5 Tips for Choosing the Best Hair Inspiration Pictures to Take To Your Stylist

When switching up your style, the best way to convey the look you’re trying to achieve to your stylist is through hair inspiration pictures.

Sure, you could describe what you’re hoping for, but one of the best ways to avoid having too much hair cut off or a different version of what you were envisioning is by giving your stylist a real picture of what you want.

Here are five tips for choosing the best hair inspiration pictures to take to your stylist:

1.) Find similarities in photos

When gathering photos to take to your stylist, our first piece of advice is to go on a pinning and screenshot spree.

Pin any hairstyles, cuts, and colors you like and don’t give it a second thought. Once you’ve gathered a nice-sized collection of images, look at them all in one space on your Pinterest board or phone gallery and then try to find the similarities.

Once you notice similarities and patterns among the photos you’ve saved, that’s a good indicator of the look you’re trying to achieve. Then narrow it down even further among those similar photos to put together your top three to five pictures to take to your stylist.

2.) Look at hair textures

If you’re wanting a cut that requires minimal styling effort everyday, you need to look at the texture of your hair.

We all know that we want what we don’t have, so it isn’t uncommon for curly girls to find hair inspiration pictures of a cut where it truly works best with the model’s pin-straight locks and vice versa. Determine how much energy you want to put in to styling your hair everyday and if it’s something you’re willing to devote.

For example, girls with tight curls will want some slight layers to avoid having a pyramid-shaped style, therefore a short bob might not be the best cut for you, but a medium-length, long bob could work much better.

3.) Notice Face Shape

For styles with bangs or other specific layers, know that your stylist might suggest some alterations of your picture based on your face shape.

By altering the style to best flatter your face you’ll be left with a cut that may not look identical to the picture you brought in, but it compliments your facial features best.

If you’re not sure what face shape you have, ask your stylist. This can help you when looking for inspiration pictures for your next cut.

4.) Be Realistic 

If you’re going for a drastic change, specifically with your hair color, you need to realize it might take a couple trips to you stylist to get the look in your picture.

When going from dark to light, your stylist may want to take you lighter in stages over the course of several months to avoid frying your hair by intensely stripping it of color.

Just keep reality in mind and know that the look you’re going for may take more than one visit to achieve. This is artistry after all, and as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

5.) Notice Color

There’s something to be said about the natural color you’re born with, but we understand wanting to flip the switch and make a transformation by way of your hair color.

Keep in mind that the hair color you see in a picture might be altered or boosted with Photoshop and to achieve the same look it will take some time (similarly to what we mentioned in the point above). However, you’ll also want to listen to your stylist’s suggestion based on their knowledge of tones and hues.

Any good stylist will steer you clear of a color that will wash out your skin tone or require more maintenance than you stated you’re willing to make. Not that they’ll disregard the look you’re going for, but if your hair inspiration pictures are of a fair-skinned redhead and you’re an olive-skinned blonde, they might make some variations based off your picture.

So go ahead, fall in to the abyss that is Pinterest. Now that you’re armed with what to look for in your perfect cut and style inspiration photos, the next step is booking your appointment!