Ever walked into a salon not knowing what hairstyle to get and worse yet walk out with a style that you don't quite agree that suites you? Most of us have lived and re-lived that experiences several times. One, of not knowing what would suite your face shape and two, relying on your hairstylist to make the choice for you because let's face it, they are the experts right?

Sometimes no matter how good your stylist maybe, only you know what makes you happy and the only way to get your stylist to satisfy you 100%, is to go into the salon with a clear idea of what you want. Hairstylists aren't mind readers, so understanding and maybe trying out a few looks yourself at home will help your stylist give you your money's worth.

First step of course, is to identify your face shape. How can you do that?

You can either ask your husband, daughter, sister or friends OR if you want to find out yourself, look in the mirror. Tie your hair back with a band so that only your face can be seen and with a marker or a lipstick draw the shape of your face and move away from the mirror to get a look at the shape you've drawn.

There are 5 common face shapes; oval, square, round, heart and long. Once you have identified your face shape, it's easier to decide on a suitable hairstyle.

Hairstyles will also vary depending on your hair type and texture. That is, is your hair straight, curly, wavy, thick or thin? Of course your individual tastes of wearing your hair long or short will also play an important part to the style you choose.

Now that you have found your face shape, it's a mater of deciding the style you want to wear.

Oval Shape - You're in luck! Oval shape faces can carry any kind of hairstyle, long or short. If you have thick hair, you can ask your stylist to soften it and you can wear your hair straight or curly as preferred. A fringe is also suitable if you wish to get one and a nice layered hair will also look slick on you.

Square Shape - The best way to compliment your square shaped face is with a cut that is feathered at the top and softens around the ears to disguise the square shape around the jaws. A longer layer with hair that comes forward at the ears or curls that angular the edges is ideal. Short hairstyles can also work as long as it is not above the ear as this would accentuate your face shape.

Round Shape - The golden rule for round shaped face hair cuts is to remember to have longer pieces of hair falling down your face to lengthen your face and to give your cheekbones more structure. Try to avoid short blunt fringes at the front as it will emphasis your round shape, instead go for a long wispy fringe that can sweep to the side of your face to lengthen your face.

Heart Shape - You can choose a style that creates volume at the bottom of the face. It is better for this type of face shape to avoid having very long hair, ideally about 4 inches below shoulder length would do. Soft layers softening your cheeks and cut close to your jaw line falling on to your face can be flattering. Short bobs are safe as long as they don't grow longer than jaw line.

Long Shape - You're lucky as you can try out many hair cuts that will suite your face shape. Short haircuts are most suitable as it will make your face look wider. Messy looks can also be stylish and time saving. However, if you want to go for longer hair, try sharp, edgy haircuts and avoid layers or fringes that will add more length to your face.

Once you have your face shaped figured out with an idea of what sort of look you want to get, you can leave the rest to the professionals!