Horrible Hairstyle Photos, Men’s Edition

I am doing training at work, which requires that I bring in hair models every week. I need pictures to show people what haircut I will be giving them, so I’ve been spending a lot of time browsing online hairstyle galleries.

During this process, I’ve come across the most ridiculous pictures. I’m not just posting these pictures because they are of funny outdated hairstyles, my main concern here is why they even made it onto a hairstyle gallery; they are  just terrible pictures!

For example, in these photos the models are posing in ways that are unflattering and awkward:

.

And these look like outtakes (the first dude looks like he’s scratching his eye with his thumb and the other guy looks like he’s pulling a fish bone of his mouth):

This guy just looks creepy and I feel like the his hairstyle isn’t really the focus of the picture:

This one really gets to me! Not only is it a terrible photo but it is a pointless photo for a hairstyles gallery. This guy has obviously never had a haircut before and it’s not styled in any way.  If someone wanted this look they probably would not be looking at a hairstyle gallery anyway:

Lastly, this one was labeled as the “tennis ball haircut,” wtf?:

Did I Tell You That I Got A Job????

Yes! I’m working at an awesome salon in the U-district, Ten Pachi Modern Salon.

I absolutely love it.  I’ll be training for 6 months before I can do hair on the floor. I’ll need lots and lots of models during this period to demonstrate that I am learning the techniques. Contact me if you want to be a model–it’s a free service!

Bangs!

These bangs are hilarious:

Bangs, Straight Across

Bangs can make or break a hairstyle. There are many types of bangs and there are bangs for any hairstyle. Recently, I was browsing an online hair gallery looking for long styles for curly hair. One thing I noticed right away was how distracting some of the photos featuring curly hairstyles with straight-across blunt bangs were.

Here is an example (although her hair isn’t that curly, you get the idea):

ugly bangs

Although face shape definitely is a major reason why these bangs aren’t working, the other major factor is that these bangs and that hairdo aren’t speaking to each other.

Her bangs are saying sleek, straight & blunt, while the rest of the hair is saying texture, wave, and flow. The two different messages don’t communicate.

Note: If you have wave, curl or texture you need a either a curvy bang or a wispy/textured bang.

In this photo, this actress has curly hair plus a straight-across bang, however the bangs are softer and curved under which complements the rest of her hairdo:

How wonderful! The same thing is happening here:

Note: Only pair sleek, straight, blunt bangs with a sleek straight blunt hairdo.

• The key is to pay attention to the basic outline of the hairstyle. If the basic outline is blunt, your bangs may be blunt. If the basic outline looks textured, curvy or even scraggly, you have to texture your bangs to match!

For example: Blunt basic outline, blunt bang:

Textured basic outline, textured bangs:

Other things to consider:

Face shape! Blunt, straight-across bangs work best with rounder or oval face shapes. Square and rectangular faces require either a wispy/rounded/textured bang or, if you must, a side swooping bang.

Bang Length! If you have a short face having super long bangs is not for you. Same deal with long faces and short bangs.

Where to Part! Straight-across bangs look best with a center part or no part (yeah, back combing!).

Versatility! If you like to change it up, get a straight-across bang. They can be warn straight-across and also work well brushed to the side.

Density! If you have low density hair, don’t get a heavy straight-across bang. If you have high density, good for you, but you’ll probably need to thin your bangs a bit.

Side Swoop! There are certain hairstyles and face shapes that need this bang in order to work, however they aren’t as edgy as the bad ass straight-across…

I Finished Beauty School

I did it! The most grueling,  time consuming, overwhelming, physically straining, emotionally traumatizing, and ultimate test of strength (but at the same time incredibly rewarding) year of my life is finally over!

I don’t know how to describe the elation I am currently experiencing.

Here are photos of me on this fateful day, 5/5/09:

First, some shots of the lovely updo a friend from school did on me:

Here I am at one of the several clinic floor stations (notice the mannequin head behind me getting a perm–she is going to look fabulous):

I sat under the dryer for more than an hour, while my wet set was drying, it was not as fun as it looks:

Here I am getting announced on the loud speaker (They make an announcement on the overhead speaker letting everyone in the school know that the graduating student has reached 1600 hours) :

Friends:

Finesse

fi-nesse (fe nes’) n. refinement and delicacy of performance, execution or artisanship.

(This entry probably belongs in my food blog since this topic came up in The Elements of Cooking, which I am currently reading.  As a cook and a stylist I find a lot of paralells between the two crafts.  I especially find the book’s description of how the practice of finesse can distinguish a great chef from an okay one, similar to the distinction between a great stylist from an okay one.)

Shary Boyle, The Haircut

I came across this odd painting while searching for other things hair-related. I like the the mixed tone; she looks like she could be terrified or completely calm and the hands around her neck look like they could be gently playing with her hair or tightly grasping her neck.  The excerpt below was taken from this website.

“A portrait of a young woman, apparently naked but not nude, looks out from the canvas while at the same time looking inward, seeming to consider her status with interested expectation, even curiosity. A pink colour has risen to her cheeks, the same rosy tone as the diamond-patterned wallpaper against which the portrait is set. Her hair is a rich, thick, chestnut brown and her arms rest easy, shoulders relaxed. Gathering her hair firmly, as though to draw it away from her neck in preparation for the haircut, are two long-fingered hands. Or, two long-figured hands have closed firmly around her neck to do her no good.”

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Cross-section Diagram of Hair-shaft

This is a a diagram of a hair-shaft found on the Wikipedia entry for hair. It is from Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918.

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The Wedge

I find this hairstyle to be both hideous and beautiful. It’s most commonly known as the Dorothy Hamill hairdo, made popular in the 70’s. It’s is a geometric haircut that is closely related to the bowl-cut and mop-top styles. I also think it resembles half of an egg shell sitting on top of someones head.

Dorothy Hamill:

Vidal Sassoon cutting a Wedge:

Katie Holmes wears a modernized version:

The diagram below tells the stylist which angles need to be cut into the hair inorder to achieve the hairstyle.

photo credits: 1, 2 , 3 , 4

The Color Wheel

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