No one in their right mind would imagine the hairstyle sported by this model designed for the catwalk could be low maintenance. On the other hand, there is no such thing as low maintenance hairstyles that are suitable for everyone. You have to choose the hairstyle that will be right for you and it will not be the same one that is “wash and go” for your friend. It doesn’t work like that.
Here are the criteria to judge every possible new hairstyle against.
It Suits Your Type of Hair
Whether your hair is straight, wavy or curly choosing a style which uses the natural structure of your hair will save oodles of time styling and fighting against the natural inclination of your hair.
The fewer heated styling products you use, the healthier your hair will be too. It’s OK to straighten curly hair with heated straightening irons for special occasions but for every day wear it will cause untold damage to your hair.
Learn to love what you have. Chances are that those with different types of hair envy you – somehow the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
It Suits Your Face
No matter how easy a style is to manage, if it doesn’t suit your face it cannot do you justice and you will be always fiddling with it and trying to change it because you’re not happy with it.
A good hairstylist can guide you in the right direction but you won’t know whether the stylist has got it just right until the cut is done – by which time it’s too late – at least until your hair grows again – and at 6 inches year on average, that can be a mistake too far.
Try one of those programs on the web that let you apply different hairstyles to your own photograph so you can see how you will look in advance and take an option or two to your hairstylist so she can let you know if she can achieve those effects easily with your hair. At Virtual Hairstyler you can try on over 4000 hairstyles and work out exactly what you like. Though it is not free it only costs about $15 US for a whole year of trying different hairstyles and can save you a whole lot of grief. There are free programs available too but I don’t think they match up to this one. (Please leave a comment if you know a free virtual hairstyle program that does.)
It Suits Your Proportions
When thinking about hairstyles don’t just think about your face, think about your body too, so that your hair is in proportion to the rest of you. Most of this is common sense. Don’t go for big hair or very long hair if you are tiny. Or a tiny pixie hair cut if you are of Amazonian proportions.
It Suits Your Lifestyle
Easy maintenance in one set of circumstances is not always easy maintenance in another. I find my long hair easy to maintain because it is pretty much wash, condition and leave it to dry – it behaves itself pretty well like that. But I work at home and don’t have to rush out of the house on a frosty morning with wet hair. If I had to spend 30 minutes every morning drying it before leaving the house I would not be calling it easy care. If you are regular gym-goer or swimmer, you need to adapt your hair style so it is quick and easy to dry, to stay within the bounds of easy maintenance.
Also if you regularly go to black tie events, premieres and balls you will find that medium length hair gives you ease of maintenance every day but will also give you the versatility you need for more glamorous hair when you want to push the boat out with an up do or more interesting style.
It Suits Your Skill Level
If you are a hair stylist by profession or you have a knack for drying hair so that is sits just right, an easy to manage style for you may be somewhat more complex than it would be for someone else. If your hair stylist, says it will be “so easy to manage” if you have your hair cut in such and such a way, make sure she knows how good you are at wielding a drier and brush! If all you can manage is to run your fingers through your hair as you dry it then say so before it’s too late.
It Suits Your Budget
Some haircuts need a trim every few weeks to keep them looking sharp even though they are easy to manage between trims. If you can only afford a professional cut every few months then this is going to mean that most of the time you are not going to love your hair as it is has grown out of it’s easy to manage chic style.
If you can’t afford a regular trim, choose a hair cut that works well at different lengths.
It’s Not Just About the Cut
It may be that all your need for glorious hair is the right coloring treatment with highlights, lowlights and vibrant color. It may be that you just need a cut that will show off the condition of your hair if it is healthy and shiny. If you’re relying on either of these things to carry off a very simple, easy to maintain style, such as a pixie cut or long, straight hair be sure that maintaining your hair in that condition is both easy to do and something you can afford.
