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A year ago, my appearance was not portraying the business image that I wanted. I thought that I dressed nicely. I never left the house without a suit and make-up on. However, it wasn’t until Randi did a makeover on me that my outward appearance finally matched the successful business woman that I felt like on the inside.

If you want to look and feel the same way, read Randi’s tips below and then get her free newsletter, which offers tips and tricks that cost her clients $400.00 or more. (See below.) -Heidi

By Randi Gerber, Image Consultant

Fair or not, you and your business are judged by your appearance. This is true no matter what business you are involved in. Anytime you interact with others, you are being critiqued in one way or another. The question is what self are you selling. Is it the you that you are proud of and the businessperson you choose to be or is it something less. It is critical that your appearance portray the image of a successful and well put-together person.

As an image consultant, I tell people that the most dramatic change you can make is to your hair. I usually start with hair because it is a easy change that you can do in two hours or less with a capable stylist. I have included my top ten hairstyle rules for women below. Of course, with all rules there are exceptions. If you have no clue what to do with your hair, these are great tips that apply to a large percentage of individuals. (Make sure to read Rule #9 if you want to know how to pick the best look for your face. Following this rule will take years off your face.)

Rule #1. If you are over 45 years old, long hair (below the shoulders) is not typically an option. The truth is that unstyled long hair will only age you. It pulls everything down. You can see how long hair in the picture of the younger girl (below) even drags her face down. Think of how much greater the effects with an older person. Now if you are 45 and happen to look more like 30, you may be able to pull off longer hair. However, you must keep it styled and colored if you have a naturally dull color.

If you pay attention to actresses, you will notice that many with long hair create soft wave. It is usually complimented with color. If you’re going long and are over 45, be cautious and make sure it is really your style and not just a lack of one. If your hair is just hanging there, I suggest that you chop it off. Many women will get an instant face lift just by cutting their hair shorter.

P.S. Some women believe that if they cut their hair in short enough layers that they can have their hair longer. This is not true. You will most likely just end up looking trashy or like the lead singer in a big hair band.

Rule #2. You are never old enough for the golf ball haircut. You have all seen ladies with hair like this.

Many women believe when they hit 60 or 70 that it is time to cut their hair to 4 inches all around and give it a nice tight perm. This is never the case. Women will look the best if they still maintain some nice design and shape to their cut, even if they feel they need the perm for volume and to make hair appear thicker.

I recommend short hair that has some texture and sass over a perm if you have enough hair for it. Tell your stylist you want a very textured cut. Ask him/her for product and good hairspray to help you with styling it. Despite what many people believe, your hair does not have to be thick and full for this. In fact, you can get some of the best looks with finer hair. If however, you can see a lot of scalp and no matter what hairspray you use your hair still goes flat, then a perm can be helpful.You may even consider using wigs.

PS. If your hair is very thin avoid dark hair color. This will make it appear even thinner. Choose lighter shades of brown or blond shades.

Rule #3: Use your hair to balance your head with your body. If you have a small body and a larger head, never go for big hair. If you have a small head and a large body, pick a style that you can make a little wider to balance this out. If you are pretty evenly proportioned, you will be just fine as long as you don’t go way overboard with big hair. Giant hair doesn’t really flatter any woman.

Rule #4: Mullets are still a no, no, no, and have been since 1986. Europeans are trying to bring them back, but in the US if you have a mullet, people will assume that you are less educated.

Rule#5: If you go gray before age 75, color your hair. If you don’t want people to assume you are 15-20 years older than you really are, color your hair. Gray hair ages women many years.

Color is inexpensive to buy and can be applied yourself or with the help of a friend. I do recommend a stylist doing coloring your hair for you if your budget will allow it, but if not, try it yourself. Remember that lighter colors will blend with gray easier than darker colors. Lighter colors will also make hair look thicker. If you only have 30% gray or less, then try to match your natural color or go for highlights and lowlights.

A weave is great for women who are more than 80% gray. Keep some lighter highlights to help blend roots so that they are not as noticeable as it grows out.

PS. Avoid reds and blonds if you choose to color your hair yourself. Many women will try to go blond with a home dye kit and end up with orange or brassy unnatural color. Reds can end up more purple or Ronald McDonald red.

Rule #6: Trim hair regularly. It is awful when women just keep growing out their hair and it looks nappy and unkempt on the ends.

Rule#7: Do not part your hair in the middle. The only exception to this rule is if you are an extremely symmetrical person. (Less than 10 percent of women are. )

Women who can part their hair in the middle typically have very definite cheek bones, sharp features, and thinner faces. There are many models that are very symmetrical, so they can hold the look of a part in the middle. However, those of us who are not extremely symmetrical will look older or depressed if we part our hair in the middle.

Rule#8: If you have a similar haircut to the one you had when you graduated high school, then it is time to update your style. Look through the magazines at a salon and find a new look.

Rule #9: (Take years off your face and look your personal best using this exclusive tip.) Matching hair to facial features will offer a great individual look for you. For example, if you have a lot of circles on your face you will great with a circular looks in hair such as curls or cute bobs (Look at Heidi’s picture above this article to see examples of circles in the hair, and notice she has also has a lot of circles in her face shape and nose, etc. If you a lot of angles or texture in your face, than angles and a lot of texture in your hair will compliment your look. If your face shape is very soft and smooth than you will look great with softer smoother looks in your hair. Women with face shapes that are very soft and smooth tend to look better with longer soft or wavy styles in the hair better than most. If you are very chiseled in your look and have high sharp cheekbones, than you will look amazing with sharp straight lines in your hair. Really clean lines will be a great compliment to your look.

Rule#10 No matter how great your cut is, if you don’t style it, your hair will not be an asset. If you are young, you can typically look good with long or short hair, but you must have a style to it. Few women look good with just straight long hair. At least add a frontal taper, or some layers, some wave, or a bang to give you a style. If you have shorter hair styling may be very simple or more complicated. Consult your hairdresser and let her know how much time you are willing to invest in your hair in the morning and pick a cut that you make look good in that amount of time.

To get a copy of this article and more of Randi’s exclusive tips on how to double your income by changing your image, sign up for the Connecting With Women Mentoring Free Weekly Newsletter below.