What Your Hair Says About You: Discovering Personality Traits Through Women’s Hairstyles

Reading body language involves being sensitive to gestures, facial expressions, eye contact – and even hairstyles. Both women’s and men’s hairstyles can reveal personality traits.

Discovering Personality Traits Through a Woman’s Hairstyle

“Hair is often an excellent predictor of someone’s self-image and lifestyle,” says Jo-Ellan Dimitrius in Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior – Anyplace, Anytime. However, she also writes: “Because so many hairstyles are acceptable on women, most stylistic deviations don’t indicate much about a woman’s personality. Extremes of length, volume, style, and color are the most telling aspects of a woman’s hair.”

What Short Hair Says About Personality

Short hair that is carefully cut and styled may reveal an artistic personality. Most high-maintenance hairstyles indicate financial well-being; short hair that requires regular cuts and dyes may reveal that the woman cares about her appearance, and is willing to spend a significant amount of money to look good.

“Spending a significant percentage of one’s income on hair – or any other aspect of personal appearance – suggests vanity, a need for acceptance, concern about others’ perceptions, and possibly insecurity,” writes Dimitrius in Reading People.

What Long Hair Reveals About Personality

Women who are over 40 years old and wear their hair long may not resist growing up. Dimitrius writes, “Sometimes women with this trait are caught in a time warp and still think of themselves as teenagers or college students rather than as grown-ups. Such women may be fairly unrealistic in their outlook on life as well as in their perception of themselves.”

Women who have long hair may believe it makes them more sexually appealing. Long hair could also reveal a bohemian spirit or freedom from conventional expectations.

What Gray Hair Reveals About Personality

Women who let their hair go gray naturally – or who dye it gray or white – are likely to be comfortable with their age and who they are as women. Generally speaking, they decide for themselves what they like and what looks good on them (unless of course they are allergic to hair dye. In this case, gray hair doesn’t reveal personality traits).

Women (and men) who do strange and wonderful things with their hair may be artistic and nonconformist. However, they may be conforming to their own subculture (punk rock, Goth, rebellious artist, etc). People who experiment with dramatic hairstyles are generally young and adventurous, with little regard to how they're perceived by "conventional" society, such as employers or authority figures.

May 24, 2009 7:39 AM

Guest :

This does not take into account cultural views of hair. Many native americans keep long hair for cultural reasons.

Jul 14, 2009 10:04 PM

Guest :

I am turning 46 this year and have medium to long length hair. Some people say my hair is long but... long to me is down to my butt or past it, my hair is only mid back length. And I am getting gray strays with a predominant streak on the right side. I love it. I could care less about what people think of my length or color because of my age. It is not all one length, sort of layered. It's a styled look of confidence yet fun (yes that's who I am and I don't think because of my age I shouldn't have my hair that way). Everyone has a young spirit now matter how old you are and I know what my age is so I am also comfortable with the gray coming in. It's sort of a natural highlight that's hot because it's a mature and an "experienced" look (yes, not just for men but women too). I feel bad for those who let society rule over their hair color especially when it's gray (or getting gray) because they say it makes them look old or older. I say if you're getting older, you are and so is everyone else. I choose to be a leader not a follower. Let the gray or white streaks come in. Save the womens sanity and confidence by going natural. Natural hair color is the most beautiful as long as it's clean and styled. Besides how many more chemicals do we need in our lives that could be creating cancers and such. Who needs that?!

Sep 30, 2009 5:37 PM

Guest :

This article is so ridiculous. In my opinion women that wear their hair SHORT actually are more secure than conformist women driven by social norms and patriarchy. As far as the purple mohawk, to me these are people that TRY to be noticed because they are consumed with what others think of them and are often insecure. Women over 40 with long hair; well if you can have HEALTHY hair past that age at a length good for them; but most women keep long hair because they feel socially pressured to do so; like it is an inherent part of their femininity and a societal expectation.

Oct 19, 2009 5:59 PM

Guest :

im doing a project on hair. i didnt know how people can be some judgemental about just plain hair. i watch tv shows about hair and how people feel about other people hair. and comes to find out yes people do talk about other people hair and judge then on just there hair. me i am mixed wit long hair and some people think i am all that. until they get to know the real me. so i think you shouldnt just judge peopele on just there hair it is more to them then just that. just like houw some people judge other on there size

Oct 21, 2009 5:57 AM

Guest :

I think they dont know what their talking about, I have really long hair and I do care about my outlook on life. I dont feel like I'm a teenage and even want to be one. I am 48 and I love my long hair and so does everyone else. So I think they need to interview the different women and just see how we feel, instead of taking it upon themselves to say hair length is a personality trait.