“I want her haircut.” We’re all guilty of it at sometimes: seeing a starlet on the red carpet or a model strutting down the runway with an incredible haircut, and we think “I want that.” Some of us may even trek in to see a hairdresser with a photo of Blake Lively or Zooey Deschanel and demand those same flowing locks or wide, blunt bangs. But when it comes to whether you can actually achieve the same look, much of depends on your hair texture.

You have to consider how you style your hair, your personality and style, the seasonal realities, whether it’s chemically treated, how much you are willing to change about your hair and your hair habits, says Alain Larivée, consulting stylist for John Frieda. But from there, he looks at your hair texture to determine
if you have fine hair, coarse or thick hair, or curly hair. But more than just texture that goes into what look you can carry off—after all, your actual hair may be fine, but you might have lots of it. That refers to the density of your hair, explains Larivée, and it’s just as important as your texture itself.

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What cut will work for your hair type? Well, the most easy texture and density to work with, is medium texture with medium density—one time when falling into average works in your favour. “You have the most versatility with this texture and density, you can wear it at different lengths, straight, curly, etc.,” says Larivée. If you don’t fall in the middle, though, check what the pros recommend for your particular hair type.

You have fine hair and lots of it

If you have fine hair but it’s dense, a common fight is that it can become heavy and lack movement, says Angie Trovao, one of the owners of Blyss Salon.

The best cuts for your hair type: This type of hair looks great with seamless layers, she says. This will create the movement and shape your hair needs without creating bulky layers. One option if you’re keen on a very short cut is a pixie cut like Pamela Anderson’s current look. Larivée often cuts this hair using a razor blade. “When you cut it when wet with a razor, it can give it proper movement,” he says. Keep it at a medium length, making sure it’s not veering towards stringy. Also, while you can layer it, he warns about layering too much on the contours of the head. “You don’t want it to look like two haircuts in one, with a mushroom-y feel,” says Larivée.


Your style inspiration: Taylor Swift
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You have fine hair but not very much of it

With this hair type, you can’t build into much texture or grow it very long or it starts to look transparent.

The best cuts for your hair type: Blunt, says Larivee. So, yes, that means a bob or a graduated bob works well falling anywhere from the nape of the neck to the chin. He says you can have your stylist modify the blunt line by creating elevation for fullness of the contours. And even though your hair is thin and fine, this doesn’t mean a fringe is out of the question. “Bangs can soften up the blunt cut,” says Larivee.

Your style inspiration: Claire Danes

The best cuts for curly and thick hair on the next page …

0-0-cut-for-texture-2.jpgYou have thick, curly hair
Anyone with curly hair can attest to the fact that it can be hard to manage. Frizz control is a major factor when it comes to this hair type, says Larivée.

The best cuts for this hair type: Key to making coarse, curly hair manageable is your haircut, says Lesley Kerner, co-owner of Blyss Salon in Toronto. "Curls need some weight at the bottom so that the ends don’t look wispy," she says. While you do want your stylist to remove some of the bulk, avoid having them shear your hair, she warns, as this can lead to the ends looking hollow. "Removing weight in the select areas will help with proper balancing," says Kerner. Larivee agrees and adds that on top of determining the right amount and where to layer, you want to keep this hair type fairly long. “Cut it too short and it will look like a wig. Also, try to avoid having a fringe with this hair type—it only looks good when it’s blown out,” explains Larivee.

Your style inspiration:
AnnaLynne McCord

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You have fine, curly hair
As with coarse, curly hair, much of the cut that will work for you is one that’ll reduce frizz. You also want to make sure your fine curls don’t end up looking transparent.

The best cuts for your hair type: Blunt cuts, says Larivee. He also explains how he often cuts into this hair type: “If you comb your hair straight up, your blunt cut will create a triangle shape – and it’s within this little triangle section for what I allow myself to remove,” he says. By doing so he creates more definition and bounce to the cut. He also adds that you can cut some light layering that adapts to the geometry of your curls to create contouring around your face.

If your texture runs closer to a medium density, you can get away with a short pixie cut, says Larivee, who owns salon CAJH in Montreal. “You have a great amount of texture, and it’s an easy cut for the person to live with—so carefree.”

Your hairstyle inspiration: Halle Berry

How to work with your HAIR TYPE AND TEXTURE

You have thick hair, but not a lot of it
As with other fine density hair types, you want to have bluntness to your cut.

The best cuts for your type: “I see this hair type a lot in Asian hair and native Canadians,” says Larivée. He notes that as a stylist, precise techniques that give a blunter end to the hair work well. “This hair can be top heavy and lie heavy on the head,” he says, explaining that it’s a matter of keeping hair where you need it when it comes to your haircut. Also, volumizing hair products can help create the feeling of more hair for this particular hair type.

You have thick hair and lots of it
You have lots of thick hair to work with so this type of hair allows stylists to try techniques that disconnect sections.

The best cuts for your type:
“Eliminating masses in certain areas of your hair—creating these strategical, interior disconnects to sections of hair allow you to thin out your hair mass,” he says. But avoid overlayering or you may end up with a dated Joan Jett rocker chick look, he warns. Also, keep some length to it from the shoulders or longer, he adds (“Or risk looking like a lampshade!”)

Your hairstyle inspiration: Jennifer Aniston (although her hair does lean towards medium texture and desnity).

Read more:
Hair colour: The new ombré hairstyle

6 tips to boost your hair colour
7 reasons to colour your hair

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