What Your Hair Says About You

"Hair is often an excellent predictor of someone's self-image and lifestyle," writes Jo-Ellan Dimitrius inReading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior - Anyplace, Anytime.

However, she also says: "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."


Is your hair is long, short, styled, or colored? You may be revealing more about your personality than you realize...

Short Hair

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.

Long Hair

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.


If your hair is dry or has a lot of split ends (common for long hair), you might not be eating enough protein. I researched this topic, and wroteProtein Rich Foods for Healthy Hair and Skin -- because certain foods make your hair strong, shiny, and healthy.

Gray Hair

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).

Mohawks and Purple Hair

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.


My hair is short, curly, and takes no work at all to maintain. I have low-maintenance hair, but I am a high maintenance woman. What about you?

If you hate your hair, read How to Feel Beautiful No Matter What You Look Like.

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen a full-time writer and blogger; she created the "Quips and Tips" blogs: