Hair Styles for Plus Size Women

Anyone who wears clothes size 12w to 44ww falls into the plus size category.

The properly designed style compliments the face shape. It flatters the individual’s size, the skin tone, and the eye color. The perfect style will emphasize the most beautiful features while minimizing the weak facial features. It will make the strongest features pop and be noticed next after the hair.

A complimentary style can update an entire wardrobe. A new beautiful style may be worn with an old dress and the dress will look brand new. Or, vice versa, an uncomplimentary style will make any dress look bad. The point is, the hair is noticed first and either compliments the woman size or does not compliment .

There are ten steps in choosing a design to compliment the size.

1. Draw an outline of the face shape of the woman on the mirror with an erasable marker

2. Determine the face shape from the actual outline which can be easily seen now

3. Superimpose an oval over the actual face shape

4. Anything outside the oval should be deemphasized

5. Anything inside the oval should be emphasized

6. Determine the number one best feature of the face

7. Determine any feature that needs to be minimized

8. Point the hair to the best feature

9. Sweep the hair away from any features that need to be minimized

10. Color hair to flatter or minimize with highlights or lowlights

Most plus size clients have a round or rectangular shape face.

There are several ways to correct a round face shape with the design.

• Since the cheeks and sides of the face come outside of the superimposed oval, a hair style is chosen to minimize these features.

• For the Client favoring short hair, I will choose a look that is combed forward covering the sides of the face. The new Shag hair cut is one that can be flipped forward and covers this area.

• If the plus size client wishes the hair to be swept away from the face, I will apply a darker color to just the sides of the hair with foils. The dark color will slenderizes. After using the darker color, the new Shag hair style may be worn and flipped away from the face. Caution: Never lighten the hair at the sides of the face on a round face shape because the highlights will emphasize and make it look wider.

• Since the chin is usually outside the oval, it should be deemphasized. Never select a hair style for the round face that points to the chin. Choose a haircut that points either above or below the chin with the weight line at the eyes or above. An example is the Classic Layered cut with a high weight line at the temple.

• The temple and forehead area of the round face is usually inside the oval and should be deemphasized. Select a haircut that is swept back off the temple and sides of the forehead. Highlights in this area give the illusion of the perfect oval by making the temple area wider.

For the rectangular face shape, follow the same suggestion for the round face and add the following advise; Since the lower jaw area is outside the superimposed oval, it should be minimized and corrected. A Long Layered Shag worn very full is a good style to correct this and flatter the full figure. Big hair is always a good choice and will compliment the figure.

In order to correct or minimize the jaw of the rectangular face, select a style that does not point to the lower jaw area. A design in which the hanging length is above or below this area insures that this area will be deemphasized on the plus size woman. An example of this is the Short Bob and the Medium Length Bob which falls between the chin and the shoulder.

The tall full figure looks striking and gorgeous in the long full styles. The short plus figure who wants a look that slenderizes should select the short styles with height on top. A Pixie with the top spiked or curled for fullness is a good choice.