TikTok's latest hair trend: What people think of you based on your hair

First impressions last and, just like the outfits we choose to wear, maybe you’ve asked yourself why people treat you differently when you wear your hair down compared to when it’s tied in a slick back bun. Maybe you’ve noticed you get treated differently when you wear a wig compared to when you wear your hair natural. Well, the viral hair theory could be the answer to your question.

What is the hair theory?

Hair theory suggests that your hairstyle can influence how others perceive your personality, how you look and even your mood. We’ve all experienced a bad hair day that has negatively affected our overall mood versus a good hair day that made us feel more confident in ourselves. Maybe you’ve noticed you feel better when you have your hair in a certain style.

What factors contribute to the hair theory?

All the things that you can think of doing to your hair can contribute to the hair theory. Whether it’s dyeing, cutting, curling, braiding, and a whole lot more, every factor counts. But what changes about our hair make the biggest difference?

For starters, certain haircuts complement certain face shapes. Beauty creator and hairstylist, @beautyby__chantelle, advised in her TikTok video with 13.1 million views and 479.8 thousand likes which haircut would suit which face shape. In the video she provides examples of haircuts that would suit round, oval, rectangle, diamond, and heart face shapes. Don’t know your face shape? No worries. TikTok has a filter to help you figure it out.

Dyeing your hair is another key factor that makes a noticable difference in how you look and how you are perceived. Despite common stereotypes against colourful hair, people dye their hair for many different reasons as a form of self expression or simply just experimenting. For example, darker hair might make you seem more serious, whereas lighter hair might make you seem more approachable. Some hair colours have the ability to make us look older or younger and @beautyby__chantelle visually explains which hair colours would go best with different skin tones.

Another example was provided by grey hair specialist, @rosie_baylis in a TikTok video where she put a side by side comparison of what she looks like with two different hair colours.

Is the hair theory real?

The proof is in the pudding. Despite recognised psychological phenomenon which changes the way that people behave towards us based on what we wear, the hair theory should be taken with a grain of salt as it’s not a real scientific theory, but merely another TikTok buzz term with personal experiences used to support it.

Original article appeared on GLAMOUR South Africa, author: Lethiwe Nhlangothi