What Haircut Should I Get?

The haircut that suits you is the one that works with your hair texture, fits the time you want to spend styling and matches the change you are ready for. Start with those three things, bring a few photos and let a stylist adapt the idea to your head shape. A cut chosen that way still looks right weeks later.

Key takeaways

• Your texture, routine and appetite for change narrow the choice fastest.
• Bring photos of hair like yours, plus one look you do not want.
• When unsure, take a smaller step first; you can always go shorter.

Where Do You Start When You Do Not Know What You Want?

Start with questions, not styles. Before you scroll through a hundred photos, answer these:

1. How much time do you spend on your hair on a normal morning?
2. Do you wear it down, up or tied back most days?
3. What do you not like about your hair right now?
4. Are you growing it out, or ready for something shorter?
5. Do you prefer to air dry, or are you comfortable with a blow dryer?

Your answers narrow things down faster than any trend. A cut that needs thirty minutes of styling is the wrong cut for someone who has ten.

How Does Your Hair Type Change the Choice?

Fine Hair

Fine hair often looks best with a shape that keeps weight at the ends, so it does not look thin. Soft layers can add movement without removing too much.

That is one reason we cut French at SALT, and our article on French haircutting explains how it keeps thickness through the ends.

Thick Hair

Thick hair can carry more layers and more shaping. It benefits from some weight being taken out, which makes it much easier to style.

Curly Hair

Curls have their own pattern, and a cut works best when it follows it. Shaped for its natural state, curly hair saves you time in the morning.

Straight Hair

Straight hair shows a line clearly, so a precise cut matters. It handles blunt shapes well, and soft layers can add some movement.

Wavy Hair

Wavy hair is flexible: it can be worn natural, smoothed or curled. A cut that supports the wave makes all three easy.

What Length Is Right for You?

Length is partly taste and partly how you live. Short cuts need regular trims but usually dry quickly, and medium cuts are versatile and easy to wear up.

Long hair gives you the most options and needs the most care. In between sits the long bob, and our article on what a lob haircut is covers that middle ground.

How Do You Explain the Haircut You Want?

• Bring photos. Bring a few you like, and one or two you do not. The second kind helps just as much.
• Say what the cut should do. More movement, less weight, a softer line around the face or something easy to style.
• Describe your routine. Five minutes and thirty minutes call for different cuts.
• Be specific about length. Point to where you want it to end.
• Ask what to expect. How it will grow out and when it will need a trim.

A request we hear often is "a couple layers." It means different things to different people, and our article on asking for a couple layers explains how to make it specific.

What If a Photo Does Not Fit Your Hair?

This happens often, and a good stylist will say so kindly. Your hair is not the same as the hair in the photo.

We will tell you what carries over, what changes and how to get as close as possible. Adapting the idea beats a cut that will not behave.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid When Choosing a Cut?

Choosing a Style That Needs Hair You Do Not Have

A cut that depends on thick, straight hair will not look the same on fine, wavy hair. Look for photos of hair with your texture and density.

Ignoring Your Morning Routine

If you will not spend twenty minutes on your hair, skip the cut that needs it. Be honest with your stylist about your habits.

Cutting Too Much Too Fast

A big change is exciting, and it is also hard to undo. If you are unsure, start with a smaller step, such as a shape that frames your face.

Following a Trend That Is Not You

A trend can be a starting point, but your lifestyle and taste should lead. The right haircut is the one you still want to wear next month.

How Does SALT Help You Decide?

Women's and men's haircuts at SALT start with a consultation. A women's haircut includes time to consult, a scalp massage with a hot towel treatment and a blow-dry style, and a men's cut includes a consultation, a shampoo and a style.

We cut French, from the top down, to follow your head shape. See our haircuts page for details, or pick a stylist from our team.

Our haircuts page walks through the whole visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often Should a Haircut Be Booked?

It depends on the style. Short, precise cuts need more frequent visits, and longer styles can go longer between trims.

Should a Haircut and Color Be Planned Together?

It often helps, since the cut and the color affect each other. Tell us about both when you book.

Is a Trim Worth It While Growing Hair Out?

Yes. A small shaping trim keeps ends healthy and the shape clean while your hair grows.

What If the New Cut Does Not Feel Right at Home?

Tell us within seven days, and we will do our best to adjust it at no additional charge.

How Many Photos Should I Bring?

Two or three you like and one you do not is plenty. The contrast says a lot.

Book a Consultation

Not sure what to ask for? Book a haircut online and tell us you want help deciding, and see current times on the Haircuts + Styling menu.