Understanding Hairlines

There will always be hair styles clients request that don’t turn out

like the photo because we have trouble understanding hairlines.  The saying “you cannot put a square peg in a round hole” applies to hairlines too!  How your hairline grows can have an interesting impact on the style you choose!

Oftentimes, you will get that client who shows you this inspiration photo of a style they like.  If you have experience understanding hairlines, you can spot the problem with making the style immediately and make possible adjustments.  Understanding hairlines is important for the following reasons:

• The style requires a full hairline.  This means, there should be enough hair between the hairline and the temples.  Some peoples hairlines start from their ears for reasons such as genetics – the space between their hairline and their ears is only one inch: not good for braid styles; they have lost hair from traction alopecia over time from braiding, interlocking dreads; applying relaxer to hair that they place over straight hair weaves; stress etc.
• The style requires a hairline that is even – it should not have a wide “greater than sign” (>) at the eyebrows or disappear at the two top sides of the front of the head.
• Forehead should not stick out too far from the hair at the side of the temples.
• The hairline goes from very thin hairs and gradually increases.
• Hair at the front  is too short to hold the style.

When I was a new hairstylist, I had a disagreement with a potential client because she wanted a 

popular hairdo.  I immediately recognised that it would not work on her, because her face was diamond shaped.  In her case, her lower jaw was significantly smaller than the top of her head and the style she wanted looks better on people with oblong, square or round faces.  It was late, I was tired and I resolved not to waste my time doing a style only to be asked to change it later.  Let’s just say she did not take it well, but I got to leave at a more reasonable time.