Published in 400 Edition

Have you ever been to the grocery store and heard a voice coming from behind saying, “I love your hair. It looks amazing! Where do you get it done?” I have and—lucky me—I get to brag on my own team of professionals. Communication is the key to making the experience that starts in the salon chair a successful one. Good communication helps to develop a lasting relationship with your stylist that will outlive the “Jennifer” and the desire to become a blonde at 50.

As an owner of a successful hair salon, I feel that to be a great communicator, one has to understand and effectively practice both ends of the communication process—listening and speaking. Good communicators take total responsibility for hearing and processing information, as well as confidently providing insight and displaying appropriate nonverbal cues throughout the interaction with a client. This is true for my profession and most others.

One of the most important aspects of communicating with your stylist is to know what you want. Many people make the mistake of seeing a style on another person—a friend or a celebrity—and deciding it is the style for them. They don’t understand that the best style for them should be based upon their face shape and the texture of their hair. Do you know what style is best for your face shape?

Diamond
A cross between heart and dramatic oval. Widest at the cheekbones, and narrow equally at the forehead and jaw line. Your greatest width is across the cheekbones. Your face shape is balanced and dramatic. You can wear just about any style and it will look great on you. Helpful hint: Do not have too much hair in your face, so you can show off those great features that you have.

Diamond: Katherine Hepburn, Linda Evangelista, Sophia Loren

Square
A strong, square jaw line and usually square hairline. Short to medium length hair, off center parts, height at the crown. You want to try to always soften your face with layers and wispy looks around the face. Height at the crown is great for you to elongate your symmetrical shape. Helpful hint: Make sure when you are styling that you try to achieve roundness to the shape, and height in the crown and fringe area.

Square: Kristin Scott Thomas, Holly Marie Combs, Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Isabella Rosellini

Heart

Wide at the temples and hairline, narrowing to a small delicate chin. Chin length or longer styles. Gentle wispy fringe. Hair swept forward toward your face is very softening for you. A bob looks fantastic on you. Helpful Hint: If you have a dramatic face shape, you will need to leave more weight near the nape area. This will achieve more balance for your look

Heart: Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashley Judd, Claudia Schiffer, Lisa Kudrow, Lucy Lawless, Naomi Campbell.

Triangular
Reverse of the heart shape. A dominant jawline with narrowing at the cheekbones and temples. Styles that are full at the temples and taper at the jaw line. Wedges and shags look great on you. You need lots of layers to achieve fullness through the upper part of your face. Helpful Hint: Try tucking your hair behind your ears, as this will draw attention to your eyes and add width in this area. Center parts and off center parts are more flattering to your face.

Triangular: Kathy Ireland

Round
Fuller looking face with a round chin and hairline. Widest point at the cheekbones and ears. Longer hair looks great on you. Long shag styles that have fullness at the crown and are soft around the face will create a longer face shape look. Helpful Hint: Avoid straight-across fringe and fullness at the side of your ears. You look great with soft layers and soft fringe.

Round: Ingrid Bergman, Roseanne Barr, Kate Winslet, Natalie Merchant, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Charlotte Church

Rectangular/Oblong
Slender and long, about the same width at the forehead and just below cheekbones. May have a very narrow or high forehead. Short to medium lengths. Fullness at the sides of your face. Soft wispy fringe is great on you this will shorten the appearance of length and add fullness to your face shape. Helpful Hint: Too much height lengthens your face. You look great with medium to shoulder length styles.
If you are unsure about your face shape, ask a friend or your stylist for help evaluating. The better you can communicate about what you want, the more likely you are to have someone ask, “Who does your hair?”

Rectangular: Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirstie Alley, Janet Jackson, Gabrielle Reece, Niki Taylor, Stephanie Seymour

Start creating the ultimate connection with your stylist. Owners of Lava Hair Studio, Karen and Mario Rueda, along with their team of talented professional hair designers from all over the country, collaborate to create a positive, uplifting experience by providing each guest with the best Aveda hair care products available. Lava offers complimentary Aveda make-up touch-ups and Aveda rituals with every service. They look forward to creating the ultimate connection with you! Contact Lava Hair Studio at 706-429-0001 or see www.lavahairstudio.com. They are located behind the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville, Georgia.