Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [32]
Adopting a simple, easily cared for style, preferably one that can be washed daily and does not require too much time, is the smart thing to do.
Once you have found an attractive style, stick to it for at least a few years. There is no point in changing your hairstyle with every public appearance. Search until you find a reliable hair stylist, who will do your hair the way you like it.
Women’s Hair Color. Avoid artificial hair color if you possibly can, since it is often detectable. The roots eventually become visible, requiring touch-ups. TV cameras enhance the imbalance of color between dark roots and bleached ends.
Also, hair-dye chemicals can damage the hair and split the ends. Cameras often distort the red range, giving the hair an orange cast, and they can turn artificial blond hair tones brassy looking.
Believe it or not, the natural color of your hair is probably the most becoming color you can wear; this is true even if you are turning gray. Nature softens the color of the hair around the face as one grows older by adding gray. Gray at the temples is very distinguished looking. The best possible hair color on camera, in fact, is iron gray. As one ages, dyed black hair looks more and more harsh and unnatural. It looks the same all over the head, while natural hair has many gradations of color to soften the look.
Men’s Hair
Your hair is a highly individual matter, and you, the wearer, must feel that the style is becoming. Keep your hair neat, well trimmed, and layered to fit your individual facial characteristics. Hair looks best when it is long enough in the back to come just above the collar.
Regard your hair as being the picture frame around the face.
Ears are not attractive on TV, and it is usually best to have the top half of them covered by hair. Ears tend to widen the face, turn red when you are tense, and even catch shiny hairspray. A good photographer, for example, may not photograph both ears head on but may have you tilt your head so that one ear is minimized.
If you have always worn the hair short above the ears, look at your face in the mirror and cover the tops of your ears with your fingers. You may see a difference.
In order to avoid having someone cut your hair too short around the ears, don’t get a haircut just before a public appearance.
Keep the hair in front of the ears even with the sideburns.
Gray spreading through your hair is very distinguished looking. It is nature’s way of softening the look around your face. Dyed dark hair next to older skin is not flattering.
Some beards can be very distinguished looking, but they must be well-cared for. A well-sculpted beard can narrow a wide jawline. The beard determines the expression of your face, so it should not be turned downward.
Scraggly hair that covers the cheeks and upper lip detracts from the facial expression.
A mustache becomes a major part of the impression you make. Use special blunt-ended scissors to trim the hair above the lip line. Your lips should not be covered, since many people unconsciously read lips and need to “see” what is said. A drooping mustache that points downward gives a negative visual image. Confine the mustache within the natural laugh lines, and, if possible, layer the hair up toward the nose in order to avoid blunt edges.
Being Bald. If you are bald or balding, it is best to accept it gracefully. You are not alone. Consider it an individual characteristic, and concentrate on making your eyes and face more expressive.
However, there are some things that you can do to minimize that broad expanse