What does your office hairstyle say about you? It depends on many things – the length, how you style it and, most importantly, the overall health of your hair. But just because a style is flattering doesn’t mean it’s right for the office. Here, you’ll learn how to find an office-friendly style that suits your career and personality.

Which cut is right for you?

The right haircut makes it simple to create professional, low-maintenance styles – but cuts aren’t one-size-fits-all. For example, a short, simple cut is easy to pull off if you have fine, wispy hair, but not if you have a mop of temperamental curls. Thankfully, there’s a polished and professional style that’s perfectly office-appropriate for every hair type.

• For fine hair: Droopy locks do just that – droop – when worn too long. Crop fine tresses at or above your chin, which will leave your hair looking healthy and vibrant.
• For medium hair: If your hair is average when it comes to thickness, then you have a lot of options. To keep it neat and easy to style, consider a cut that falls anywhere from your chin to just below the shoulders. Keeping it a little shorter like this adds volume and movement, and it’s quicker to style. Plus, you can leave your hair down without it feeling – or appearing – too heavy.
• For thick or curly hair: Keep strands longer – at or below the shoulders. The weight will keep your hair more manageable and prevent your style from becoming an unruly mop. To avoid it looking too bulky at the bottom, consider face-framing layers that add dimension to your ‘do.

Working with your new ‘do

Developing an office hairstyle requires walking a fine line – you don’t want to look too polished, but you also don’t want to look too casual. According to stylist Franco Della Grazia, high maintenance hair that looks like it took hours to style might suggest to employers that you spend more time on your appearance than on your work performance. Flip that coin, though, and you might end up with hair that looks limp, shaggy or poorly maintained, which gives the impression that you’re not professional enough. Keep reading for some cuts to consider.

Stunning styles that are surprisingly simple

If you don’t fancy pulling your hair back into a bun or wearing it up in bobby pins all day long, try a cut that’s low-maintenance and requires minimal time in the morning to create a professional look.

• Pixies: Going under your stylist’s shears for one of the shortest chops known to women takes courage, but it might benefit your career. Nothing says you mean business like a well-kept pixie that keeps your locks out of your face and shows you’re focused on your work. Here are two trendy styles:

• Close-cropped pixie: This no-frills pixie features petite bangs gracing the upper forehead and short layers filling out the top and sides.
• Asymmetrical pixie: Pixie cuts don’t have to look serious. Sport your style with a slightly shaggy flair by getting a pixie with closely trimmed sides and longer, messier spikes on top.

• Bobs: If a bob brings a 1920s flapper to mind, then perhaps it’s time to discover the more modern variations. Perhaps one of the most versatile styles for the office, the bob allows you to choose virtually any length, angle and edge between your chin and shoulders.

• Side-swept bob: Long, angled bangs accentuate a straight, chin-length bob that looks sophisticated on both fine and medium-weight hair.
• Asymmetrical bob: Uneven bobs add a new dimension to your face while still looking professional. With this type of bob, one side of your hair is shorter than the other and is generally left straight or just slightly curled with a curling iron.
• Pixie bob: Can’t decide between a bob and a pixie? Forget decision-making for once and pick both! Merge the two styles by getting long, pixie-style spikes on top and sweeping the style towards your chin with long, angled bangs.

• Shoulder-length cuts: If you’re not quite ready to take your tresses to the next level, but know it’s time to cut a little length from your locks, try a shoulder-length cut. This length allows a little more freedom to play with texture than the previous styles and is ideal for women with thicker hair.

• Sleek and shiny: Shiny, healthy-looking hair is the secret to keeping longer locks office-ready. A blunt-trimmed, shoulder-length cut parted on the side with long bangs helps the hair frame your face without looking too sultry. Give your hair a healthy dose of shine spray after styling with Alterna Hemp with Organics Spray Shine.
• Curls or waves: Take the same sleek and shiny style above, but play it up with your own natural texture. If your hair is wavy, it should ideally hold soft curls from a 1-1/2 inch curling iron. Just be sure to keep the hair on each side long enough that it doesn’t constantly fall in your face. Keep your style looking fresh with a frizz-taming shine spray, like Oscar Blandi Olio di Jasmine Shine Spray.

Putting your best face forward: pulled-back styles

An updo or pulled-back style looks both fashionable and office appropriate, but doesn’t require professional-level styling skills. And you can create these updos in just a few minutes.

• Ponytails: The ponytail you wear to work doesn’t have to resemble the one you wear to the gym. In fact, there are several ways to fashion a ponytail, so you never have to settle for that ho-hum, yanked-back look.

• Side ponytail: Avoid looking too perky with a side ponytail positioned low and over to one side, draping elegantly over one shoulder.
• Banded ponytail: Keep back the strays and set off a nicely-trimmed set of bangs with a wide headband placed in front of a ponytail, like the L. Erickson Wide Glammed Up Leather Headwrap.
• Ponytail with a pouf: If your hair falls victim to a flat-fronted ponytail when you pull it back, add a little volume to the front with some back-combing and a few bobby pins.
• Half ponytail: Can’t decide whether to wear your hair up or down? Wear it both ways with a half up, half down style. But to avoid looking like you slipped back into grade school, add a pouf to the top back of the pony, and secure the style in the middle back of your head.

• Updos: Sometimes you just need to sweep everything back and out of the way. As formal as an updo sounds, these styles prove that you can wear your locks up while still looking professional and fairly informal.

• The low bun: Say goodbye to fly-aways and let the bobby pins do all the heavy lifting for this style. Unlike a slightly austere ballet bun, the low bun looks polished without being frumpy. Slick hair back into a ponytail at the center bottom of your scalp, just above the nape of your neck. Twirl the loose hair around the hairpiece, and secure with bobby pins at the four compass points of the bun. Dress up the bun using accessorized bobby pins, like Jane Tran Hair Accessories Metal Bobby Pin with Three Faux Pearls.
• Barrette twist: Not everyone can pull off a French twist, or chignon. Cut out the complicated twirling and tucking with a twist that closes with a simple barrette. Gather your hair to the nape of your neck with your hands; then twirl the ends until you have a twist. Draw the twist straight up the back of your head, and secure it in the middle with a full-size barrette, like the France Luxe Rectangle Volume Barrette. Let the short pieces poking out at the top of the twist fall naturally over the barrette.

Bangs or no bangs?

Let’s face it – not everyone has a perfect hairline or forehead. And even if you’re one of the few who can pull off a ponytail or updo without your forehead feeling a little bare, your style still might call for a little below-the-hairline adornment in the form of bangs.

• Straight fringe: If your hair is straight or straightens easily with a flat iron, a blunt-edged fringe goes with multiple styles.
• Wispy bangs: If a thick layer of hair atop your eyebrows feels too heavy, try a wispy set of side-swept bangs. This look is especially ideal for women with fine hair.
• Angled bangs: Angled bangs come in several length and side part variations. Does your hair have a little natural curl or wave? Flat ironing the texture and parting the bangs off to the side will leave you with just enough volume in the front to complement the texture you’ve got going on in the back.

The finishing touch on your professional appearance

Once you have your style down, don’t forget the basics about keeping your locks looking healthy and professional:

• Avoid oil. As a working professional, you may struggle to squeeze everything on your to-do list into your daily schedule – including washing your hair. But allowing your locks to look unwashed or oily at work is always unprofessional. Extend the time between washes or absorb a little excess oil with a dry shampoo like Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo. Keep it at your desk or in your purse to quickly and conveniently solve the occasional oil emergency.
• Skip looks that are too tousled. While a deliberately messy ponytail or locks worn down with a beach-inspired wave look great for a casual day at the mall or coffee date, these aren’t the most office-appropriate styles. When it comes the workday, minimize tousled tresses.
• Be color conscious. If you color your hair, keep in mind that roots can look messy and unprofessional. Keep your color fresh with frequent visits to your stylist or with an at-home touch up product like Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Pen Dark Brown/Black, which is available in a variety of shades.
• Accessorize appropriately. From barrettes adorned with bright flowers to chunky metallic headbands, there are plenty of hair accessories that are in style this season. While a hair accessory is a great way to enhance your hairstyle, just be sure to stay conservative. Wear only one hair accessory at a time and, if it’s one that’s particularly trendy or noticeable – like a pink flower or thick, patterned headband – keep the rest of your outfit and jewelry low-key so it doesn’t clash.
• Maintain healthy hair. Even when you’re busy climbing the corporate ladder, it’s essential to stay on top of routine hair maintenance in order to protect the integrity and appearance of your locks. Split ends, overgrown layers and unhealthy hair doesn’t send the right message about your professional abilities. For more on maintaining healthy hair, check out this article.

Picking an appropriate style for the office begins with identifying the length best suited to your hair’s texture. Fine, straight hair that’s more manageable works well with short, piece-y cuts, while thick, wavy or curly hair is a better match for longer styles and updos. Once you make your overall style decision, you can play around with pulled-back ‘dos on days when you’re all business and need to keep your hair from falling in your face. Then, finish off your perfectly coifed mane with a set of bangs, if you so desire. Being able to pull off professional styles on a daily basis will give you the boost of confidence you need to succeed in the workplace.

Learn everything you need to know about workplace beauty and skincare for a professional lifestyle in our Office Beauty Handbook.