Logical Reason to Trust Instincts About Hair

I t doesn’t matter how long you’ve known your hairstylist, through 50 cuts or just 50 minutes. The same question usually comes up: So, which way do you like your hair parted?

You point to the right or the left, and the stylist nods. The logic behind your decision? Well, it’s the way you’ve always parted your hair. But you probably never stopped to think why you want it that way.

Marilyn Curtin of Viva da Vinci in Irvine says she can explain it. She’s been conducting “Rid Yourself of Bad Hair Days Forever” workshops twice a month since 1985 to help people determine their best side, which, she claims, has a lot to do with where your hair should fall. When not fretting over locks, Curtin is a consultant in the “image and hairstyling” industry.

This is another in a series of first-person columns that allow people connected to the fashion industry to talk about their encounters.

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Individuals have an instinctive feeling about their hairstyle. They know when their hair is too long or too short, too full or too flat. The difficulty comes when they try to relate that information to their hairstylist.

My class validates what they know intuitively to be true through a measurement system. I show them where they need fullness in their hairstyle, how close their hair should to be to their head at the ear area, what height they need at the top of the head, which way to direct their hair for balance and the overall look of the style to balance their skin coloring.

Once they know that information, I show them how to explain it to their stylist.

Most hairstylists are not aware that one side of your head is naturally larger than the other. The larger side has more hair growth, and the hairline is higher than on the smaller side. Also, the hair has more lift on the larger side. When the stylist asks, “What side do you want your part on?” you know you’ll look best if your hair is directed to your larger side.

People shouldn’t tell their stylist how to do it but just explain their needs. Clients shouldn’t say, “cut it here,” but “I need volume here.” If they are a good haircutter, they will have no problem knowing what to do to accomplish the balance, and they’ll know how to satisfy the client.

When you’re talking to your stylist for the first time, you should interview him or her. Say what you need and then ask how he or she would accomplish that. If the stylist’s response is, “Gee, I don’t think that’s going to work,” the client can come back and say, “Based on my measurements, this is why I want it that way.”

I just finished a software program for salons through a company in L.A. called Select Computers. It measures the client’s head, and that information is put into the computer and coordinated together and printed out. The stylist gets a copy so he or she can learn specific points about the client’s head, and the client gets a copy. This way, the hairstylist and client can communicate equally about what’s being done.

Information about the shape of the head can be used for selecting hats, hairpieces, jewelry or earrings to compensate for lack of hair or when the hair is up. The nice thing is that this system does not dictate a style. That’s good, because styles change, and this does not lock you in.

Hats are a real bugaboo for most people. But you’ll never have another problem selecting one once you know your head shape. Someone with an equal length head and extended ears looks great in a close-fitting cap. Hats that are turned up add volume. And always tip the hat to the larger side of the head.