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I chose this because I Love the color combination…

My Pick 9 Unfortunately because I found this picture in a hair magazine, I don't know who did the color so I cant even give them credit for it : (

But as you can see, the absolute perfection involved in doing this just to create the clean lines and perfect shades in color is amazing, no bleeding of colors, straight lines and perfect shade of blonde.

Hey… in fact, its so perfect that I hope it hasn't been touched up afterwards !!!!

I want to talk alittle about face shapes and suitability, giving a rough guide to advise both clients and stylists when discussing hair styles for individuals. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, people who like to go for character and fashion rather than being safe and being suitable all the time, but I hope it gives you a clearer general idea…
The perfect face/head shape is the
Oval (egg) shape. It would be ideal for hairstylists if everyone's head shape was a standard oval shape, unfortunately life is not so simple. Head shapes vary from square to triangular to rectangular. Here's some examples I’ve drawn to show you:

face shapes 2

There are many other face shapes which are a mixture of the ones above. A stylists job is to create hairstyles which are as close to the perfect oval shape as possible., but you also should take into consideration other facial features egg. nose, ears etc, which we will go into in another post.

Guides to suiting face shapes:
Round face – People with round faces should consider a style which adds more height and less width. If the face is very round then length and softness can be added to frame and soften the edges, but still keeping the shape as close to the sides as possible – see below..

round face

Square face
– This does not necessarily mean that the face shape is actually square but gives the appearance of a wide jaw line etc. With a square shape he style ideally should be made to frame the face and depending on the length of the face, height can be varied as long as there is not too much weight build up about the temple area. All lines should be rounded and not angular, see below…

Square face

Long/Rectangular face
– With the rectangular shape, as you can see from the 2 face shapes combined, alot of width is needed to fill out the sides. Ideally hair shouldn't be swept onto the face, as this will only crowd and make the face narrower. No height is needed here as this will lengthen the face even more, also try to keep some hair onto the forehead to help shorten the face, see below….


Long face

Triangular/Heart Shaped
– The heart shape is one of the easiest shapes to disguise as it is very similar to the oval shape, only height is needed. Width at the temple areas should be avoided as this will create a wider top half. This head shape is sometimes quite difficult to assess. If the protrusion at the top of the head is minor, then it can be classed as an oval shape, see below…


Triangle face


Pear shaped face – also known as the upside down triangle. This is not a very easy head shape to work with, particularly if the shape is very prominent. In this case, the style chosen should be built out at the temples and preferably with hair working onto the jaw line to soften out the wider proportion, see below…


Upside down triangle face

The styles shown here are merely a guide to what can be done to counteract different face shapes, but obviously with the stylists experience and imagination, many other styles can be varied to suit the individual. Come visit again as I will go into more suitability details.


Maggie Q - International star, most memorable to date, being Mission Impossible III.
I made this slideshow because even though I think Maggie's style in hair is a little on the classic side, she wears the styles well. With a face like hers you certainly cant go wrong with any style really but being an actress I guess staying basic and classic is the way to go. Enjoy my selection : )

So what's the difference and can you really tell?

The ongoing question that clients ask: Do you use the clippers or the scissor over comb technique? There is no right or wrong method to use but individual stylists have their own preferences and reasons behind using them, and clients too have a preference so there are some things that you might need to consider about both methods. Here I am going to outline the main basic differences between them, and trying my best not to favoritise !!

clippers Clippers technique:

1. Clipper haircuts done mainly in barbershops or fast moving salons.
2. Gives a blunter sharper look to short hair.
3. Follows the head shape so therefore is you have someone who doesn't have a good head shape, this will show up more.
4. Fast to achieve, so more clients can be fit into the schedule.
5. Simple choices of clipper guards, depending on how short someone wants to go.

scissors-comb_full

Scissor over comb technique:

1. Takes longer to achieve as the shape is being built up
2. Can be controlled more when working around strange head shapes or bumps on the head, as the weight can be built up separately to hide flaws as the comb does not need to follow directly onto the head shape.
3. Hairlines can be abit softer and natural looking, blending into the rest of the hair.
4. Most medium high end salons will use this technique, opting to use the clippers to cleans necklines and edges only.


OK, I know, I know, I’m definitely into the scissor over comb technique as I can tell the difference in most cases, I know its great for young kids who want the fade or military look but for me, I prefer a style to look more natural and to have a nicer head shape and build up and to be able to work in a more detailed manner rather than just whipping the hair off. Hey but each to their own!

Asian hair can sometimes be so thick that it can easily look too bulbous and round. On guys hair, this is the case when the sides have been taken down short and then the weight build up is too low, creating a ‘bowl’ look.
Here's Jason with his old hairstyle..


We decided to go shorter with Jason so that the weight line through the sides can be lifted higher, this not only gives a trimmer look to the face shape, but it gives the haircut a ‘squarer’ masculine look.


As you can see, the top area has been left slightly longer and razored to give it more texture, and the scissor over combed area has been left to blend into the hairline in a natural way and not clippered into a hard outline, which I personally don't like because especially with coarse hair it can make it look like you have a ‘lid’ on your head.


Thanks to Jason for posing for me…

PRIVE – FINISHING TEXTURE SPRAY

This product comes with my highest recommendation…. in my many years of doing hair, this one is not only original but actually works REALLY REALLY well on finer hair. My clients call it their ‘crack’ of hair products and come in to buy 3 or more cans per time.. (just in case, they or we run out!!!!)

This product is sprayed on like a hair spray after the hair has been styled and finished. You would imagine it to be exactly like a hair spray but the difference comes when you actually touch the hair.. there is no stiffness or stickiness but PLENTY of volume. You can continue to touch the hair and it still Poofs up, even after afew hours. Unfortunately for me, (with my heavy coarse hair) it doesn't work so well, this one is made for fine hair. Now if they can come up with one for heavy hair, that would be Perfect!!

(Apologies for the sudden ads above, just x them out!!)

Want to say a big thanks to David Yu for taken these great pictures in China and allowing us to post them and see what styles are hip and happening for the boys in the streets of China.
Cheers David : ) Keep them coming on your travels.