of the most prominent aspects of your looks. After all, when you first meet someone at a party or see someone on the other side of the room at work, you'll likely notice their hair before their facial features. With that said, cutting your hair can drastically change your appearance. Sometimes, a new haircut can make you feel more confident, signifying a fresh start for a new chapter of your life, as chopping long locks can help you feel lighter and more alive. But before you run to the hair salon asking for any of 2023's on-trend haircuts, you should beware that haircuts don't always go as well as you imagine them in your head.

When you see many celebrities and trendy people rocking a specific look — such as a wolf cut, a French bob, or a pixie cut — it might be tempting to copy the look on impulse, but if you don't think the decision through, you might end up regretting it. We have some tips to prevent you from setting yourself up for disappointment when choosing your next haircut.

You should always have your face shape in mind when thinking about your haircut possibilities; different face shapes include square, circle/round, oval, heart, rectangle, and diamond. To determine your face shape once and for all, pay attention to your chin, jawline, cheekbones, and forehead, and outline your finger around those areas to see which shape you make.

Think about which face shape you have, as various hair lengths work with specific shapes better than others. For instance, if your favorite supermodel gets a bold jellyfish haircut or a chic lob, and it looks stunning, you might feel a natural temptation to get the same haircut. But if your inspiration has a very different face shape from yours, you'll likely end up with different results, which might not be as flattering on your facial shape.

"A diamond style helps offset a square face. A diamond-shaped haircut is longer in the back and shorter in the front so it provides a great contrast," hairstylist Edward Tricomi told Glamour. So those diamond-inspired layers will flatter square-shaped faces, while bangs are great for beauties with heart-shaped faces. "One of the best parts about a heart-shaped face is due to the width of the forehead, you have the perfect face for bangs," Kee Taylor, a celebrity hairstylist/natural hair expert, told Byrdie. Of course, you shouldn't make your decision only based on your face shape, but it's still something you should consider.

When a celebrity debuts a trendy, drastic new hairstyle on Instagram, they'll typically post countless hot pictures of their new look, tempting viewers to try it themselves. But what you don't often see is the team of hairstylists who spend hours styling the celebrity's hair to perfection. If you don't want to get up any earlier every morning and don't want to deal with a lot of daily styling, you should pay careful attention to how much maintenance the new haircut would entail.

One hair change that typically requires significant maintenance is bangs. While bangs are cute and trendy, you shouldn't underestimate how much work they are, requiring frequent trims if you don't want them too long and daily styling if you want them to look perfectly sleek. If you're unsure about committing to — at least — monthly trims and possibly everyday styling, clip-in bangs might be a better option.

Moreover, you shouldn't assume that just because a haircut is short, it will be low maintenance. Even the actress Kaley Cuoco learned that lesson the hard way when she got a pixie cut. "I was like, this is the worst decision! What was I thinking?! I thought I was cutting off all this time... So then I cut it and it ended up being more work because it wasn't easy to style," Cuoco said in "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," per People.

So, it's the big day. After thinking about it for a long time, carefully considering your face shape, and thinking realistically about how the new look will fit into your lifestyle, you've decided on a haircut. Unless you have professional haircutting experience, it's always a good idea to trust a professional to cut your hair instead of attempting to chop it yourself. But good communication with your hairstylist is crucial for a successful haircut.

One way to visually communicate what you're looking for is to bring pictures to the appointment to show the expert exactly how you want your hair to look. "Never be ashamed of references ... There is something about this image that you're drawn to, so let's talk about that. ... Your hair stylist will be able to incorporate the overall vibe and essence of that photo into your look," Teddi Cranford, the founder of White Rose Collective, told Coveteur. 

Thus, if a specific photograph from Instagram or a magazine made you want that haircut in the first place, bring the picture. Plus, you should ask any questions before it's too late; if you're worried about how often you'll need to wash your hair with the new cut, ask. If you want to know whether real bangs will look the same as your clip-ins, ask. Or, if you want to know if your hairstylist genuinely thinks you could pull off an ultra-short look, just ask!