Long Hair Cuts

Are you considering letting your hair grow long? Do you have long hair and are considering a short hair cut? We all want to look our best but sometimes want a change. The most important thing to consider when thinking about your hairstyle is the shape of your face.

There are seven basic shapes that our faces all fall into. They are oval, round, oblong, heart, square, triangle and diamond shapes.

It's hard to figure out your own face shape, and there are many suggestions as to how to do it. These suggestions range from outlining your face shape on a mirror with lipstick to draping your face with a towel and asking others to guess the shape of your face. Bit, there is a scientific way to figure out the shape of your face, once and for all.

To find out the shape of your face, measure it with a tape measure or ruler. You will take the following measurements:

1. Measure your face across the top of your cheekbones, Write down the measurement on a piece of paper.

2. Measure across your jaw line from the widest point to the widest point. Write down the measurement.

3. Measure form the tip of your hairline to the bottom of your chin.

Now look at the six basic face shapes below and see which one matches your face. Now you know what shape of face you have!

- Oval Face: The length of your face is equal to one and half times its width.

- Round Face: Your Face is as wide as it is long. This may vary a little but generally the measurement is close.

- Oblong: Your face is longer than it is wide.

- Heart: Your face is narrow at the jaw line, wide at the cheekbones and/or forehead.

- Square: Your face is about as wide as it is long.

- Diamond: Your face is widest at the cheekbones, with the forehead and jawline being of approximately equal widths.

- Triangle: Your face shape is the reverse of the heart shaped face with your jaw line being dominant and narrowing at the cheekbone and temples.

- Oval: Your face is only slightly narrower at the jaw line than at the temples, with a gently rounded hairline.

So, now you will need to know whether your face shape will look good with a long hair cut or not. Use the guide below to figure that out.

Oval Shape

Your face is only slightly narrower at the jaw line than at the temples, with a gently rounded hairline. You can try a variety of styles, almost any hair shape will look good on you. Your "perfect" features allow you to wear more styles than any other face shape. If you look, you will notice that the majority of models faces fall into this shape. Have you noticed how many different hair styles they can wear? A long hair cut will look great on you!

Avoid covering up your "perfect" features with heavy bangs, or too forward-directed styles. In wearing your hair style on your face, you will lose your face shape behind the hair. It may appear to add weight to your face.

Rectangular Or Oblong Shape

Your face is long and slender, about the same width at the forehead and just below the cheekbones. You may have a very narrow chin or a very high forehead. You can try short to medium lengths, with fullness at the sides of your face and soft wispy bangs. You'll want to balance the look of a long and slender face. Soft wispy bangs will shorten the appearance of the length. Fullness at the sides of your face will add width to the look of your face shape.

By cutting the hair into a short or medium length, the outline of the cut will also shorten the look of the length of the face. Layers work great with your face shape as they will add softness to the straight lines in your face. Try side parts and you may be able to wear straight back styles.

Avoid too much hair length. Sorry, long hair cuts are not for you or your face will look even longer! Too much height lengthens your face. Avoid parting your hair in the center. When your hair gets past your shoulders there is a chance it will do you more harm than good. The models with rectangular face shapes and long hair get by with it only because they have an "on call" hairdresser who is busy primping and teasing, setting and styling to add fullness to their hair. Since most of us don't have this luxury, it is best to avoid long hair cuts altogether.

Round Shape

You have a full looking face with a round chin and hair line. The widest point of your face is at the cheeks and ears. Try hairstyles with fullness and height at the crown, off center parts, short hair styles with a swept-back direction or hair styles that are longer than chin length. Layer the top of your hairstyle to achieve fullness and keep the rest of your haircut relatively close to your face and your face shape will appear longer and narrower. Good news, long hair will look great on you!

Avoid chin hair length with a rounded line that mirrors your face's circular shape, center parts, short-short crops, straight "chopped" bangs, and fullness at the side of your ears. A rounded haircut ending at the chin will certainly add weight to your face shape because the widest part of your face is at the cheeks and ears. You need to avoid having the fullness of your hair cut at your cheeks and ears because it will make your face appear wider.

Square Shape

You have a strong square jaw line and usually an equally square hairline. Try short to medium haircuts, especially with wave or roundness around the face, wispy bangs, off-center parts, and height at the crown. You want to soften the square look of your face with layers and wispy looks around the face. Height at the crown will elongate your symmetrical shape. I your hair is straight, you may want to consider a body wave as some curl or wave to the hair will achieve a nice balance to the features of your nice face shape. Long hair cuts are not a good choice for you.

Avoid long straight styles that accentuate your square jawbone and "linear" straight bangs or center parts. A straight bob ending at the jaw line is the wrong thing to do for your face shape. You can wear a layered bob, however it should end above or below the jaw line. Make sure in styling that you achieve some roundness to the shape and some height at the crown or bangs and you will be looking good.

Heart Shape

Your face is wide at the temples and hairline, narrowing to a small, delicate chin. Try chin-length or longer styles, side-parted hair styles, swept-forward layers around the upper face, and gently wispy bangs. A chin length bob is great on your face shape! This creates a balanced look by giving fullness where you need it. You can wear shorter styles, however, if you are a dramatic heart shape you need to leave weight in the back nape area of your neck. This will achieve more balance between your dramatic cheekbones and more narrowing chin. You will look great in a longer hair cut.

Avoid full styles that emphasize your upper face, height at the crown, and severe, slicked back looks. If you are a dramatic heart shape, the short full styles with tapered necklines which emphasize the upper face will make you look top heavy. Too much height at the crown will give the appearance of a longer and narrower chin. Just remember if you have a dramatic heart shape face, you have great cheekbones to emphasize! Don't obscure them by getting a cut which is too top heavy.

Triangular Shape

Your face is the reverse of a heart shape face...you have a dominant jaw line with narrowing at the cheek bone ant temples. Try shorter hair that balances the prominent jaw line. Styles that are full at the temples and taper at the jaws, off center parts, wedges and shags look great on you. You need lots of layers to achieve fullness through the upper part of your face. By wearing styles which are full at the temples and taper at the jaw line, you achieve a balance which can be remarkable, in accenting features otherwise understated. Try tucking your hair behind your ears as this will draw attention to your eyes and add width in this area. So sorry, but long hair cuts are not for you if you want to look your best.

Avoid long, full hair styles that draw attention to the jaw line and center parts - off-center is more flattering. Avoid too much height at the crown, you want to stay away from putting most of the weight of a haircut at the jaw line and below. This will give the appearance of putting of added weight to the face. If you do go with long hair, it should be kept tight at the nape of your neck.

Diamond Shape

Your face is a cross between a heart and a dramatic oval. It is widest at the cheekbones, and narrow equally at the forehead and jaw line. Your face is balanced and dramatic. Try a variety of styles. Almost everything works with your face (as long as you are a true diamond). You can wear shorter styles, however if you are a dramatic diamond shape you need to leave wight in the back nape area like a heart shape face does. This will achieve more balance between your dramatic cheekbones and more delicate chin line. You will look just great in a long hair cut!

You can do just about everything, but try not to wear too much hair on your face, thereby hiding your great features.

Good luck with making your hairstyle change!

A lot of women go for short hair these days for manageability, ease, convenience and aesthetics. I myself have shoulder length hair because I have an oblong face, and long hair drags my features down too much. But I have had waist long hair in the past for many years when I was younger and loved it. The time came when I got a bit older and my features couldn't tolerate the weight of the long hair and most of it had to go, however. When I did have long hair I found that with a little know-how and some great products, not only will your long hair cut be healthy but shiny and soft as well.

Everyone knows that regular trimming is necessary to the health of long hair, yet many women do not take the time to get this vital step done. Some women may fear that the stylist will take of more than necessary, because let's face it, long haired women don't need trims as often as other hairstyles. Barbers, hairdressers, and stylists are quite often all too eager to get a hold of that long hair and go scissor happy. Find a trusted, well referenced stylist who will cut off the bare minimum from your hair. You do not even need the recommended trim every 6 weeks if you have long hair. This actually prevents more growth than it encourages. Realistically, you can get a trim 3-4 times a year if you take excellent care of your hair to keep dead ends at a minimum.

Hair does not need to be washed as often as a lot of people wash their hair. It is understandable that most people do not like oily roots. I have the same problem. If you back off from washing your hair every day your oil glands will stop secreting so much oil. You will find most likely that you will be able to go 2-3 days between washings. The oil actually protects your hair. While you don't want to go for that slicked back look, some oil is good for your hair.

Before you shower brush your hair with a natural bristled brush. Faux and plastic bristles can actually damage the hair cuticles by pulling or snagging them. Be sure to begin your brushing from the tips of your hair and then work your way up. If there are tangles in your hair, they work out much more easily by brushing this way. You will want to disperse some of the oils throughout the length of your hair. Don't worry, a little won't make your hair greasy.

Once you get into the shower, shampoo wash only the roots of your head when necessary. This can bee done carefully without soaping up too much of the rest of your hair. Rinse thoroughly. You do not need to repeat. Shampoo companies made up " lather, rinse, repeat" to sell more shampoo. Use your favorite shampoo, just make sure to pick the right type for your hair type. Also remember while showering to use warm water instead of hot water which can also be drying to your scalp and hair.

After you shampoo, you will want to condition your hair. Do not condition the roots. They don't need it and it only weighs your hair down when conditioner is applied this far up along your hair length. When you condition your hair, make sure to follow the same method as when brushing, start with the tips of your hair and work your way up to prevent snags. Wet hair is much easier to break. Use your favorite conditioner formulated for your hair type.

Now that you have showered and are towel dried off, do not vigorously rub your head with the towel. Rub your scalp slightly while bunching the towel up around your your hair and work your way down the length of your hair to squeeze the water out. Do not twist or ring your hair either. You do not even need to brush or comb it when it is wet. It has already been conditioned and you will have no problems brushing once it is dry.

It is time now to dry your hair and natural is the best way to go. Using a blow-dryer can be quite damaging to your hair. If you must blow-dry on occasion, use the lowest setting possible and keep the dry as far away from your head as you can to prevent over heating your hair. Work your hair with your fingers while using the blow-dryer, not a brush. Once your hair is dry, it is safe to brush your hair if your hair needs it.

If you want to promote the growth of your hair and keep your scalp healthy, use massage emu oil into your scalp the night before you wash your hair. When massaged into the scalp and left to penetrate, emu oil encourages faster, healthier hair growth. It also clears up scalp conditions such as dermatitis and eczema. As an aside, it can also be used on newborns to clear up cradle cap.

Here is how you use it. Warm a pea-sized amount of emu oil in your hands, then by using the tips of your fingers in a circular motion, massage the emu oil into your scalp. Scalp massage pressure should be firm but never painful. Leave it on overnight and shampoo it out in the morning. If you do shampoo daily, you can use the emu oil daily also. Emu oil's natural conditioners keep hair nourished and supple so the it will never become brittle or weak.

You can expect to see results in three months of using the emu oil. You will see and improvement in hair growth and health. You will see at least 1/2" of healthier, more robust hair growth each month. Note that this will only work on living hair follicles. No product yet discovered will regenerate dead or non-existent hair follicles.

Stay away from hair color if possible. We all know it but dye is so damaging to hair. It makes hair much more porous and brittle. If you must color your hair, use the dye that washes out of your locks as it is much friendlier to your hair.

Long hair can be a pain sometimes, especially on those hot summer days. But you can pull it up into a bun or pony tail, or go swimming to relieve the heat. If you go swimming, make sure to take a wide tooth comb with you to comb out the tangles once you are done swimming.

If you follow these instructions you should have long, beautiful, soft, shiny hair. Enjoy those flowing locks and be beautiful at the same time!