SHORT CUTS: GET THE LOOK FOR YOU

A-list stylist Luke Hersheson gives the hairdresser’s low-down on going for the chop…

✢ Celebrate the hair type you’ve been given and enhance it. Curly, straight, wavy, wiry – your hairdresser is an expert so ask them what cut will work for you.

✢ Embracing change keeps your style fresh and interesting. It doesn’t have to be from long to short; a subtle tweak to your colour or adjusting where your parting lies can be just as impactful.

✢ Take in a picture and explain what you like about the style.

Is it where the fringe falls, the texture, where the layers lie or the volume on top?

✢ The idea that long hair is feminine and short hair is for tomboys and older ladies is utter tosh. Hair can become thinner, drier and more wiry as we get older, we may feel a ‘signature style’ no longer represents our personality, and illness or medication may affect our hair. Let that be the reason to get a cut, not your age.

✢ Play with your hair. When you go to the salon, the stylist will move your hair around, lift it up and brush it forward. They’ll check out how it falls at your nape, the shape of your head and the angle of your jawline. Your cut should complement this, so discuss together what works.

✢ It’s all about the shape. Whether your hair is skimming your shoulder,or peeking out around your ears, it’s the shape that makes the statement. My best-loved shorter looks include the chin-grazing ‘bob’, the rock ’n’ roll ‘antibob’, the 70s-style ‘shag’ and the glossy, shoulder-length ‘middy’.