I love it when women bring in some photos of styles that they admire. It helps me give me an idea of ​​how they would like their hair to look. I say some photos. When a woman walks in with a neatly arranged file folder of images that she has compiled over the years, with arrows and side notes, I know I’m in trouble.

A photograph can help you express how you would like your hair to feel. Perhaps the photo is dim, long, or very short. This gives us an idea of ​​the direction you would like to go. But expecting a stylist to make your hair look exactly like the photo is usually unrealistic, especially if you don’t see or have the hair of the person in the photo.

Over the years, certain celebrity looks have captured the hearts of women everywhere. Dorothy Hammel, Farrah Fawcett, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Simpson, Katie Holmes … Most of the time the photograph is of a woman under 30 years of age. If I were to show her the exact same haircut and style on a woman over 45, she would say … “Oh no, I don’t like THAT haircut.”

Avoid bringing a photo of a woman who has a lower hairline and thicker hair than you. Many women have thinning hair at the temples and front, making it virtually impossible to recreate the look in a magazine.

Another idea is to bring photos of haircuts that you liked and did not like. I get this frequently. It helps me find out where you are. Hopefully this is a realistic query and it won’t bring a photo of you from 20 years ago when your hair and face were 20 years younger.

Recently, a customer brought in a selection of haircuts that she has worn over the years. They were all the same. Short, layered, with “height” at the top, tucked behind the ears, wispy bangs, and hair around the neck. Classic and appropriate. It was a good look for her, but she wanted another opinion. As any suggestion of change made her tremble, she left with the same cut. I told her this is a good look for her. If it works, it works.

What does not work is to bring several photos and point out different elements of each one. “I like the bangs on this one, but the crown on this one. I wish it were longer than this one, but I like the way the hair runs sideways on this one …” This approach is a recipe for trouble. I can’t tell you how many times I hear someone say, “I would like that hairstyle, but with bangs.” It’s like, “I’d like those chocolate chip cookies, without the chocolate chips.” If you want that hairstyle with bangs, it is not that hairstyle. I get to where you are going, but you will be disappointed with the results. Better to find a plain cookie that you like, rather than a chocolate chip cookie without chocolate chips. They are two different recipes.

This approach is only completed with drawings. When a woman is drawing pictures of how she would like her hair, there is an excellent chance that it just won’t happen. I remember an attractive mature woman with an exact idea of ​​how she wanted her hair. I didn’t want to use any products or tools, just a hair dryer when absolutely necessary. I wanted the hair to be very blunt and inverted (shorter at the back and further at the sides) with layers that framed the face. She had cut her hair like this years ago “in New York” and had never again found another stylist capable of duplicating it.

What he did not seem to understand was that his hair had become more wavy over the years. The gray hair around the temples was rough and some alterations to your expectations (like using a flat iron to straighten disobedient areas and products to add softness) were in order.

When she showed me her prints, giving me precise instructions on how she wanted the style to be created, I realized that I was not the right stylist for her. I’m sure there is someone out there who could recreate his vision, but it wasn’t me. Finding the right hairdresser is more than just communication and cutting, it’s also about chemistry.

How to make photos work by consulting your hairdresser:

* Choose hair texture photos like yours and a hairline similar to yours.
* Choose photos of real women instead of retouched and enhanced celebrities.
* Please note that most celebrity photos are after a long time has been spent by a stylist.
* Do not expect an exact replica of the cut in the photo, but a general feel of that look.
* Avoid trying to show a cut, but add exceptions (ie, like this, but with bangs, or so, just longer).