Finding the Perfect Haircut

When it comes to your hair, there really are no hard-and-fast rules. If you follow rules to do this or don't do that based on your skin color and face shape without venturing out and trying your own creative twist, life just wouldn't be that interesting, would it? Generally speaking, yes, there are some haircuts that are good for your face and some that are not so great: Severely cropped style on a very round face will only accentuate your roundness. And if you have a very long and thin face, long hair without layers will make your face look that much thinner. But hey, sometimes you gotta break the rules! And sometimes, a little risk-taking pays off.

For example, I have a round yet squared face, so I always assumed that a short bob would never look good on me. However, two years ago, when I was forced to wear a cropped style due to my chemo treatments, I was pleasantly surprised that the 'do ROCKED.

And don't underestimate the importance of color. I'm a big fan of highlights—balancing out the highlights and undertones so one doesn't overwhelm the other. The right mix of highlights and low-lights looks awesome in pictures especially in low lighting (when the time to look good is crucial, if you get what I mean, wink, wink.)

Now of course I don't know everything about beauty and hair—that's why I take advice from friends in the business. The BEST advice I've gotten about women's hair comes from a man! My friend Gad Cohen a popular stylist for Glamour, Vogue, GQ, Marie Claire, and Elle knows his stuff. Fortunately, you don't have pay a celebrity hair stylist to keep your hair looking fresh and fabulous, but you can use their advice and put it to good work as I have.

Here are Gad's 9 rules of hair (that I live by):

• Have a great cut four times a year.
• Curly, wavy or coarse hair needs more conditioning than other types.
• For curly hair, shampoo less frequently but wet hair daily to rinse and add a leave-on conditioner to maintain control.
• For fine hair, only condition the ends.
• For flat hair, you should use a product that pumps up your hair. I like Progaine (from the makers of Rogaine).
• Let your color enhance, not detract from, your face.
• Color coordinate. When dyeing your hair, don't go too far out of range from your natural hue.
• Always get highlights done at a salon if you can (a professional single process will look better than anything out of a box.)

Remember: You're the master of your crown. Hold your head up high, and wear your hair regally.

A note about hair trends: Just as you should never jump off a bridge because everyone else is, nor should you go purple streaks if that's the trend. (Buy a purple handbag instead!) Find the shade that highlights your skin tone, not draws you down.