Your Hair

Your Hair
(Shutterstock)
12/14/2014
Updated:
12/14/2014

Her hair is arguably a woman’s most important attribute. It’s usually the first thing you notice no matter how beautifully or shabilly she’s dressed. Unfortunately, most women don’t wear their hair in the most flattering style. Many women don’t wear their hair in any style at all. It grows and they push it back or wear it in a ponytail or just let it hang.

This column is aimed at encouraging women to actually style their hair.

First of all, do not cut your hair. I mean don’t cut your own hair; that’s what hairdressers are for. Seriously, I’ve seen horrible examples of do-it-yourself jobs. A woman breaks up with her boyfriend, looks in the mirror, grabs the nearest scissors, and starts chopping. She spends the next three or four months in misery waiting for it to grow out so she can have it cut professionally.

As a general rule, I would say don’t dye your hair a color you’ve never tried before or try a brand new style or suddenly cut off 5 inches if you’re feeling depressed or bored or miserably unhappy.

Trust me, you'll feel even more miserable once you see the result. Wait until you’re happy, have thought about whether you really want to go from shoulder-length to pixie, and gotten the advice of a good stylist and then do it.

As a woman ages, I believe she should cut her hair. Unless she wears it in a bun or chignon, long hair is aging. It draws the eye down and you see the wrinkles, whereas shorter hair draws the eye up. Of course, it’s easy for me to say, always having worn my hair short. I can only imagine the pain a woman feels after always wearing it long and now realizes she must cut her long, flowing locks because it’s dragging down her face.

To dye or not to dye? I’ve never dyed my hair and love my natural silver color. I’ve been called the Silver Fox. Dying is up to you, but please, if you do choose to go gray, keep it short. Nothing is more aging than long gray hair.

Whatever your age, realize that dying the hair is an investment in time and money. You have to keep it up. Nothing looks worse than hair that’s two different colors. If you have the money and time to keep it looking cared for, fine. Otherwise, forget it. If you want to change your style, go to the best hairdresser you can find, bring pictures of hairdos you like, and talk about what you want. After it’s done and you love it, you don’t have to keep going back to the same expensive stylist. You can go to a less expensive one and hope the style can be duplicated.

Remember, your hair is called your Crowning Glory because it is. Take care of it and it will repay you in compliments and happy days and nights.

Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity firm in Manhattan. She may be reached at [email protected]

(Photo of woman via Shutterstock)