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Changing where you part your hair, a risk free hair tweak

Runcarla

Veteran

I apologize that this (10 yo) article is couched in language about ‘looking younger’, but the visuals pack a punch in that they really do demonstrate that changing where/how you part your hair can effect a change in your appearance.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/fe.....rting.html

I wear my short bob parted slightly left of centre, but switch it up to a center part or right sided part from time to time. I especially like a right sided part when blow drying it straight - for the extra lift that results. I’m wondering about trying a less defined zig-zag part for a slightly ‘undone’ look - but need to understand better how to manage it.

Do you ever change up where you part your hair?

General

29 replies

Latest reply was from

Rejoiceandbe

My hair parts where it wants to. Five minutes after I have placed it somewhere, it reverts to its own thing- the intergenerational cow's lick that affects all my dad's side of the family. At least we know who we are!

Roberta

Veteran

When my hair was longer, I did this several times a year - for the lift you describe. Also, if I was trying to grow my hair out a bit, it gave me the change I craved. Now it's so short that there isn't much I can do to alter its look.

LaPed

Veteran

Daily.

Honestly, though, I very rarely take a comb to it, so it just falls where it falls. Usually a bit left of center, but sometimes dead center and sometimes a bit on the right. I usually have a bit of a zigzag because I never bother trying to align the whorl in the back with the rest of my hair. It took me *years* to figure out how to do tousled and I quite enjoy it.

When everyone was wearing deep side parts, I tried to hop on that bandwagon, but my hair never stayed there for long. So glad the youth swept in and reminded us all that center parts are all right!

slim cat

Veteran

My hair does what it wants plus there is a cowlick on the back of my head - there is that . Looking at the article' pictures I still prefer the first look - natural and easy ( or so it appears - lol ).

LJP

Veteran

I do - but always revert back to the usual after a fresh cut . When my hair gets to that “ need a cut” stage I can change the part to get a bit of extra time out of it . And someone will always comment ( I see at least 400-500 people a day at work ) that it looks really good or asks if I had it cut , lol. I’ve got crazy cowlicks and thinning temples so parting is a project in itself .

Minaminu

Veteran

I do change but always stick on keeping the same side. Someone suggested using a A4 paper to see which part is best and it works!

Kate

Veteran

All the time. I like the variety, and it works for my thick, slightly wavy hair, which has a mind of its own anyway. For decades, I wore it parted on the right, until my then stylist suggested parting it on the left. It was liberating! And that small change made a big difference. After that, it was constant change.

Staysfit

Veteran

What part? LOL! My hair does what it wants and it’s different each day!

RobinF

Veteran

I change mine but probably only every few years or so. One time it was because I highlighted my hair and it was way too much on one side so I changed it and it was better. It does feel strange for a few days until I get used to it.

Sal

Veteran

I have a strong cowlick but will experiment and see what I can do.

rachylou

Veteran

I’ve changed it up over the decades, but now I like it dead center. Mostly I just like it off my face.

notsaf

Veteran

Unfortunately, any side part at all looks "millennial" now, and that, I'm afraid, looks old on me (as an actually old millennial), so I've been trying to avoid parts at all, with moderate success.

Minaminu -- what you mean by using a sheet of paper?

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I do try, especially when my hair is a bit overgrown, but it never works out for me. Stuck with the millennial side part, which make me feel young since I am gen X (just kidding, I frankly don't care what gen Z thinks about my hair ).

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I change my part slightly from day to day, just depending on how my hair is behaving, and sometimes change from left to right when it feels like I need a little more volume. I don’t look great with an exact middle part — that’s hard to wear unless you have a very symmetrical face, IMHO. I love a side part and have had a more extreme side part at times in my life (not now with this current cut).

My sister (a hairstylist for decades) recommends parting hair above the more expressive eye, if you have such asymmetry. It can help open up the face.

ChristelJ

Veteran

I change my part from side to side every week or so. My heavy hair flattens out over time and the change gives it a lift. I do favor one side part over the other because the grey streaks look better on that side. I also change back and forth from a far side part to one nearer the middle, but I never do a real middle part, which is incredibly unflattering on me. I love a side zig zag but never seem to get it quite right.

bj1111

Veteran

I do deep side parts. Side depends on how much root is showing on one side and hair length.

Shorter pixie more flattering with a left part, growing out pixie /cropped bob (crob?) better with right side part

Dreadful with a center part—too severe

kkards

Veteran

I misted to, but the older I get, the less I experiment. My hairdresser on the other hand changes it a lot, but I seem to keep “putting it back” when I wash a couple of days later.

Irina

Veteran

My hair naturally parts off the center on the right. I used to play with parting more on a right side when I had longer hair. But it only stays until the lightest breeze and it reverts back to its original place.

I used all sorts of styling techniques when I was younger. But now all I need is a good haircut. It must look decent without styling as I air dry my hair after swimming (4 days a week).

LJP

Veteran

All these young women with their centre parted long hair .....I suggested my own try parting her hair on the side and the look she gave me....

Bee

I’ve always worn my hair to the side. I switch sides every time I wash although I never really needed extra volume until now. Just a habit I picked up from my mother, who would usually blow dry my hair straight since I was a toddler up until her heart surgery and shortly before she passed. I was 22 at the time. Some more wisdom from mum, don’t part your hair down the middle if you don’t want to draw attention to the features in the center of your face (nose, lips, chin, etc). Since I find my nose way to big and lips too thin, I’ve been following her advice my entire life. Even when I do my makeup I prefer nude lip shades or just gloss while highlighting my eyes, which I consider my best facial feature.

Andrea H

For years I parted my hair slightly to the right or a lot to the right. Whenever I tried a left part (either on purpose or because a not-my-usual hairdresser blowdried it that way) it always felt deeply uncomfortable and wrong, lol. Recently I've been experimenting with a middle part. I used to just pull my hair straight back when putting it in a bun or ponytail, but I've been middle parting it now when I do and I really quite like it.

Dee

Veteran

I have bangs and usually part my hair a bit centre left to hide what I think is a slight indentation in my forehead on the right side. I don't really experiment with parting it the opposite way because of this perceived flaw and I never have my hair pulled back exposing my whole forehead either. My variety comes with playing with the length and cut.

cotetowemixx

Member

thank for recommend !

AmyS

(website)

I’m going to try this! I’m not sure it will stay out because I’ve been parting my hair on the same side if my head since I was 13, but it’ll be a fun experiment. Thanks for sharing!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I used to have a middle parting decades ago - but switched to side, and prefer it that way.

Helena

Veteran

As to the "age" piece, I think there are two parts to that, neither of which are really about age at all ... there is one part about what is 'conventionally flattering' to one's face, and there is another about what looks current.

My natural part is just off to the side, and I tend to just work with that because it's just easier ... but if I do change my part now, I tend to centre part it ; whereas, 10 years ago I would made it deeper to the side. Both of those are driven by what/is most popular at that time, I would say. Whether or not either is flattering if for other people to judge and me not to care about as I think they're both fine!

Minaminu

Veteran

Notsaf, if you look at the mirror and cover part of your face with a sheet of paper and move the paper to the left and right, it is easier to see where your partition should be. Hope it makes sense!

lyn67

Veteran

I don't know which is my mor expressive eye, LOL:-), but yes, I changed parts from times to time when I had a shorter bob or a pixie-still, I always preffered it on my right side. Then I got crazy cowlicks in the bangs (and my back of the head). I now also have thinning temples and crown- so am toying with growing out my pixie to gain a bit of length for some framing cascade bangs to hide the temples- which require a central parting obviously- and I also desire to have more hair around my face and on my neck, too. My target would be a kind of crop shag/mullet to enhace some natural waves-but I cannot go too long-just don't have the density for that-so I just don't know if that is old fashioned or not, but I don't want to use much heat to style anymore...see if I can stick with, because is a mess right now...:-(

Anonymous

I've been center parting, but was inspired to try a zigzag part. Used to side part to the left, which shows less grey than the right.