Manhattan Hair Makeovers « David Groshen

7 Steps to Perfect Hair Makeover

…from despair to great hair

Identify Your Face Shape
Choose Your Best Hair Color Range
Discuss the Current Condition of Your Hair
Define Your Daily Commitment to Styling Your Hair
Participate in Choosing Your Hair Style
Watch as Your Hair Plan is Being Carried Out
Make Sure You Have the Right Tools and Know How to Use Them to Re-create the Look at Home

Come to the consultation with a goal in mind, bring picture and discuss reasons you’re there. These are our clues to making your vision a reality.

There are a myriad of reasons people look for a change. Here are a few:
» print out this check list

It takes to long to do my hair
My hairstyle makes me look too old or too young
I just ended a relationship and I’m looking for a fresh start
I am looking for a more professional style
I can’t successfully style my hair
I want longer hair and I don’t want to live through the “in between” phase (see Hair Extensions)
My hair color doesn’t last (see “7 Methods of Hair Coloring”)
My hair is too thin
My hair is too thick
My mother has pointed out flaws in my style and I’ve taken her criticisms to heart
I want a sexier look
I want to be taken more seriously
I want curl hair
I want straight hair
My hair frizzes when there’s even a hint of moisture in the air
My hair looks like straw
I want shinier hair
I am getting married (see “7 Steps for weddings”)
I am going through a divorce
My prom is coming up
My Bat/Bar Mitzvah is next week
You know what? I really just hate my hair

1. Identify your Face Shape

Believe it or not, figuring out the most fabulous style doesn’t even begin with your hair — it begins with your face. Being able to identify your face shape is the foundation for great hair. Look over the list of face shapes and choose the one that best describes you.

Once you identify your face shape make sure to make it the foundation of your haircut, hair color and makeup. Use my tips and get your stylist to be creative, while to best keeping in mind what works best for your face shape. (» See Celebrity Hair Styles) Go through my celebrity style analysis to see how the stars work with their face shapes. You’ll get some ideas about how to really shine!

The seven face shapes are:

Oval:

Significantly longer than wide, and generally considered the ideal face shape. The contour and proportions of the oval face form the basis for modifying all other facial types.
Facial Proportions - One and half times longer than the width across the brow. The forehead is slightly wider than the chin.

Round:

Our goal is to add an illusion of length to this face shape. The use of a diagonal part can help create natural height and diagonal illusion to add length. This asymmetric illusion of sweeping hair across the forehead, down to the opposite side of the part is a great way to give the illusion of length and height. Push the hair on the light side of the part back to increase the diagonal.Facial Proportions - Round hairline, round chin and width across the face.

Square:

This shape will require the same illusion of length. The use of a diagonal part can help create natural height and a sense of face length. This asymmetry that results from sweeping hair across the forehead, down to the opposite side of the part is a great way to give the appearance of length and height.
Facial Proportions - Straight hair line and square jaw line.

Pear:

You will need to create an illusion of width across the forehead. To do this build a full style with plenty of height and lots of movement. Add a soft airy bang then direct the hair at the side behind the ears to expose the jaw line and neck.
Facial proportions- Narrow forehead and wider jaw and chin.

Oblong:

The goal with an oblong shape is to create a shorter and wider appearance. In order to achieve this, combine bangs and add fullness the sides by directing the hair out and away from the cheeks. Avoid adding height to your style. Shorter chin length styles work nicely.
Facial Proportions - Long and narrow with hollow cheeks

Diamond:

The aim is to minimize the appearance of width at the cheek bones. Keep the hair tight to head at the cheekbones (tucking it behind your ears is fine). Add swoopy (or diagonal) bangs that stay close to the forehead and keep your hair very full under the jaw line. This will create an oval illusion and minimize the width at the cheeks.
Facial proportions - Widest at cheekbones, narrow forehead and jaw line of approximately equal widths

Heart:

The goal with this very photogenic face is to silhouette the face shape and expose a beautiful jaw line. This is the only face shape that needs or can use a center part, causing hair to drape down the sides of the forehead. This style minimizes the width and pushes the hair outward, creating fullness to maximize width and add softness to the jaw line.
Facial Proportions - Narrow forehead, wider at the high cheekbones, tapered chin

**** you can be a combination of these facial shapes,
**** Face shapes can change with age and with fluctuations in weight.

2. Choose Your Best Hair Color Range (see hair color guide)

Choosing the right hair color and makeup tones to compliment your features and skin tone is essential. To assist you with this process, I have designed a color chart.

Using the color chart (download): Begin by choosing the colors that seems to earn you the most compliments. Then select your skin tone and eye color. These three points of information will probably indicate that your are one of the four color types listed. Once you’ve determined your color type, the chart provides you with your ideal hair and highlight color range and highlights.

Warm (yellow tones) we will call Spring
Warm (golden tones) we will call Autumn
Cool (soft pale blue-violet tones) we will call Summer
Cool (pure white and blue tones) we will call Winter

3. Discuss the Current Condition of Your Hair

The current condition of your hair depends on what you’ve recently done to it. But how recent is recent? For example, your hair grows approximately one half inch per month, so if you have 12 inches of hair, recent means what’s happened to your hair during the last two years. Included below are the important things to discuss about the current condition of you hair:

Have you had any chemical services in this period of time?

Chemical services include hair coloring, perms, relaxing treatments, or any home remedies where you have mixed two things together (this is a clue that peroxide has been added). If possible, bring the exact formula and product line you’ve used into the salon.
Have you had any medical treatments that include anesthesia or high doses of medicine, particularly those that include metals?
Do you swim in chlorinated water regularly?
Have you travelled recently? Are you aware that the condition of the water in different places affects the condition of your hair?

Differentiating between your hair’s “virgin” or natural condition and its altered condition is critical to the choices need to be made based on all the information.

4. Define Your Daily Commitment to Styling Your Hair

How long are you willing to work on your hairstyle and makeup (be honest!). This seems like a no-brainer, but if you give yourself 20 minutes to get ready for work and you’ve got a 30-minute hairstyle, you’re in for trouble. You’re going to get to work hungry and late. In addition, some people just don’t have the patience to work for more than five minutes on their hair so being honest will help you be able to maintain your new style.

Remember, if you treat your new style the same way the you’ve treated your hair in the past, in a very short time it will start looking the exact same as it used to. So be clear about what you’re willing to do.

5. Participate in Choosing Your Hair Style

Now that you’ve gathered information about your face shape and hair color, it’s time to use this as a foundation while you talk to your hairdresser about what you love and what you hate.

Understanding what you DISLIKE in this case is more important to your understanding what you LIKE. A good relationship starts with great communication. In a perfect world, your ideas given to someone with a creative vision should generate even better ideas. Letting your hairstylist know where it’s not ok to let his or her creativity go wild will save lots of time and avoid tears.

Keys to a good consultation are:

Explaining and describing your likes and dislikes
Making sure your stylist understands you by having him or her repeat your preferences
Hearing ideas based on your likes and dislikes
Discussing and agreeing on a plan. This includes:
- a. Haircut (be exact about your preferences: length, layers, style. Match your face shape to your new haircut.)
- b. Hair style (learn how recreate your new style and how it works with your face shape.)
- c. Hair color
- d. Relaxers (Brazilian treatments, perms chemical services)
- e. Hair extensions (how long? how thick?)
- f. Time in the salon (how long will the process take?)
- g. Expense at the time of service
- h. Cost of maintenance
- i. Deposit for services
- j. Lessons to recreate your new style
- k. Products you will need
Re-communicate one last time by re-stating the plan and hearing the plan re-stated to you. This will serve as your final agreement.

You should agree on your face shape, coloring, and the style and color that best suits you. There should be no uncertainty or wavering during your final agreement.

6. Watch as Your Hair Plan is Being Carried Out

This is the time NOT to be shy. If you agreed on one inch, make sure one inch is taken off. It’s totally acceptable to ask to see exactly how much is coming off before the cutting begins. A long-lasting trust is based on communication and understanding that your stylist will carry out the agreed upon action. Both parties have equal responsibility to making sure you look fabulous. Hairdressers want you to be so thrilled with your results, you get addicted to us!

7. Make Sure You Have the Right Tools To Recreate Your New Look At Home

Ok, so you’ve left the salon and your hair looks fabulous! But that’s just day one, so if you can’t recreate it at home, you’ve got a very short-term new look. Understanding the process of styling your hair and having the tools to carry it out will insure you look great every day. Knowing what products the stylist used to can be the foundation to re-creating your style.

Danika Ostrowski

* Miss Teen Southeast Texas 2008

* Top 10 (8th Overall)

Before:

Danika Ostrowski

After:

Danika Ostrowski

The ideal color tones for Ms. Teen Texas are warm yellows, found in the “spring” palette.* She is a spring with a slightly asymmetrical heart shaped face. A key to this makeover is to warm up the cool tones in her hair by lightening her base slightly. We also refreshed her eyelids to create the illusion of symmetry while keeping the forehead exposed for the perfect shape. I choose a slightly off-center part with long, cascading front to expose one cheek while camouflaging the others, eliminating any possible negative attention that could be an issue.

*Refer to David Groshen color chart for details. Click here to download PDF