How Often Should You Get a Haircut? A Hairdresser’s Thoughts on the Best Timing.
Let’s talk about how often you should get a haircut.
Most people understand that the ideal timing is different for short hair and long hair, but many still wonder what the best schedule is for their own hair.
For many people, it is usually when they start feeling:
“My hair is getting too heavy.”
“It’s becoming harder to style.”
“Something just doesn’t feel quite right anymore.”
That is often the point when they decide to visit a hair salon.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
However, if we look purely at hair design from a hairdresser’s perspective, there is one general guideline.
The Ideal Timing If We Only Consider the Hairstyle Itself
If your goal is simply to maintain the shape of your hairstyle as neatly as possible:
- Short hair: every 1–2 months
- Medium-length hair: every 3–4 months
- Long hair: every 5–6 months
That would be a reasonable guideline.
Of course, it varies depending on your hair type and the design of the haircut.
But this discussion is only about the hairstyle itself.
I believe there is something even more important.
That is your daily life.
The time it takes to visit a salon.
The cost of salon visits.
The effort of making appointments.
The travel time.
When you think about it from the client’s perspective, a hairstyle that lasts longer is usually better.
I do not believe that having short hair automatically means you need a haircut every month.
Some people with short hair only need a haircut twice a year.
Some people with medium-length hair are perfectly fine with just one haircut a year.
That is why, if you want to reduce the time and cost involved in salon visits,
the quality of the haircut itself becomes extremely important.
Hair that remains easy to manage as it grows.
Hair that stays easy to style.
Hair that does not become a daily source of stress.
That is the kind of hairstyle I aim to create.
What I Focus On to Create Long-Lasting Hairstyles
The most important thing for me is shape.
Not relying too heavily on thinning shears or texture alone.
First, I look at the bone structure.
I look at the shape of the head.
I look at the hair type and natural growth patterns.
Then I combine length and shape in a way that suits the individual head shape.
This approach is based on the Vidal Sassoon haircut philosophy that I studied.
When the shape is built around the bone structure, the hairstyle tends to hold its form even as the hair grows.
On the other hand, if the shape relies mainly on lightness or texture, it may look good initially but become harder to manage as it grows out.
The same idea applies to hair color.
I sometimes recommend highlights or lowlights without bleach so that regrowth is less noticeable.
For perms, I may suggest designs that blend naturally with the client’s own hair texture as the roots grow.
For straightening treatments, rather than permanent straightening such as traditional Japanese hair straightening,
I often recommend semi-permanent options that gradually return to the natural texture after several months.
What all of these techniques have in common is:
“Creating a hairstyle that blends naturally as the hair grows.”
“Helping clients stay comfortable for as long as possible until their next visit.”
That is the goal.
Of course, some people simply enjoy visiting the salon every month.
To relax.
To refresh themselves.
To have a conversation.
In that sense, coming in for a head spa or hair treatment as a form of relaxation
is also something I think is very valuable.
In fact, I warmly welcome it ^_^
However, as a hairdresser,
when it comes to hair design,
I would rather create
“a hairstyle that does not require constant salon visits to maintain”
than
“a hairstyle that only looks good if you keep coming back.”
Because I believe a hairstyle is not for the few hours you spend in the salon.
It is for every day that comes afterward.
