Tip #1: Consider your face shape Most face shapes can handle short hair, even round faces. Women with round faces tend to look better with short hair cut an inch or two below the chin. Bobs on a round face tend to look like a helmet. You want to elongate your face and keeping hair a bit longer draws the eye downward.
If you have a long face, you'll look best with chin-length bobs or shag cuts that create the illusion of width. Pixie haircuts aren't as flattering on long face shapes. Pixies look best on women with heart-shaped faces or oval faces.
See best haircuts by face shape
Tip #2: Do you have nice shoulders, jawline and neck? Short hair draws attention to these areas. If you have a short neck, a double chin or wide shoulders, try a longer short hairstyle that hits under the chin or just at or above the collarbone. The long bob trend is hugely popular now and hits right at this perfect point.
Tip #3: Size matters Pixie haircuts that hug the skull, look great on some women, but not everyone. Petite, thin women look great in this cut (think "Amelie"). Tall, thin women can pull off this cut (think Jamie Lee Curtis and Audrey Hepburn, who was surprisingly very tall for her day), but if you are carrying extra weight and have a small skull, the pixie might not be right for you. You need more body up top to balance out your body below the neck.
See best hairstyles by body type: tall, short, boyish and round
Tip #4: Are you curly? Think twice Curly hair tends to get pouffy when cut short. Some stylists swear curly hair should be cut no shorter than two inches below the chin, but I've seen some gorgeous short styles on curly women. The secret is in the layering. Cutting curly hair is an art, so choose your stylist carefully, lest you leave the salon looking like a poodle.
See 10 secrets to styling curly hair
Tip #5: Fine hair looks better shorter Super fine hair goes flat when grown long. If you have fine hair, a short cut will add body, just be careful not to over layer hair. Keep hair as close to one length as possible. Removing too much bulk is bad for volume, so make sure your stylist doesn't overuse the razor.
Tip #6: The Sharpie Tip I got this tip from "Confessions of a Beauty Editor," by Allure's Linda Wells. Take a picture of yourself in front of a dark or light background depending on your hair color (if you're blonde, choose dark, brunette, choose light). Take a Sharpie and "cut off" your hair to see how you'd look shorter. We suggest starting longer then gradually going up so you don't waste your picture.
Tip #7: Consider your maintenanceNot all short haircuts are low maintenance. They're actually the hardest cuts to maintain, which is something to consider when getting your hair cut. You must get them trimmed every six weeks, they take styling products to keep them in check and you may have to invest in a flat-iron to keep waves at bay.
Tip #8: Age does not matter Contrary to what you might have been taught over the years, there is no beauty rule to age and hair length. The minute you turn 40 or 50 or 65, you absolutely do NOT need to get your hair cut above your chin. You can be 100 years old and look great with hair grown below your shoulders, as long as your hair is in good shape.
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