I recently decided to make a drastic hairstyle change and found it to be an unnerving experience. Searching stylebooks and star magazines gave me interesting ideas but what would I look like in that style? Not wanting to trust my appearance to chance and since seeing is believing, I decided a virtual hairstyle might be the answer. Being able to put on and take off hairstyles like trying on clothes would seem to answer any questions.

I searched out a few makeover sites in hopes of discovering the perfect answer. I found that after logging in to a virtual makeover site, I had to go back and have a picture taken of myself and create a ‘jpg’ file in my computer. In this picture, I pulled all of my hair back off of my face making sure my ears and neck were showing. I looked directly at the camera trying to avoid tilting to either side.

Once in the site, I was able to upload my photo and try on different hairstyles and hair color. In some sites such as E-Makeover, I was also be able to try on makeup, hats and glasses. I emailed some of the made-over photos to myself. You will see those and some others on the second and third page of this article. I was still uncomfortable with making a decision so I looked further.

When I arrived a Clairol’s Try It All On, I found better fitting hairstyles but fewer choices. While I had fun trying on these styles, I was not able to save these looks for later viewing.

Finally, I decided to check out some professional programs. The Hair Pro offers a free trial version with a limited selection of styles. If you decide to keep it, you can unlock the full version for a fee. This program has all sorts of tools to adjust the hairstyle. I found the color adjustment tool very helpful in adjusting the amount of red, yellow and blue to create true-to-life color.

In the final analysis, while trying on many different combinations of hairstyles and color was entertaining, I was left with only a hint of the answer to my dilemma of what hairstyle to choose. The problem with all of the programs is that the hair I tried on was not my hair. It was not the texture or thickness of my hair nor did it have my uneven natural curl. I did find that very short hair is not for me. However, for the choice of a new style, I will put more trust in a professional hairdresser who knows me and knows what my hair will and will not do.

Beautiful hair begins with great condition.
Quality products can make the difference between fabulous hair and an ordinary 'do'. End of Summer Special - 20% off LC Legacy Reconditioning Line.