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Finding Hair Ideas for Your Style Type: What to Google

12/10/2018

Most of us go to the internet to get hairstyle ideas. But how can you zero in on the best hair for your style type? Some of us aren't sure how to go about searching.

You'll want to do a Google image search, of course. Here are some specific search strings I suggest you use to find visual inspiration for your style type's best hair. I use some search operators in my search strings, such as - and OR , so try pasting the exact search string.

Romantic

hair glamorous long -wig -extensions

Other Romantic keywords to try: curls full sexy

Ethereal

mermaid waves

Other Ethereal keywords to try: flowy long curls

Ingenue

hair neat curls medium -frizz -wild

Other Ingenue keywords to try: sweet girlish ringlets

Classic

hair mature medium

Also, this one works well:

hair tv anchor

Other Classic keywords to try: elegant coiffed "first lady"

Natural

hair long layers shag OR wild

Other Natural keywords to try: natural mane messy

Dramatic

hair sleek

Other Dramatic terms to try: "slicked back" futuristic -men

Gamine

hair short boyish

Other Gamine keywords to try: spunky tomboy

You may have noticed that these search results are mostly white ladies. :-/ If you want hair styles specifically for women of color with specific hair textures, try adding, for example, "african american" or "asian" to your search string.

For blends of the seven core types, try searching for a few key terms from each core type.

For example, for Romantic-Dramatic-Classic, I used "glamorous" for Romantic, " sleek" for Dramatic, and "elegant for Classic. Here was my search string:

hair glamorous sleek elegant

I got some pretty good RDC ideas:

I'm an Ethereal Natural. Here's my favorite hair for myself, combining Natural and Ethereal search terms:

hair layers long curls

Pro tip: after you have your image results, click on Tools, then Type, then Face. That will eliminate photos you don't want, such as pictures of shampoo bottles.

Also, if your hair has a particular texture that's non-negotiable, try adding that to your search string. For example, if you're predominantly Ethereal but you have straight hair, try searching

straight hair long mermaid

(If you don't want all the dyed hair results, try adding this to the end of the search string: -dye -ombre -pink -blue)

Do you know some search terms that have worked well for your style type? Please share them in the comments!

Not sure of your style type? Try the Style Identity Calculator, or consider a Virtual Analysis.

34 Comments

Kelt

12/10/2018 12:42:37 pm

Love this! Thanks.

12/10/2018 01:14:52 pm

Great tips! Also, just that post gives a sort of mini style calculator all on its own. I'm looking at the results you show going "no... nope... hmmm, ok... oh, yeah, that would work great!... no... argh! no!... nope." Because hair is right next to the face, it definitely is easy to see what styles work well - or not so well. I find I am easily overwhelmed by my hair. in so many pictures, it's what i notice first -- that it's too severely pulled back, that it's too spiky and short when i cut it, that it's massive and taking over my head when overstyled. it's best when it's really, really simple and smooth. i'm looking at that classic search and cringing at the term "TV anchor" -- and yet I can't deny that a slightly fresher, more updated version of those styles would look perfect. i tried doing the classic and ingenue search together and it looks just like my pinterest board of hair ideas. that's sort of spooky.

as a thought, the word 'Charming' came up quite often in ingenue-related searches. so doing 'hair mature medium' + 'charming' made for a nice classic-with-a-touch-of-ingenue hair search.

12/10/2018 03:33:11 pm

I'd also try "wispy" for Ethereal hairstyles.

As an Ethereal-Gamine, I've had good luck with flapper hairstyles--would I be correct in thinking "flapper" is a good search term to use for Gamine-feminine blends? I could also see some of the really neat flapper styles looking good for Classic-Gamines.

Victoria

12/10/2018 07:19:29 pm

Wow, would anyone else love a hair guide? As an RNG, I find it's the one thing I have to fiddle with. I feel like I have somewhat limited styles that meet all the requirements (I'm a curly like Rachael).

Megan

12/12/2018 07:25:25 pm

I second the desire for hair guides! I'd also love more posts on hair in general.

Ralu

12/11/2018 08:52:40 am

Does gamine get only short hair? Even with Kibbe, it seems they are the ones with less hair options. Don't get me wrong. Short hair is freakin' cool. But I've been stuck with a similar pixie cut for more than 4 years and it's getting kinda' old. I want to try another style and was considering getting a wig. The thing is, I'm mostly gamine with some D and some feminine essence (the later becomes apparent only when I dress too masculine) and every time I want to order something, I get reminded of my style id, shudder and never order anything. I thought this was supposed freeing, but all I feel since I discovered this and Kibbe is anxiety. I've been meaning to order a wig for month, but I don't think I'll ever succeed.

12/11/2018 12:17:42 pm

I completely hear you about style-id induced anxiety. I've definitely swung through that as I've explored the ideas of kibbe, zyla, and so on. If I can say this without sounding cheesy - or knocking style-ids in general, because I think it's a great project -- the minute this stuff begins to become a chore, it's a good time to step away and reorient yourself in what YOU like and what feels comfortable. I definitely think knowing style types can help eliminate bad style errors and clarify why good ones are so good, but it shouldn't be a straight jacket. The whole point of good style is trying new things and screwing up once in a while. That's just growing and being human. -- This, by the way, is my 2 cents of what I wish I'd told myself about a year ago. ;)

With hair, I'm definitely of the opinion that while certain IDs definitely do look better with longer or shorter hair (it's taken me a while to admit that, but I do), I also think that the face-framing aspect is the most important. I've rocked shorter styles for years, in spite of having a lot of classic and ingenue (at least, I think that's what I have). The key for me is to keep the face framed by long, side-swept, neat bangs, and to keep the back clean and neat. Think the styling of a neat chignon, but with no bun in the back.

I often see gamines with longer hair. Sometimes I don't think it works so well (Michelle Williams in Greatest Showman is cute, but I def. think the pixie looks better on her). But sometimes, it really does. Gwen Stefani and Rihanna come to mind as two women with definite gamine influences who rock a lot of different hairstyles. And in a more retro style, both Audrey Hepburn and Leslie Caron were gamine-girls who rocked pixies and longer styles alike. I notice with all these women that they frequently play with fringe to keep things funky.

Anyhow, best style wishes to you. I hope you order the wig and have a blast with it! Life is too short to be overly worried about perfect taste. Fun is the better half of style IMO. Best of luck!

12/12/2018 02:45:09 am

What W. said about bangs.

I think the key with longer hair on Gamines is keeping it sporty and mostly off the face (the aforementioned bangs being the exception, of course)--spunky ponytails seem to work really well, and high ponytails are explicitly recommended for DG blends.

If you'd like to show off long locks more than you'd be able to with a ponytail, you could try a half-up ponytail similar to these images:

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daniellevaliente.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2F33bc2711e39318f1dfb1dd0449b1c137.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daniellevaliente.com%2Fsporty-hairstyles-for-working-out%2F&docid=pLhG3t2Sv9yBKM&tbnid=O2wdavSHMHnj-M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiijZ2c4ZnfAhWE4FQKHf4PDPUQMwiTASgbMBs..i&w=450&h=500&safe=active&bih=822&biw=1407&q=sporty%20hairstyles&ved=0ahUKEwiijZ2c4ZnfAhWE4FQKHf4PDPUQMwiTASgbMBs&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.andrewcollinge.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F08%2Ftousssss.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.andrewcollinge.com%2F2017%2F08%2F14%2Fget-the-look-tousled-hair%2F&docid=EQeepvDTj1fxJM&tbnid=f58TTMwRcynS6M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjcpMC545nfAhUH2VQKHa0hAzoQMwhpKBwwHA..i&w=1807&h=900&safe=active&bih=822&biw=1407&q=hair%20tousled%20-men&ved=0ahUKEwjcpMC545nfAhUH2VQKHa0hAzoQMwhpKBwwHA&iact=mrc&uact=8

Activewear headbands/sweatbands might also be an option?

Tousled hair is supposed to be good on Gamines, so maybe keep your long hair a bit messy. As an EG, I've been inspired by flapper hairstyles, so if you'd like a hairstyle that's longer than a pixie but not super long, you could look to flappers for inspiration.

Hope at least one of these suggestions was helpful :). If it helps with your anxiety, think of your desire to be a long-haired Gamine as an opportunity to get creative with the style recs--your style ID should work for you, not the other way around.. If I may paraphrase a pirate, the style ID recommendations are more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.

12/12/2018 01:47:42 pm

Another thought about hair for gamines: they all have crown height. That is, they often tease up or puff up a section of hair at the crown of the head, especially with ponytails. Think Audrey's breakfast at Tiffanies, or Rihanna's updos. Pixies also give crown height, as the less weighty hairs often fluff up. Think Halle Berry. I just notice that a smooth top of head look often seems "flat" on gamines (as opposed to sleek or elegant on others) and a bit of upward height at the crown suggests movement & play.

Melina

12/13/2018 08:53:17 am

I totally agree - "guidelines rather than actual rules" and "your style ID should work for you, not the other way around" - so true, & we all need to keep this in mind! I have seen this "style ID caused anxiety" quite a lot online, and even more so for the colour seasons! Everybody even calls it "cheating" when you wear something not in your seasonal palette, which to me is a horrific expression (cheating being such a totally negative term, obviously)! I wish people would let go of that kind of talk - as stated, your season (as well as your style ID) should work for you, not the other way around, and you should wear what makes you happy!! :D If it's quite not in your style ID or season, then who cares!

12/12/2018 07:36:57 pm

I agree with everyone who has said that if it makes you happy, you should go for it. I feel like an important part of style analysis is experimentation and playing, vs. desiring to look totally perfect and harmonious. You may learn something and have fun if you get a wig, even if you don't end up liking it.

Also--thinking about what other posters said about Gwen Stefani, I think lighter hair might be the way to go for a Gamine with long hair, since hair darkens with maturity? Lighter hair could also look really playful... but if you'd rather do a darker wig, I would say experiment with that!

Janet

12/13/2018 12:42:43 am

I completely agree too! If it's not fun any more, it's time for a break! I've had to tell myself that it's perfectly fine to wear clothes that don't match my style ID-- and it's actually really freeing to know why they don't work. Up until this year, I'd buy something I really loved, only to find that it just didn't work, and then I'd feel that there was something wrong with me. Not consciously, but the feeling was there. It's very different to know that some clothes don't work for me because they're not EDI. And since I like affordable, practical clothes, I have a much better idea of how to compromise with other style IDs without buying clothes that are completely wrong for my face.

Ella

12/14/2018 04:04:21 am

I think bobs and lobs are also very tomboyish so maybe they're good for gamines that don't want a pixie cut. It kind of depends on the styling I guess. It has to be more messy and nonchalant. Some examples: Maisie Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Alexa Chung and Kristen Stewart.

Also, call me crazy, but I think Natural Gamines look better with low-maintenance long layered hair and maybe a beanie. It's a sexy look on them.

Janelle

12/14/2018 10:13:30 pm

Ella, you’re not crazy! I’m NGI and much prefer the long layers to a pixie cut. That was just too Gamine, though it is half my style ID. I noticed the same thing with Ellen Page who seems to be mostly NG—I like the longer look better on her as well. I think dramatic gamines would rock the pixie cut best out of all the style ID’s.

12/12/2018 04:35:24 am

Interesting! Although I'm not sure why Romantic would include words such as "wig" & "extensions"... ;)

And funny that all of my essences include word "curly" or "wawy" in them, but my natural hair is straight... Seems I could never wear it in its natural state, then! ;) (Though you did passingly adress this at the end of the post).

12/12/2018 07:29:40 pm

I think the "-" in front of the words "wig" and "extensions" means to NOT include those words in the search. That confused me too for a moment :)

12/13/2018 03:48:48 am

Ah, that explains it ;D Thanks, Megan! I'm not google wizard enough to use signs like + or - in searches, just the words I'm looking for are usually enough to find the relevant results ;)

12/12/2018 07:27:27 pm

Does anyone have thoughts about whether a hairstyle should incorporate all of one's essences in order to look harmonious? For example, I'm maybe 30-40% dramatic, so I wonder if I do slicked back, totally dramatic hair, does that work on me, or would a hairstyle ideally incorporate elements of your other essences as well?

12/13/2018 12:20:10 am

Hi Megan, I've found that it depends on my outfit. I'd guess I'm anywhere from 30-50% dramatic, and the slicked back hair seems to work sometimes, but not always. I haven't worked much on narrowing down when it works and when it doesn't, but it does seem better when my overall outfit is more feminine. (I believe I'm EDI.) So, maybe if your clothes emphasize your other essence(s), you can go all out dramatic on the hair? I wonder if others have the same experience.

12/15/2018 12:43:55 pm

Hi Janet, thanks for your insights! That sounds like a potentially great solution, to pair very Dramatic hair with an outfit that is heavy on my other essences... will try this!

12/13/2018 01:32:03 am

Search terms for gamine with curly afro textured hair: tapered natural. I’ve found that searching pixie cut tends to result in straight hair pics.

Silver Roxen

12/28/2018 11:19:12 am

Great idea! I'm a black woman with natural hair that's a SG and found that several black women popped up when I searched for "spunky curls".

1/2/2019 12:40:32 pm

This article here has plenty of Gamine type hairstyles for black women. Just the description gave me Gamine vibes: "Natural hair is becoming increasingly popular, and with that trend comes a large variety of short natural hairstyles that are fun, flirty, spunky, and sexy to wear."

Actually the woman in the third, fourth, and fifth pictures is a YouTuber that I watch and I chose her because she has similar facial features and hair type as me, this is before I came across Kibbe.
https://wisehairstyles.com/80-natural-hairstyles/

Aylin

12/13/2018 06:56:37 pm

Thanks! Could you also write an article on the best (and worst) hair colours for each Style ID?

12/14/2018 04:20:46 am

I'd think hair *colours* would definitely go more by one's season that style ID...

12/14/2018 04:25:02 am

In her Style ID guides, she mentions use of colour and how they relate to your seasonal palette. So, yes and no. Season matters, but Style ID does, too.

Nicole

12/14/2018 05:20:39 pm

Hello Melina :) I agree with Aylin here about combining Seasonal Coloring & Style ID. The key here is relativity- matching the colors relative to the palette’s range. Essentially, all Color Season Palettes can be divided into the 7 essences. The style guides are really helpful with this!

Actually....not specifically regarding hair.... I’d love to see that from Rachel! The 7 Essences each with 4 subcategories featuring handselected shades for Spring, Summer, Autumn, & Winter. Even better... the 7 Essences by the 12 seasons! Detailed? Yes... but what a breathtaking comprehensive guide that would be!! I remember when I found a celeb with both my Style ID and my Color Season- I felt even more capable of achieving the styles I wanted! It has actually helped me create a more cohesive wardrobe colorscheme, which saved me money and minimized outfits clashing in color.

Anyways... This was another good post from Rachel about manifesting different essences from one single color palette: https://www.truth-is-beauty.com/blog/how-do-i-combine-light-spring-colors-with-my-dramatic-or-gamine-style-id

I think that’s the beauty of it all! We’re all interconnected in a way. Someone with a very different skintone or hair color as me may be very similar in appearance and suit the same styles.... and I’ve seen lots of people who have my coloring yet don’t suit the same looks as me whatsoever! Coloring just adds another dimension to world of (visual) beauty!

12/16/2018 12:32:50 pm

Yes, I know (as a reader of this blog ;)) that seasonal palette & style ID combine and affect each other, but what comes to hair *colours* specifically, I really don't think style ID affects those much (unlike it does hairstyles) - they go by season. But I guess we must agree to disagree on this ;)

12/21/2018 02:19:28 pm

I came across a picture of Blake Lively in a hairstyle that makes her look childlish. What do you think? What type looks childlish in that hairstyle? I think half up curly hairstyle and a pony tail are the worst hairstyles for me. So what does it mean? I think I’m DN, DNG or DE. Does it make sense? Do these hairstyles clash with DN or Ethereal?

Half up curly hairstyles: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/367043438364266150
Pony tail:
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Blake+Lively/Blake+Lively+films+Gossip+Girl/wegOpzyrgcY

Yvonne Strahovski looking good and it’s one of the best hairstyles for me:
http://www.polishweeklychicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/yvonne.jpg
Yvonne Strahovski in a sleek hair, in my opinion it’s just OK, not WOW:
https://parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/HandmaidsTale_01_Yvonne_Strahovski-ftr.jpg

Gitte

3/22/2019 12:28:47 pm

What for dramatic-ethereal-classic, with naturally straight or "big wavy" (waves, but only at a certain length, because the waves I'm talking about are, like, as long as my face. It just doesn't go straight down, but does a little 'whoop', makes a curve, but a big, long curve)

Would a chin-length blunt bob with the 'whoop' part just letting it do it's thing to add some curve (ethereal) be a good idea?

9/3/2019 04:11:56 pm

Hi Rachel! Another fantastic post! Could you do a blog post on celebrity examples of each 3 type blend? I think it would help me understand each blend better.

Charlotte

5/17/2020 01:35:19 am

I am very curious what hair you all think suits Cate Blanchett. I have never seen her with long hair.
How would that look on her and what kind of long hair would suit her, you think?
What combination of style types might she be? As shown on this site, she obviously has a lot of ethereal, but what else? Or am I wrong and is she pure ethereal?

4/28/2023 12:55:08 am

I'm 3 years late haha, but she has long very ethereal hair in Lord of the Rings.

Hair Salon Downtown Edmonton link

1/7/2022 10:53:01 am

Fantastic ideas for hair styles! I'm always a big fan of mermaid waves so it's great to find a new variations of it in this article. Thank you for making this.

Truth is Beauty

Finding Hair Ideas for Your Style Type: What to Google

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