Am I the only person who hates her low forehead?
I have tons of thick hair that grows towards my nose, is mostly straight, and has a silky texture. Everyone says “Oh, how lucky you are to have such beautiful, thick hair!” Yes, I might agree if it was a wig or if my face was different. As it is, I’ve struggled all my life to keep it out of my eyes and off of my face. Short of plucking or shaving my hairline (talk about embarrassing roots!) here are some of the things I have learned:
- DO NOT resort to a perm! All I had afterward was an explosion of hair that lost its shine and still had to be pinned to keep it off my face.
- DO NOT try bangs unless you are prepared to pin them back anyway.
- DO NOT part your hair in the middle. Most people (with the exception of a very few young celebrities) have trouble with the severity of a center part anyway. It closes off the sides of your face and is even worse when you have a low forehead.
- DO try a side part.
- DO invest in a few beautiful grown-up barrettes to clip your hair back off of your face. My favorites are the copper-dipped leaves (from Of Nature in Fox Lake, IL—find her on Etsy), my plain sterling silver, and the barrette with simple brushed-gold loops.
- DO buy barrettes made with French-made clip mechanisms. They really do hold up to thick hair. Avoid plastic barrettes that look childish or cheap. As with shoes and purses, cheap hair accessories will let you down even if you are wearing a gorgeous and costly outfit. (And ladies, please NEVER EVER succumb to wearing a claw clip unless you are in the salon having your hair colored!)
- DO try highlights to break up the “helmet head” effect of thick hair.
- DO use a strong mousse in the front section of your hair after you wash and condition it.
- DO embrace styling products including large amounts of hairspray (I use L’Oreal’s Elnett.) This is helpful when creating a look that is swept back with no part. A light bit of teasing also help hold the style, give height and expose the hairline.
- DO try a pony tail, using bobby pins and bands that match your hair color (mine are blondish) and allowing a very few sections to escape to soften the severe edge.
- DO try a headband, but I haven’t found them becoming.
Once you start looking, you will see that there are several famous people with low foreheads and lots of hair, among them are Jackie O and Theresa Guidice (Real Housewives of New Jersey.)
Do you have suggestions for those of us with low foreheads? Please share them!
