The right proportions: Your head should be in proportion to the rest of you. Try to make your head and hairstyle about an eighth of your total height. If you are very tall, choose a longish hairstyle, and if you are very short, avoid wearing your hair long or at shoulder length.

A question of balance: Consider your vital statistics before creating a hairstyle. If you have large hips, then they will only look more prominent if your hair is scraped right-back or screwed up on top of your head. A soft, full chignon would be a better choice.

All one length: Let age be the yardstick when deciding on which length to wear your hair. A good general rule for the over the fifties is an all-one short length maintained by regular cutting.

Thirty-plus: For most women aged about 30, long hair hanging straight starts to get in the way. If you want to keep your hair long, try putting it up. Tie it in a ponytail on top, at the back, or on either side of your head. And then twist the tail into a tight roll that can be wrapped around your head in any direction. Another idea is to try plaiting which is easier on wet hair. Make three big plaits and intertwine them to form a woven-look chignon.

Cutting curls: Curly hair needs as strong an outline as straight hair and, therefore, needs regular styling. By cutting a seemingly uncontrollable mass of curls into a definite shape, a stylist can strengthen up the frame of a hairdo, and the natural curl then becomes of secondary importance.

Ring the changes: No need to get bored with a short cut. Ring the changes with partings. Tuck your hair behind one ear and hold it in position with a comb. Wear a circlet of beads, or thread a few beads through your hair.

The waiting game: The best hairdos during pregnancy are either one that‘s (long and easy to manage softly permed) perhaps or a (short style that’s well out and looks good with the minimum of upkeep). A light perm on long hair is particularly versatile. You can take up the sides for the evening and leave the back hanging free.

Fringe plus: Consider the advantages of a fringe –

1. a short, serrated fringe breaks up a round face;
2. a smooth diagonal sweep of fringe shortens a long face;
3. a fringe parted in the middle tends to soften a square face.