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We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Or, don’t judge a person by their hairstyle. This is hard
to do if that person has dreads, rainbow colored hair, a buzz cut, or hair all the way down their back. It’s in our nature
to judge based on what we see. 80 percent of people admitted to this. Whether you think so or not, your hair shows
off your personality. Hairstyle trends come and go, but the way you wear your hair shows others how you behave.

Let’s take a look at what your hairstyle says about you in the world of business.

What Your Hairstyle Says About You

Hairstyle interpretations happen if you’re a woman or a man. They may be stereotypical, but influence so much in
society, people have a hard time diverting from these thoughts.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

The different hairstyles we wear display attributes of our personalities. Short hair is viewed as business-like,
communicating that you don’t like to waste your time. Curly hair portrays creativity, strong-will, and lack of
seriousness. Throwing your hair into a ponytail, on the other hand, shows you care more about other people’s needs.

Expressing yourself through hair has been happening since the beginning of time. In business, however, it’s
important to maintain professionalism and display yourself in the best light. Do you wear your facial hair a certain
way? It’s not just the hair on your head that counts. Having a handlebar mustache portrays something very different
than a full beard or a bare face.

If you’re a banker, keeping your hair long may indicate sloppiness or disorganization. When you cut your hair, style
it properly, it changes how people view you. Wearing your hair shorter on one side and longer on the top
communicates a deep thinker and someone who has attention to detail. Having a fade is flattering on most, and
portrays dependability, loyalty, and properness. Men who wear pompadours are risk-takers who like to be the center
of attention, where those who have side-parts mean business and like to be taken seriously.

Style Away

Any cut you wear will portray a diverse aspect of your personality. Learning what your hairstyle says about you is
important in business. You will be able to wear your hair very differently if you work in a snowboard shop versus a
prestigious law firm.

Conservative hair cuts are best for employment that is business formal or business casual, whereas casual is more
lenient to do what you want. Find out your business dress code first. Talking to your stylist about the type of business
you work in will help get a feel for how you should style your hair to fit in. If you lack a certain personality trait but
are trying to maintain the appearance, having a great haircut helps with this!
Are you interested in finding out if your current haircut is the right fit for you? Come in for an appointment today!

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“Business-Appropriateness”

The reason why you don’t go down to the office in slippers and swimwear is the same reason you don’t show up
there with rainbow-highlighted hair. Such choices of garments and style depend upon your profession, of course.

Say you’re lifeguarding a coast in RAK, and you show up in a suit and a slicked-back pomp every single day. You take
off your suit and dress for the job at the beach’s changing rooms early in the morning, then put the suit back on
when your shift’s done and you’re prepared to leave home.

Why You Don’t See Lifeguards in Suits

Your boss may be impressed with your punctuality and keen determination for professionalism, even though that is
very unlikely. Your co-workers will surely think you’re nuts though. Can’t blame them. We’d definitely think the same
if we were in their shoes.

Society's hidden code, better known as common sense, prevents you from seeing lifeguards in full suits and the like
of topless men in offices. Granted, some professions are blessed with the ability to hinder society’s very own mute
code. In tech workplaces, for example, showing up in sweatpants and a hoodie and being ungroomed for a couple
of weeks is a common occurrence given very little attention. Such places are the exception though, not the rule.

And even though society’s leniency has been on the rise when it comes to clothing and personal appearance in the
workplace, how you dress and groom is still regarded as an unspoken rule in many corporate workplaces.

Personal Hairstyling Conforms a Similar Approach

Society’s hidden code of apparel applies to hairstyling too. Remember, this hidden code is basically common sense
in its essence. And the kind of hairstyle you put up must also somewhat depend upon circumstance. It doesn’t make
any sense to apply gel to straighten your hair just before going for a dip in the pool.

On the other hand, though, it does make sense to get the sharpest and cleanest of cuts just before attending a job
interview. People crave appearances. And what better impressions are formed than through hip business casual
pieces of clothing and a fresh out-of-the-barbershop look when we’re talking corporate?
 Prejudice?

Personally speaking, we don’t like to judge books by their cover. Unfortunately, however, we can’t compensate for
the people that do. According to a study, employees who are consistently groomed to look their best are more likely
to be viewed as upper management material by top executives.

As humans, we fall prey to our prejudices 24/7. That's mainly because the non-verbal part of human communication,
which is inclusive of appearances, gestures, and body language constitutes 93 percent of all our communication. This
is precisely the reason why the bar is set so high for appearances and other non-verbal means of communication.

Physical appearance portrays itself in the corporate environment by distinguishing professional roles beyond
personal characters. As such, its psychological implication explains the professional role of the conversation, what’s
expected of it, and to what end it serves, hence why it is valued so dearly in corporate.

Corporate Hairstyling

Have you heard the saying: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have”? Well, we did as well, yet we’re still
to find bartenders dressed in racetrack suits. In truth, this saying doesn’t stand much to benefit us, nor you, because
it’s all based upon a shallow meaning of apparel and appearances. We prefer our own saying, which goes along the
lines of “Dress for success”. Success’s definition is personal to you, and should never rely solely upon the external
standards set upon us by society.

Your personal definition of appearance success has some limitations of course

You should always use your best judgment when adopting a new hairstyle to suit your professional environment. As
a rule of thumb, rainbow highlights are off the table. Hair tattoos and unorthodox hair trims are ruled out too. 10-
inch long beards are generally not recommended either unless you’re working with Vikings or Islamic extremists.
What the majority of us will find is that most of our currently adopted hairstyles are admissible within the workplace.

With hairstyles going by thousands of names nowadays, it's definitely not within our grasp to advise you on the “best
corporate hairstyles”. There’s no standard that fits all when it comes to corporate hairstyling. Heck, even some
executives nowadays slay man-buns, perms, and ponytails in their offices. Gone are the days when adhering to
professionalism strictly meant boasting a short hairstyle. Hence, we believe part of adapting to this new era means
dressing and grooming for the occasion, while using your best judgment of course.

Bad hair days: a long-forgotten myth

Choosing a hairstyle for your corporate environment is one thing. But, as you’ve probably noticed, we’re not super
keen on what hairstyle you adopt in your professional life. However, we do intend to stress the standards upon
which you uphold your grooming game down at corporate. Keeping your grooming game in top shape means paying
attention to the current level of care you apply to your personal grooming.

Do you trim or shave every other day? How long do you wait between haircuts? Do you adopt a different hairstyle
every morning? Realizing your current habits can help you stir things up a bit. The end goal of this self-realization is
to hear people gossiping: “Have you ever seen this guy have a bad hair day?”
 No double faces

Granted, if you dress up smart and groom sharply, yet act like a corporate elite, you wouldn’t be cool. You’d be a
douche. Your corporate image should never be out of sync with your personality. Just because you’re wearing the
freshest cut in the office and people consistently mistake you for the company’s CEO does not give you the right to
boast your elite demeanor all around. Going overboard with your corporate image can hinder your authenticity,
taking a toll on your reputation, big time. With your newly formed grooming habits, you want to gain the award of
“Best Dressed” at employee ceremonies, not “Corporate Snake”.

It's all business, mate

Even in corporate environments with no explicit dress codes, your standards of apparel and grooming are albeit
indirectly taken into account, creating prejudice that could be in or out of your favor. Unfortunately, such prejudice
is out of your control as it is part of what makes us humans as we convey ourselves in our appearance, body language,
and gestures much more than we do with words.

The simplest example of that is to take a gander at salespeople. Part of their pitch relies upon the way they are
dressed and groomed. And according to a study, a sharply-dressed salesman is more likely to slam-dunk offers left
and right when compared with other salespeople who disregard paying such close attention to their appearances.

Keeping one's physical appearance in check doesn't solely stand to benefit the sales department. Sharply dressed
and well-groomed employees are reputation enhancers for a company in the eyes of its stakeholders. After all,
companies are run and represented by people. And an impression formed on an employee is an impression formed
upon the entire company.

Who knows? Part of the reason you may be on management’s A-list for upcoming promotions could be the alluring,
charming appearance you consistently put up at the office.