New Year New You: How to Try a New Style — and NOT Regret It!

With a new year comes that “new you” transformation! Whether your New Year’s Resolution is to take better care of your hair, improve your nutrition, learn the makeup secrets of the masters, or just spend a little more time on you, there are tons of ways to fulfill these goals without stepping too far out of your comfort zone.

A major scare we’ve seen far too often at Beauty Supply 123 is the urge to make a radical transformation — quickly followed by that “ACK! What have I DONE?!” feeling of regret. Luckily, there are ways to prepare for making a big stylistic change without feeling like you can’t leave the house until January. (We remember you, 90’s bangs. *shudder*)

Read on for a few ways we here at Beauty Supply 123 like to center ourselves and prepare for making a big change in our style. Most importantly, focus on what makes you feel good and boosts your confidence — and know that whatever you want to try, the Beauty Supply 123 catalog is here to help you look and feel your best!

Take Inspiration You ACTUALLY Like 

Let’s start with a tough pill to swallow: Not everybody likes the same things! The trend of the moment may not be something you love, even if 90% of your friend group has already committed to a shag haircut or curtain bangs. When you’re scrolling through Instagram or surfing Pinterest for 2023 style inspiration, it’s important to look for styles that actually FEEL like YOU. 

What’s that thing our moms used to say? “If someone jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” (Well, yeah, Mom — it’s called BUNGEE JUMPING.) But this idea follows into personal style: If you’re only trying out a new look because everyone else is doing it, the lack of authenticity may hurt more than anything you’d get out of “fitting in.” 

Look for Examples Who Look Like You

Okay, okay, we’ll get off our soapbox — so you’ve picked out a style you absolutely adore and you’re ready to make it your own. The next step is to take another look at your style inspirations with models and examples who actually look like you. This is to avoid that dreaded feeling of regret when a style you love on other people just doesn’t quite fit right on you. 

The way to get around this is to search by your face, skin, and body types. For example, let’s say you’re a short brunette with a rectangular jawline and you want to give a blunt bob a try. Problem alert: All the examples you’ve found so far are blondes with round faces! This is as easy to fix as changing up your search keywords. Try “blunt bob for brown hair”, “blunt bob for rectangular face”, or even mashin’ em together with as much specificity as possible. It’s not unusual for members of the Beauty Supply 123 team to try wacky search terms like “shag haircut examples for blonde hair round face freckles.” Honestly, you should see our search history! 

The point here is to find inspiration from people who look like you — that way you’ll have a better idea of what a style will look like on you before you take the plunge. 

Go Halfway 

This tip for trying a new style without regretting it applies to things like changing your hair length in the New Year or trying new bangs as a New Year’s Resolution. An excellent rule of thumb in styling of any kind is that it’s much easier to take things off than it is to add things on, whether that be hair length, amount of makeup, or a trendy new manicure style. (The only thing this rule really doesn’t apply to is hair color and bleaching, but we’ll get to that in a second.) 

If you’re not totally sold on a new style, especially if it’s a complete style change for you, try going halfway to see if you like it. Want to go from waist-length hair to a trendy asymmetrical bob? Try medium-length hair cut at or just above your shoulders (a.k.a. a long bob or a “lob”) before you chop off those last few inches. If you miss your long hair, there’s much less time needed to grow it out. If you loved losing the locks, go for chin-length! 

Ask a Professional 

When in doubt, turn to the experts. This can be the beauty team here at Beauty Supply 123 or your trusted stylist who’s been doing your hair for years. Especially for things like hair bleaching or hair color for people making a drastic change (or for people who have never dyed or bleached their hair before), asking a professional for advice can be a great way to make sure you don’t jump into a new style and then regret it. 

There’s nothing worse than the orange streaks and fried ends from a bleaching job gone wrong — if you’ve never bleached or dyed your hair before, it’s always best to go to a trusted stylist. Then, when you know what products to use and how to use them, you can “graduate” to trying these styles at home with products like Redken’s Demi-Permanent collection! 

Invest in High Quality Styling Products 

Finally, the best way to try a new style without regretting it is to make sure you have the high quality products you need to keep a style looking fresh and healthy. We’ll say it again: The best thing you can do for bleached or dyed hair is to use safe, nourishing products that lock in color while adding luster and moisture — often, our hair desperately needs it! 

Just a few of the products we love include the David Douglas Color Safe collection for color-dyed hair and the CHI Keratin-Infused “Feeling Gold” series for brittle hair (which works no matter if your hair is naturally brittle or if it’s heat- or bleach-damaged). You can also try heat-protection tools like the Hot Sock Ultralight Diffuser or SGX NYC Blaze Heat Protect and Primer when styling your new look.

No matter what styles you try in 2023, know that Beauty Supply 123 always has your back! We’re here to help you feel and look your best — how’s THAT for a New Year’s Resolution?!