Sometimes the very first day of a haircut can be strange: a fringe stands up, a fade looks better in artificial light, and a new part doesn’t hold up in the shower. With a little time to plan ahead, it can be less stressful before a job interview, a wedding, graduation photos, a trip to the rodeo, or a Christmas dinner in Houston. Here’s a guide to help you figure out when you should get a haircut and what changes to make.
Three weeks before the event is the best time to make bigger changes
If you’re making a big change – taking off a lot of length, adding layers, getting bangs, changing curl texture (get redirected here), going from long hair to short hair – the three-week mark is a safe bet. You can experiment in the mirror and figure out how you like the way it works with different products or tools, like a round brush, a diffuser, or no product at all.
The three-week timeframe is a good time to plan ahead if you’re getting graduation pictures or having a wedding. Bright lighting in professional photos will reveal color mistakes, frayed ends, and flyaways around your crown. If you’re making color changes, including highlights or a drastic color change, do it early enough to adjust. Bring any items you’ll be wearing during the event, like a wedding veil, a wedding hair accessory, a cowboy hat, or a graduation cap. A graduation cap with a thick rubber strap can affect the amount of volume around the sides and the crown of the head in unexpected ways.
Graduation cap and wedding accessories for hairstyle planning
If you’re heading to a rodeo or a trip to the livestock show in Houston, consider how your hairstyle will look under a hat and after standing in line at food stands near dusty boots for hours. As you’re looking for haircuts houston, schedule your appointment early. Special events, graduations, and weddings can fill up calendars quickly.
One week before the event is a good time to refine your hair
A week before the big day, focus on the finishing touches rather than the entire haircut. A short haircut can be refined around the ears and neckline. Medium-to-long hair can have split ends removed (as you can see at www.vogue.com/article), and wispy strands near your face can be trimmed. One week is enough time for the harsh lines of a clipper cut to soften, and for your curls or waves to reestablish themselves after shampooing.
Now is also a good time for a beard trim. Ask for a clear jawline, a clean mustache, and a neat neckline. If you’re getting ready for a job interview, wear the shirt or suit jacket you’ll be wearing and see how it looks. A stray beard hair that’s OK with a robe might look awkward against a white dress shirt.
If you’re going to be happy with your hair color but want a touch-up, root touch-ups, glosses, and toners are usually easy to accomplish within a week without waiting for the color to fade. Save a hair color you haven’t tried for an occasion where you don’t care about a mismatch. You’ve got a Christmas party outfit laid out next to a pair of polished shoes and a lint roller.
Two days before the event is the best time for a small cleanup
Two days before the big day, leave the big haircut and any drastic changes for later. Trim away fuzz along the neckline, trim the sideburns, clean up a fringe, or even out an uneven area. Don’t try aggressive layering, texturizing, or thinning, and don’t experiment with a new color. It might seem small in front of the bright bathroom lights but can turn into a problem when you start styling in the morning.
Small neckline and sideburn cleanup before a special event
You should also have time to practice wearing your entire outfit:
- Try on a rodeo hat for 20 minutes to see if there are any pressure points near your ears.
- Put on a graduation cap and let it sit on top of your completely dry hair before you take the tassel off.
- Hold a wedding accessory near a window where you can see if a pin has come loose or a curl is uneven.
- Have a hairbrush, a few bobby pins, and a travel-sized product set aside near your invitation or by your car keys.
Head out the door looking like yourself
It’s important to have enough time to wash your hair, style it, and then do a final touch-up before the camera clicks. Book a large haircut or color change three weeks ahead, and use a week to refine the shape. Leave the last two days for the small stuff, like cleaning up stray hairs at the neckline or trimming a piece near your temple that sticks out. That way, you can worry about a missing cufflink, a wrinkled dress, or a cowboy hat on the back seat of the car.
