A Nice hairstyle can Turn Many Heads

When people look at you, did you know the first thing they use to gauge your overall style is your haircut? How you wear your hair and how it looks with your features, your body type and your clothing has a huge impact on how you're perceived. In fact, in scientific studies, respondents rated it as the most important factor when it came to judging someone's overall appearance.

Is your hair messy? Does it look like it hasn't been cut in ages? Do you normally wear it up, or down? Long, or short? The right hairstyle is everything when it comes to making a positive first, second or even tenth impression. If you're going to invest in an upgrade to your appearance, you should definitely work on your hair first.

Hairstyles can have many effects on people's perceptions, and so you should think long and hard about what effect you are trying to achieve before you make an appointment with your hairstylist. Are you looking for a style that will make you look young and fresh, or do you wish for a more conservative look? Today's trends move quickly, so it helps to know someone in the business of hair to keep you on top of things. Colors, cuts, lengths, extensions, processes—there are many options to choose from. But knowing what will work with your natural style should likely be left to a professional. They can tell you what will go best with your skin tone, with the season and with the maintenance schedule you wish to follow.

Shorter hair needs to be cut more often to maintain its look, but long hair can be much more time-consuming to wash, dry and style. Colors and dyes will grow out, and chemical processes will wear off, so make sure you know what's involved in the maintenance of whatever style you choose. A nice hairstyle can turn many heads, but maintaining it is part of wearing it.

Many hairstylists say that you should accentuate your hair's natural tendencies; for instance, if your hair is naturally curly, that you should take advantage of this fact and play it up. However, taking the opposite approach can make you stand out in a crowd, as many people will look at your hair and know it is performing an "unnatural act," the artfulness of which often determines how successful you are in "pulling it off." This can be interpreted as daring, clever or foolhardy, depending on your style, your charm and your personality.

The unexpected always raises eyebrows, and indeed, it is all about the "artfulness" of wearing your hair that separates the trendsetters from the oddballs. Don't worry if you don't have an idea or the bravado to take a step away of your normal hair "comfort zone." Your Mandika hairstylist can help you take those "risk-taking" measures one step at a time. Eventually, a "new" hairstyle will become old hat and you may seek to try something even fresher. But it's not about the look per se, it's about how you wear it. Can you understand how it flows with the rest of your style? Can you own it and "work it"? The more daring the hairstyle, the bolder you may want to be with other elements of your appearance, such as your clothing or your makeup.

Don't underestimate the ability of a great hairstyle to attract positive attention. Instead of people pondering your impression after you've left the scene, get them talking about you before you arrive. Use your hair to your greatest advantage; it's one of your best assets!