It is easy to look at a picture of the hottest celebrity hair styles and think “huh! I could pull that off!” and run quickly to the nearest salon and have your hair either hacked off, or colored into oblivion. Before you do that, (and you should!), you should ask yourself these five questions:
1.) “Is this something I plan on maintaining?”
Shorter hairstyles require more frequent trims to keep the style fresh, and the same can be said for a more dramatic color. If you have dark hair, is going platinum something you want to maintain when you start to see new growth?
2.) “Is this something I can afford to maintain?”
A color drastically different from that of your natural color is one that is difficult, and often expensive to maintain. That’s why you have to make sure it’s a change you can afford to keep up. Going platinum when your hair is naturally dark brown is going to result in high upkeep, and usually, a fairly high price tag. The same can be said of going darker when you naturally have very light hair.
3.) “What will this look like as it grows out?”
Is this style or color going to be something you’re comfortable with as it grows out, if you choose not to maintain it?
4.) “Will this style work with my natural texture?”
If it does, great! If it doesn’t, are you willing to style it frequently so that it does?
5.) “Does this style require daily styling?”
Some shorter or more dramatic hairstyles have to be heat styled daily. They often require more than just the daily dose of styling products. If you plan on doing that every morning before work, awesome! However, if it is something you don’t think you’ll have time or patience for, perhaps pick something of a lower level of maintenance.
These are the same questions I ask clients who come to me asking for a drastic change. When your stylist asks you these questions, don’t think they’re trying to talk you out of doing something fun! Just know that they want to make sure you’re up to the challenge of having awesome hair.
Student resources
