As a hairstylist who has worked behind the chair for 18 years I am often asked "how long should my hair be," or "is my hair too long for me" or "what is the appropriate length for my hair?"

Now of course there are many factors that will play into this answer; what is the texture of your hair, how healthy is your hair, and what face shape do you have. In addition to all of these factors one of the most important is your lifestyle; how active are you, how much time do you want to spend on your hair everyday etc.

But let's put all those aside for the moment and assume you want long hair, but not too long, what is the best way to determine its length?

One of the effects we as hairdressers are trying to achieve with a cut is an aesthetic balance. One technique I have used over the years to help determine the maximum length of someone's hair involves a little math and can be determined at home by using your own mirror and a bar of soap to mark the lengths.

-determine the broadest part of the face.
-measure the length from your shoulder to that point.
-take this distance and measure the length from the shoulder down

This is an optimal length to create balance around the face.

For example if the cheek bone is the broadest part of my client's face, then I would measure form the shoulders to the cheek bone. Let's say it is 6 inches, I would then measure down 6 inches from her shoulder to determine what would be a good balance for a woman who wants long hair, but is not sure how long it should be.

Now you know what would be the optimal length, the hard decisions is do you want long hair?