The Best Cut For Your Face Shape

To find your face shape, slick your hair back or tie a scarf around it, then trace the outline of your face on the mirror with a washable marker or lipstick. Then, look for these shape-specific clues:

Round
Your chin blends in with your jaw, and your full cheeks make your face seem about as wide as it is long. Note that round doesn’t mean chubby. You share this shape with Renee Zellweger and Kate Bosworth. The haircut that flatters you is side-swept bangs, which will elongate your face. Longer hair also helps to thin out your face, so aim for a cut that’s below your shoulders.

Long
Your face appears significantly longer vertically than horizontally, and your forehead measures more than 2 1/2 inches from your hairline to the bridge of your nose. For some, the chin may be defined, like Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow. The haircuts that flatter you are eyebrow-skimming bangs that hide a high forehead. Stick to a haircut that gives width somewhere around chin level with face-framing layers.

Square
Your sharp, strong jaw is your standout feature. (It’s almost parallel to the floor.) Your hairline may look squared off too. Some women find this face shape masculine, but it can be softened with the right cut. You share this face shape with Demi Moore and Rosario Dawson. The haircut that flatters you is long, layered bangs that add a delicate, feminine touch and shift the focus from your jaw to your eyes.

Heart
Your narrow chin juts out and is the focal point of your face, even when you’re not grinning. You may also have high, prominent cheekbones. You share this face shape with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Haircuts that flatter you are face-framing layers, which are key to creating an illusion around your cheekbones to add width and take the emphasis away from your jaw.

Oval
Your forehead is slightly wider than your jaw. Your jaw and hairline are rounded and your face is slender. You share this versatile, proportional shape with the likes of Natalie Portman and Cameron Diaz. The haircuts that flatter you are all bangs and bob-ish cuts from chin length to the bottom of the neck. Another option is longer hair parted down the middle, which shows off more face.

By Jet Rhys

Martha Stewart Living: Up and Away

Up and Away

When you’ve had it with your hair in the heat and humidity, a headband is the most refreshing solution.

Once the province of senators’ wives and schoolgirls, headbands are no longer for the prim. In fact, the latest pieces are distinctly loose and flexible, with little to non of the stiff look and scalp-pinching feel of their predecessors. “Headbands are as versatile as a piece of jewelry,” says Jet Rhys, a hairstylist in San Diego. They’re also practical, offering a way to keep strands out of your face, not to mention hide grays or oily roots. On hot days, they’re good for mooring buns and other off-the-neck styles, making relaxed updos look considered rather than slapdash. And they tamp down frizz. Headbands may have loosened up, but they still have things under control.

Easing Their Grip

Head wraps are sleeker (and more comfortable) than rigid headbands. Here are our top picks.

The Skinny
“Thinner head wraps are more understated,” Rhys says. So go for a thin one to emphasize your hairstyle.
1. L. Erickson Ivy head wrap, in Silver/Gray, $18, franceluxe.com.
3. Jennifer Ouellette Forehead Memory headband with pleated satin, $65, jenniferouellette.com.
4. L. Erickson Sateen head wrap, in Beige, $14, franceluxe.com.
6. Pluma “Jo” Bronze Studded headband, $45, plumashop.com.
8. Jennifer Ouellette Satin Elastic Plait headband, $50, jenniferouellette.com.

On The Wide Side
“Thicker head wraps and scarves make more of a statement,” Rhys says. Plus, they’re great for controlling frizz, masking gray of oily roots, and managing hair during a growing-out phase.
2. Jennifer Behr silk satin head wrap, in Pewter, $82, jenniferbehr.com.
5. J. McLaughlin Palm Spring silk sash, in Off White/Navy, $55, jmclaughlin.com.
7. Sue Maesta wide headband, in Black, $8, rickysnyc.com.

Gorgeous Beach Hair for Every Texture

Think you need naturally wavy hair to pull off the I-just-came-from-the-beach look? Not so! Anyone can rock tousled hair with ease. Read on as our expert stylists explain how any hair texture can score beach beautiful waves.

If You Have Fine/Straight Hair…

Air drying hair while sleeping is your key to beachy texture, says Amy Abramite, Creative Director of Chicago’s Salon Maxine. Style while we sleep? Done!

STEP 1 After shampooing hair at night and skipping conditioner so as not to weigh down locks, detangle hair with a wide toothed comb. Then mix a baseball-sized amount of mousse with a dime-sized dollop of gel, and distribute from scalp to ends.

STEP 2 Section hair into four to six large vertical sections, and twist each section loosely like a rope. Fold the rope a few times onto itself, and secure with bobby pins, making sure to leave the ends out. Then hit the pillow for some zzz’s.

STEP 3 If drying overnight isn’t an option, you can blow dry hair on low heat, so that the air pressure doesn’t disturb the twists. Once dry, remove the bobby pins and rake your fingers through strands to break up product and release your sexy new beach waves. Preserve the waves with L’Oréal Elnett Hair Spray, for bouncy hold.

If You Have Wavy Hair…

“Consider this the lucky texture for beach babe waves!” says Jet Rhys, Owner of San Diego’s Jet Rhys Salons.

STEP 1 Before starting your nightly teeth brushing routine, lightly spritz hair all over with a sea salt spray like Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray.

STEP 2 Then gather a ponytail atop your head and secure with an elastic, wrapping hair around the base to form a bun. Fasten with bobby pins.

STEP 3 As you snooze rich waves and height will take hold. In the morning after removing pins, flip your hair over, and scrunch in a dollop of volumizing mousse with your fingers to define waves. Watch out Giselle!

If You Have Curly Hair…

“Beach waves on curly hair look best if the locks are casually relaxed and less bouncy,” says Abramite.

STEP 1 Begin by shampooing and deep conditioning to add moisture to strands, and then detangle without snapping curls by working up the shaft with a wide-toothed comb. Prep with a quarter-sized amount of leave-in conditioner to keep the texture silky smooth.

STEP 2 Divide hair into three large sections and braid loosely; the weight of the braid will help straighten hair near the top half of the head, and relax the curls on the bottom half, capturing a totally natural vibe.

STEP 3 Skip out on the securing elastics for an even more authentic shape. Then either allow the hair to air dry over night as you sleep, or blow dry with low heat. Once dry, unravel braids to release tousled texture and spritz with spray wax for come-hither waves.

If You Have Kinky-Curly Hair…

Coarse hair can ride beach waves too, given some smoothing and ironing prep.

STEP 1 First cocktail a golf ball-sized amount of smoothing serum with a volumizing gel like L’Oréal Vive Pro Glossy Style Volume, and work the mixture through hair to strike the perfect marriage of hold and texture, advises Rhys.

STEP 2 Then divide hair in half from ear to ear, and blow dry sections smooth with a round boar bristle brush, finishing with a swooping bend at the ends. After your blow dry is complete, spritz strands with hairspray, and sweep hair back into a high ponytail – which will help set waves from midsection to tips, with slightly straighter roots to better mimic mother nature’s styling hand.

STEP 3 Wind small sections of the ponytail around a two inch curling iron, setting for ten seconds each. Leave the ends out of the curler’s clamp for an un-styled feel, or opt for a clampless curling iron. Once you’ve ironed all sections, take out the elastic, flip hair over, and massage the roots and lightly rake fingers through hair.

Celebrity Hairstyles: Sexy Hair Secrets

Want to tress sexier? Here’s how, courtesy of Jet Rhys, owner of her namesake salon in San Diego, CA.

1 Embrace your natural texture. Whether your hair is straight or curly, don’t fight it, flaunt it!

2 Avoid ultra-styled cuts. Harsh lines and angles make you look dated, but “seamless, non-choppy layers are gorgeous,” says Rhys.

3 Get over your flat iron addiction. Sexy hair has lots of amazing movement, bounce and swing, while all-over flat-ironing gives you an unnatural, wig-like look.

4 This season, it’s all about texture. To get a bedhead-sexy look like Malin Akerman’s, wrap sections around a large curling iron.

5 Volume is hot! To pump it up, apply volumizer to your roots and blow-dry hair upside down.

6 Need an easy, sultry night look? Look no further than the ponytail. Tie it off at the nape, mist the tail with light hairspray and smooth on glossing cream. “The spray helps the cream stick, so hair will look super-sleek.”

How To Sun-Block Your Locks

Two Tips for Keeping Hair Soft and Healthy

Remember Sun In? Just one of several products in our youth that we hoped would make us California blondes, at least for a season. Today we know that baking our heads causes rapid hair damage—UVA and UVB rays dull down and dry out your hair proteins, especially true when you’ve just had your roots done. Take it from our friend, hair colorist Jet Rhys, who’s got the best hair care tips under the sun:

1. Shield your hair Before you head outside, comb through a leave-in hair product containing sunscreen from roots to tips to create a barrier between the sun and your hair’s outer cuticle layer. Most hair care brands make sprays and creams that filter UV rays. (You can also do this with your regular sunscreen, and it will double as a styling product!)

2. Protect your scalp Use a full-strength SPF directly on your scalp where you part your hair (clear sunscreen sprays work well for this). Styling your hair without a visible part will also help. For short hair, Jet suggests combing your hair back and securing it with a cloth headband or scarf; for long hair, pull it into a ponytail or bun (but don’t expose the fragile ends of your hair by piling it on top of your head). And when in doubt: “I always recommend a hat to clients who have just had their hair colored and are heading to the beach,” says Jet.

3 Ways to Style Your Hair Without Heat

Put down your styling tools! It’s hot enough out there. Here’s how to style your hair without the heat for gorgeous beach waves, a pretty pleat and more from hairstylist, Jet Rhys.

For beach babe waves without touching a styling tool:

Wash your hair at night and distribute a thickening cream our light mousse through your wet hair. Let it air dry to about 80%, and gather your hair into a bun, securing it high on your head.

In the morning, let your hair down and shake, shake shake! You’ll have natural looking waves without the fuss.

Cute during the day and sexy at night:

Divide your hair down the center from your forehead to the nape of your neck. Lightly spritze each side with a tonic spray and braid from the top of your ear through to the ends. Secure with an elastic. You’ll have adorable braids all day!

To vamp it up at night, just remove the braids and rub a dime sized amount of smoothing serum between your fingers. Rake them through your hair for soft, waves that hold.

For a bit of glam:

Spray a dry shampoo throughout your hair. Starting from the front of your head, take a three inch section of hair by the tips and wind it down into a circle to create a big pincurl. Stop at your hairline and secure with a bobby pin. Continue to do this until you have about 7 sections pin-curled around your head: two at the front, one on each side and three at the back. Spray your entire head with hairspray and let it set for 20 minutes. Take the pins out, flip your head over and rake through with your fingers. Flip back for volume and red-carpet worthy waves!