- Let's start with choosing a length. Be sure to mention if you have any special needs, like getting all of it back into a ponytail, braiding, etc. Otherwise, I'd recommend really taking a look at your profile (most important for past-the-shoulders hair) and see what that length is doing to your back—you can start to look a little like a hunchback if it hits you in the wrong spot. Use your fingers or hands to show the amount you want taken off, because everyone's definition of "an inch" is different!
- Next, pictures! Bring as many as you want to. Never, ever feel weird for bringing in one pic to show the bangs you like, one that has nice face-framing hair—whatever is really important to you. Even bring in pictures that you like but think just wouldn't work for you. Nothing helps me to pin down a new client's desires better than a folder full of magazine cutouts! One side note to the pictures: Please, please, please don't get too attached to how a cut looks in an image. Styling can be very very deceptive. It is quite possible that you actually are in love with the styling of the hair and not the cut. This happens a LOT. That's part of why its so good to bring in multiple pictures.
- Now, time to be honest about your lifestyle. Does it coincide with what will be required for what you want? To look their best, some cuts require color, product, more trims, or just a whole lot of time every morning. Talk to your stylist. Maybe one little tweak on the cut you decided on from the photos will cut your maintenance in half.
