Happenings

Going to the salon doesn't have to be a stressful experience —

Urbanhair by Ginrich's professional hairstylists offer advice on how to ensure you leave with precisely what you asked for.

Haircuts are a challenge. In fact, we'd argue they're a bit of a risk at times. For some of us, coming to the salon, sobbing, growing out the cut, and returning feels like a never-ending cycle. But what if we told you there was a better way?

If you find yourself always wishing you'd asked for a different cut when you leave the salon, we may have some sound suggestions for you.

Find out how the perfect cut may enhance your looks, why hair texture doesn't always matter, and why you should avoid doing your own hair:

To summarize, this is why we don't cut our own hair.

Let's start with the form of your face

It's true that you shouldn't allow anyone to tell you how to dress and that you should be able to experiment with any style you like. However, there's no wrong in gravitating toward designs that complement your features the best.

What are these, exactly? The form (of the cut) helps to narrow the jaw and emphasize the chin, prolonging the face vertically. Short bobs for round and square facial shapes—the shape (of the cut) helps to narrow the jaw and accentuate the chin, lengthening the face vertically. With a wavier texture, this facial shape looks really beautiful. Round features, on the other hand, look wonderful with long hair that has a lot of face-framing layers. It creates the illusion of a smaller face by giving the hair a lot of movement.

Longer faces, on the other hand, look best with mid-length hair that falls just below the collarbone. This length gives the appearance of a shorter face. Oval faces are the most adaptable face shape; they may be trimmed in any style, whether it is long, short, pixie, or anything you choose.

While this is only a suggestion, the 'optimal' cut is very dependent on the individual. "When a client comes in, we consider their facial shape, as well as the reference they provide and the length they desire; from there, we can determine what would be the ideal fit for them."

So, what if you want to go for a fringe? Contrary to popular belief, the shape of your face doesn't actually matter when it comes to bangs! You can pretty much do whatever you want with your bangs as long as you trim them to a length that complements the form of your hair, whether you want them long, short, or micro.

When it comes to obtaining a beautiful haircut, your hair type is also crucial. If your hair density is poor and you want greater fullness and volume, blunt cuts are usually the way to go. If you have thick, dense hair, however, experimenting with layering (both long and short) is a definite technique to assist shape the hair and lessen the load.

On that basis, hair texture does not have to be a major consideration when choosing a haircut. "It's very easy to modify the hair texture nowadays," the hairdresser says. You can perform pretty much any haircut on a customer as long as they're prepared to style and maintain their hair on a daily basis or have a perm or a hair relaxing treatment if they want their hair to be more low-maintenance."

"Obviously, this implies that if your hair returns to its normal texture, it won't look as beautiful, but if you're consistent, it shouldn't be an issue. That being said, if you want to show off your natural texture, getting a cut that compliments it is extremely vital."

The secret to a successful haircut, apart from a professional hairdresser who knows how to best highlight your characteristics, is communication. You're left with weeping sobbing and too-short bangs in the absence of one or the other.

It's all well and good to stroll into any random salon, pull up a star photo, and put your complete faith in your stylist. Things might rapidly go wrong if you're not clear about what you want (or if your reference is entirely unrealistic). A professional hairdresser, on the other hand, will take your vision and turn it into a reality (with a few creative edits in the mix).

So, even if you come into the salon with a photo of one supermodel and the utterly 'wrong' face shape, if you communicate with your stylist, you'll walk out with exactly what you asked for (roughly).

The client's hair texture, hair type, and facial shape may all influence how the haircut appears on them. "Even if we give the customer the exact same haircut as the model, it will look radically different on them." So, we normally explain that we can do a similar hairdo for them, but they shouldn't expect it to be exactly the same—I'll make some modifications to make it better suit them. Or we'll suggest something we believe would look fantastic, and they'll typically go along with anything we suggest (laughs)."

If you're the kind to put your total faith in your stylist (or if you've been a long-time client), having them ‘surprise you' may result in some hilarious hair situations. "Our clientele usually come in and allow us free creative freedom with their hair, which is tough but enjoyable for us," said Urbanhair stylists.

And, hey, even if you don't like the ultimate outcome, trying something new is always invigorating. Plus, in the worst-case situation, hair regrows.