Meet Lisa. Look at this lovely face.

Let’s take a gander at her hair, shall we?

It’s long. Like halfway to Crystal Gayle long, but I must admit, it’s damn pretty.

Lisa’s hair:

Loooooong
Naturally dark brown and straight
Thick, normal condition
Open to all lengths
Spends 5 to 10 minutes styling
Uses no products or tools except for a brush

When I received Lisa’s photos, I knew I could have pulled the drastic change routine. You know, the You-Must-Chop-Two-Feet-Off-Your-Hair-Immediately! kind of routine. Truth is, I HATE that routine. It reminds me of this old makeover show on Lifetime when stylists would literally butcher participants’ hair for the sake of drama. I always felt so bad…watching those poor ladies try to keep it together while some douchebag turned a perfectly good head of hair into an over-highlighted, over-layered, flippy mess.

To that, I say Hell to the No. I’m still going to recommend a good amount be taken off, but no frosted bobs will be seen today.

Let’s take a look at the options.

These are very similar hairstyles, give or take some long bangs and layering around the face.

Option #1 would take Lisa’s hair up to chest level with some light layering throughout to add some natural movement to her otherwise straight hair.

Option #2 is the exact same concept except with some cheekbone-length layers to draw attention to Lisa’s pretty facial bone structure. I would not recommend cutting bangs any shorter at this point in time. Lisa’s hair has been weighed down for so long, any sudden bang-cutting could be an initial catastrophe.

However, after the cheekbone-length layers are cut for a month or two, Lisa could have a few more sideswept bangs added to the mix which look very nice with a ponytail.

Something else Lisa could do to accentuate her lovely features is to have her eyebrows shaped. Her shiny new hairstyle coupled with shaped brows will take her from a subdued beauty to a knockout!

Tell Lisa what you think! Which option do you like best?

I must admit – I am super excited to see the results. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Remember Dawn?

Dawn wanted to add a little oomph to her current style and Hair Thursday readers agreed that sideswept bangs (alá Jennifer Garner) would do the trick.

Check out her beautiful new look.

Thanks for the update, Dawn!

Richard needs your help!

This very patient man has been on my waiting list for over a year and sent me another update this morning.

I’ve got three months of new growth here, and am at that “in between” stage where I’m either going long or cutting it off ….  It’s four inches long on top and between three and four most everywhere else, and as wavy as usual…. I was all set to cut it off until a stylist mentioned that I have nice wavy hair, and how she has all these clients growing their hair who shouldn’t, but I should.

If I cut it, I will cut at least three inches (maybe more – I’m not a halfway kind of guy!), and that’s six months to get it back, so that’s the only reason I’m hoping you have time for a quick response…. If I cut it now, I will grow it back with the Eric Bana look in mind for the fall…

The gist of the matter is whether or not Richard should chop it all off or keep growing. After looking at photos of very short haircuts sent to me by Richard, I don’t think a super short haircut is the way to go. Richard has a nice wave pattern, so there shouldn’t be a need for him to chop off his waves completely.

Take a look at my options for Richard. (With Eric Bana in mind…)

Option #1 shortens the sides considerably, but leaves enough length on top to show off Richard’s waves.

Option #2 is an all-around longer look. Richard would need to continue growing the back of his hair for a little while longer while cleaning up the top and sides.

What do you think? Richard really wants to know!