Parting Ways: A Complete Guide On How To Part Your Hair

Ahhh the eternal battle: middle part vs side part, slicked back, cowlicks and all that jazz. Finding the right way to part your hair can either come naturally or require some work and styling. And most importantly, changing your hair part also means that the way you wear your hair extensions changes!

Either way, I understand that the struggle is real, so I decided to do what I do better: write a guide!

How To Know Where Your Hair Part Is?

Okay, let’s start with the basics: want to know how to find where your hair parts naturally? This is kind of the easiest step. After washing your hair, comb your hair back away from your face with a wide-toothed comb.

Then, gently nudge the hair on top of your head forward towards your face, using just your hand. The hair should naturally split in a direction and voila - there’s your natural part.

Which Hair Parting Suits Me Better?

Another important factor to take in consideration is your face shape. As parted hairstyles can change how your face shape is perceived, there’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to how to part your hair, but there are some general guidelines you can follow to compliment your face shape.

Oval And Diamond Shaped Face:

When it comes to these versatile face shapes, both a slightly-sided part and a middle part work wonders on the forehead and cheekbones.

Think of celebrities like Olivia Munn and Megan Fox, who both rocked these hairstyles in the past.

Round And Heart Shaped Face:

Although both of these face shapes can rock a middle part (especially if paired with layers) and are particularly suitable for bangs, a deep side part is the best choice to create volume in harmony with their natural features.

Round-faced Drew Barrymore and heart-faced Reese Witherspoon are a prime example of this!

Square And Pear Shaped Face:

Squared faces and pear-shaped faces (also known as triangular face) respectively work best with a side part and a middle part.

Whilst side parting hair in the first case frames a sharp jawline and a squared forehead, middle parted hair open up like an elegant curtain on a narrow forehead for triangular faces, balancing it in harmony with an prominent jawline.

Don’t forget that different parts also get paired to different hair types. In the case of naturally curly hair, for example, your hair will always look best when it goes where it naturally wants to. So although it’s not mandatory to create a definite part with curly hair, if you're looking for some direction you do have some options.

First of all, you can always secure a deep side part with barrettes. From minimalistic ones to rhinestones-covered hair jewels, these accessories are a lot of fun to play with to complete a look.

In case you want to go for a sleek look and a curly ponytail instead, parting your hair in the middle before slicking it back with hair wax and gel would look the best, adding edge and design. For more volume, you can merge your natural ponytail with a clip-in ponytail to complete the look. Want to see how a middle part and a ponytail look so good together? Here’s an example, as rocked by Gabrielle Union a few years back.

How To Part Hair?

When looking for your hair part, whether you have curly, straight, thin or thick hair the best tool to use would be the evergreen rat-tail comb. With its pointy edge, you can easily style the side of your hair parting for more definition, even moving single hairs around until you’re satisfied with the results.

Middle Part vs Side Part: The Eternal Dilemma

Although we have seen how side parts, deep side parts and middle parts can go with different face shapes, that doesn’t mean that you cannot experiment a little. As Gen Z declared war on the side part, the hairstyle that defined Millennial culture in the early 2000s, many people tried parting their hair in the middle with poor results.

First things first, if you’ve been wearing your hair in one direction for a long time, you will need to be patient and re-educate your hair in growing in the desired direction.

And, on the opposite, if your hair naturally parts in the middle because of a cowlick, it will most likely struggle in staying put on a side part - unless you use some hairspray.

How To Get A Side Part?

If you’re looking to get a side part, grab your comb and styling tools and get ready with this amazing tutorial by Yana Irbe. In the video, she also explores the middle part, but read on to see how to part your hair in the middle and rock it with one of the latest trends.

How To Get A Middle Part?

In this video, Riannstar explores the wavy middle-parted hairstyle that broke the internet and everyone is trying to achieve. For a more retro 70s inspired effect, you can pair this hairstyle with curtain bangs!

Conclusion:

Now that you know how to find out about your natural hair parting and how to style and achieve different types of hair partings, feel free to experiment and play with different hairstyles in your free time.

You’ll find out soon enough that you can dramatically spice up your hair game by doing something as simple as switching your hair parting from the left side to the right side, or splitting your mane in the centre.

Middle parts have been all the rage since the comeback of some of the hottest 90s trends (we’re talking bobs, cropped tops, chokers, tendrils, bubble ponytails and whatnot) and they can be seen on countless celebrities; side parts are often associated with elegant on-the-shoulder hairstyles, romantic waves and voluptuous hairstyles - but also peppy, shorter hair to wear asymmetrically for a casual and flirty look.