Your best hair, based on your style type
A flattering hairstyle can transform a face. Here’s the best hair for each of the seven style essences.
Natural style essence hair—long and carefree
In faces, the Natural style essence is defined by long, straight, blunt-edged shapes. Natural faces exude carefree, confident beauty.
So Natural hairstyles tend to be:
Long
Casual
Straight or straight-ish
Long layers, with just the slightest bit of wave, create the perfect “straight-ish” Natural style.
The (optional) straw hat amplifies the Natural feel.
Other elements that enhance Natural beauty:
Shaggy textures
Deep side parts
Deep side parts create visual width, which accentuates Naturals’ strong bone structure.
For that same reason, hairstyles with a lot of overall width are gorgeous on Naturals:
If the overall vibe is relaxed and carefree, Natural hair can have some curly or wavy shapes, especially if those shapes largely blend together as seen here.
Naturals are also fabulous with a texture that appears (or actually is) air-dried.
Easy Natural hairstyle—messy top knot
Naturals can rock a messy top knot. The bun should be loose with face-framing pieces pulled out for beauty that appears effortless.
Dramatic style essence hair—long, straight, sleek
Like Naturals, Dramatic faces have long, straight shapes and appear strong and confident.
But whereas Natural shapes feel laidback, Dramatic faces embody sharp-edged intensity.
So hair that complements the Dramatic style essence tends to be:
Long
Sleek
Straight
Blunt cuts enliven Dramatic beauty. Any layering should create a sleek, angular effect.
Dramatics look incredible with their hair pushed back from their faces to showcase their powerful bone structure.
Braids can also be Dramatic if they create long, straight lines.
This hair is Dramatic because the braids’ overall silhouette appears long and straight.
Easy Dramatic hairstyle—slicked back
Dramatics are also amazing in sleek updos.
A paradox: in faces, Dramatic is characterized by elongated lines, but in fashion and hair, very short elements can also be Dramatic.
Dramatic is, after all, an essence of extremes.
Credit: crizeel ong
I’ve seen Emma typed as Classic Gamine Ingenue, but based on my virtual draping, she has Dramatic, Classic, and Gamine. To my eye she’s harmonious in Dramatic hair (like above) and not especially flattered by Ingenue curls.
If you have a lot of Dramatic but don’t have naturally straight hair, you can achieve a Dramatic look by tying your hair in a low bun or pinning it behind your head. The style spotlights your striking features.
Gamine style essence hair—short, angular, playful
Like Dramatic faces, Gamine faces are defined by sharp straight lines.
But in contrast to Dramatics’ long, intimidating shapes, Gamine faces contain short shapes that project vivacious energy and joy.
Hair that matches Gamine energy will be:
Short
Playful
Straight
While super short hair harmonizes with highly Gamine faces, Gamines are also awesome in various lengths of bobs:
If the hair is overall straight and playful (achieved here by the piecey layered ends and ombre), Gamine hair can extend to nearly shoulder-length.
As seen above, layers can work well for Gamines if they are choppy and create angular shapes.
Importantly, coloring your hair is optional—the above styles would still read as Gamine even in the wearer’s real color.
Braids can be Gamine if they create straight shapes and are rather short.
Easy Gamine hairstyle—space buns or pigtails
Fun is the essence of Gamine. Highly Gamine faces can absolutely pull off these space buns.
For a more conservative but still playful Gamine look, try low buns or low pigtails.
Ethereal style essence hair—long mermaid waves
Ethereal faces are defined by long, oval-shaped curves. Highly Ethereal faces feel mystical—angelic and mermaid-like.
So hair that optimizes your Ethereal beauty will tend to be:
Long
Wavy
Bluntly cut (or have long, flowing layers)
Narrow mermaid waves perfectly embody Ethereal.
Ethereals are breathtaking in blunt cuts or gentle layers. Layers should feel flowing and serene, never choppy or severe.
Ethereal hair can be extremely long, even beyond waist-length.
But your hair can still be Ethereal even if it’s not ultra-long. Hair that extends at least several inches past the shoulders tends to start to read as elongated.
Easy Ethereal hairstyle—side braid
As stated above, braids can be Dramatic or Gamine when they form narrow, straight shapes. But braids can also form elongated, narrow curves, and these braids will be iconically Ethereal.
For an especially Ethereal look, opt for a side part and a single braid. Asymmetry flatters Ethereal, maybe because asymmetry tends to feel more unique than symmetry, and Ethereal exudes a unique, otheworldly aura.
I haven’t yet virtually draped Leila Lopes but think she likely has some Ethereal.
If you have shorter hair, consider beginning a side braid at your roots, which can still create the effect of a long braided shape.
Romantic style essence hair—full waves or curls
The Romantic style essence is defined by medium to large, very curvy shapes. Romantic faces produce alluring and sensual vibes.
Ideal hair for Romantic faces will be:
Moderate to long
With full waves or curls
Styled and glamorous
Full, long, generously curving hair matches the Romantic vibe of unrestrained luxury.
A very shiny finish also helps to communicate a Romantic feel—this is true of your makeup and fabric textures, too.
90s supermodel hair can provide great Romantic inspiration when it has full, blown out waves.
Ethereal and Romantic hair can appear similar. In general, the curves of Ethereal hair will appear narrower, longer, and more stretched out—much closer to waves than curls. Romantic hair will have curvier, more exaggerated waves and can often read as on the border between wavy and curly.
Beautiful Romantic hair.
Easy Romantic hairstyle: High round bun
While slicked back hair is more often associated with Dramatics, a round bun is made for Romantics.
This is both because of the large rounded shape and because Romantics are flattered by hairstyles that create volume at the crown of the head.
(Vertical volume mimics the look of many Romantic facial features. For example, highly Romantic lips will tend to be round and plump and so have notable vertical height.)
Even if your hair isn’t naturally a Romantic texture, you may find that a voluminous half-up, half-down style, like a pouf, is highly flattering.
Ingenue style essence hair—short ringlets
Ingenue facial features tend to be moderate to small (though Ingenue eyes can be big!), round, and conventionally pretty. They embody the universally-valued quality of kindness.
So Ingenue’s best hair:
Has small, defined curls
Is fairly neat
Is not extremely long
Ingenue curls will generally be tighter and smaller than Romantic curls. The hair can overall be shorter as well.
Ingenue curls are commonly called ringlets, corkscrew curls, or princess curls.
Taylor Swift often used to wear princess style curls—so good with her strongly Ingenue beauty.
Easy Ingenue hairstyle—headband
If you don’t naturally have curly hair, you can add Ingenue to your overall look with a pretty headband—this one with pearls would be gorgeous if you have both Ingenue and Classic in your essence blend.
Classic style essence hair—simple and neat
Classic faces tend to be symmetrical and balanced, with features of moderate size. The Classic vibe is polished and sophisticated.
Similarly, Classic’s best hair:
Is moderate in length
Appears polished and controlled
Is simply styled
Classic hair typically appears neat and sits around shoulder-length.
Keeping your hair simple highlights your perfectly-proportioned Classic features.
Classic hair can have a subtle curve. Adding more obvious waves or curls would bring in Ethereal, Romantic, or Ingenue.
Classic hair can also have subtle layers. More obvious, choppier layers could bring in Gamine or Natural.
Classic hair on Julia Stiles, who likely has the Classic style essence. This is around the maximum length that Classic hair can be before it starts looking elongated and Dramatic.
Easy classic hairstyle—chic low chignon
Chignons with soft face-framing pieces where the hair is gathered and pinned at the nape of the neck exude Classic elegance.
If you have Classic, this likely won’t look too dressy for everyday.
What if you’re a blended type?
Most people have at least two significant essences. Here are the best options for matching your hairstlye to your blended type:
Option 1. Match your hair to your dominant essence
With this option, you determine which style essence you have the highest percentage of and match your hair to that essence. So if you’re an Ethereal Gamine with a lot more Ethereal than Gamine, you might decide to wear long mermaid waves—a fully Ethereal style.
Option 2. Create a blended hairstyle
Another option is to create a blended hairstyle that combines essence recommendations. For example, if you’re an Ethereal Gamine, you might choose to wear your hair in a short bob (Gamine) with mermaid waves (Ethereal).
Option 3. Match to any essence in your blend
A third option is to explore hairstyles that fit with any of your essences. So if you’re an Ethereal Gamine with more Ethereal than Gamine, but your hair is naturally straight, you might experiment with a fully Gamine bob. You could bring in high amounts of Ethereal into your overall look with your makeup, fashion, or accessories.
There’s no right answer on which option is best—experimenting is part of the fun.
What about hair color?
You may notice that this post hardly mentions hair color.
That’s because it’s largely the shape of your hair (not your hair color) that determines which style essences your hair has.
This is similar to how the shapes in your face (rather than your skin color or eye color) is what determines the style essences in your face.
So any hair color is harmonious with any style essence, just as any skin or eye color is harmonious with any style essence.
Which hair colors are associated with which style essences?
The confusing part is that certain hair colors can evoke particular style essences. Here’s the short version of which hair colors tend to read as which essences:
Romantic and Dramatic—dark hair
Ethereal and Ingenue—light hair
Natural and Classic—medium or natural-looking hair colors (Naturals can also be flattered by natural-looking, sun-kissed highlights)
Gamine—vibrant hair colors
But importantly, shape trumps color. So while it’s true that long, sleek, very dark hair may read as especially Dramatic, long, sleek, blond hair will also read as fully Dramatic.
And while it’s true that light hair tends to read as Ingenue, corkscrew curls will still read as totally Ingenue even if they’re in a very dark color.
Your hair color won’t create essences that aren’t already in your face.
So are certain style essences more flattered by certain hair colors?
If you have a lot of Ethereal or Ingenue, and no Romantic or Dramatic, it’s possible that you’ll find light hair more flattering on you than dark hair. But again, any style essence blend is harmonious in any hair color.
For example, despite not having any Romantic or Dramatic, Jisoo (an Ethereal Gamine Ingenue) is gorgeous in rich dark locks. And despite not having any Ethereal or Ingenue, Hannah Davis (a Romantic Dramatic) is gorgeous in a relatively light hair color.
If you have a highly Ethereal face, having dark hair won’t make your face less Ethereal. And if you have a highly Romantic face, having blond hair won’t make your face less Romantic.
Hair color is sort of like an accessory. So if you have the Romantic style essence, wearing big diamond earrings will enhance your beauty. But there are other ways to enhance your beauty besides wearing blingy earrings—you don’t need to wear them to look your most harmonious.
Similarly, if you have light hair and the Romantic style essence, dying your hair dark might be one way to enhance your beauty—but it’s not the only way. You don’t need to dye your hair to look your best.
What if your hair texture doesn’t fit your style essences?
What if you have very curly hair but your style essences are mostly angular? Or what if you have extremely straight hair but your face has mostly curving shapes?
Again, there’s not one right answer to this, but you do have several options:
Option 1: Change your hair texture
Discuss with your hairdresser the most viable way to achieve your desired texture. Obviously some of the issues that come up here are the potential time, effort, and/or money, as well as potential damage to your hair.
Option 2: Change your hairstyle
Even if you have naturally straight hair, you may be able to use braids to create a really Ethereal style. And even if you have very curly hair, you may be able to slick back your hair to create a Dramatic look.
There are hairstyles for all the different essences that can evoke those essences without using heat or chemicals to alter your hair texture.
Option 3: Don’t change your natural look at all
Another option is to just style your hair however you prefer, even if it manifests completely different style essences than your face.
One could argue that because hair is a feature inherent to who we are, our hair therefore has its own style essences. So, if our hair texture naturally has significant Ethereal, then WE have significant Ethereal.
Personally, when I analyze faces and assign style essences, I don’t take people’s hair into account. But that doesn’t mean that my approach is the best one.
You also may just want to keep your hair texture as is beacuse you like it, regardless of whether it fits your essences—a valid decision.
Option 4: Compromise
Even if your hair doesn’t naturally fit your style essences, and even if the time, effort, or money required to make it conform to your essences isn’t feasible, you may still be able to make your hair fit at least somewhat more with your essences.
A misconception about style analysis is that if you dress for your essences, and do your hair for your essences, then you should strive to do so perfectly and make sure that every last detail of your look conforms to your essences.
For some people, that might be doable, but for a lot of us, it’s just not. And that’s ok. Perfection, it goes without saying, is typically unrealistic.
Ultimately it’s up to you. Style analysis should make your life better, not worse. So it probably makes most sense to follow the guidelines that make your life better and ignore the rest.
Finally, this post featured single essence hairstyles, but as noted, almost no one has only one essence—so future posts will feature hairstyles for the blended types.
