How, why, and when you should change your hair parting: Products, popular styles, and more

If visits to your hairdresser invokes a diatribe not on the state of your split ends, but rather, your hair parting — well, this article is for you. See, not changing up your hair part can actually damage your hair. Wearing your hair in a fixed parting can cause your hair to get weighed down, which leads to weaker roots and breakage. With all that being said, it begets the question: how often should you change your part? Well, the general consensus amongst hair professionals is to switch it up every other month or so to keep things healthy. Besides being a fun and easy way to change your look, switching your hair part monthly airs your roots, allowing it to breathe easier. Here's how you can get to it, stat.

Finding your natural part

When it comes to changing your hair part, you have to first find your natural part. After you're out of the shower, comb your hair back with your fingers. Once your hair is dry, brush your locks backwards and away from your face. It should fall into place naturally, whether it's in the middle or to your right or left. Once you've identified your natural parting, you can take the backend of a tail comb to create a perfect line for easier visibility.

Your face shape matters

Taking your face shape into consideration will help ensure you have the most flattering part possible. Just like haircuts, the right hair parting can help accentuate certain features and soften others. A middle part will work well for those with square or round face shapes. This helps either soften the strong jaw lines of a square face or soften the symmetry of a round face. Slightly off-centre parts will flatter heart-shaped faces and draw attention away from pointy chins. If you have an oval face shape, try a side part to the right or left that is in line with your eyebrow's arch, which provides some definition to your face.

Your hair texture matters too

When finding a favourable hair part, the texture of your hair comes into play as well. If you have naturally fine and thin hair, a deep side part will help boost volume to your roots, giving you the appearance of thicker hair. For those with thick, wavy hair, try a centre part. This creates balance and allows your thick hair to frame your face equally. Naturally curly hair girls shouldn't force a parting. Your natural curls look the best when you don't restrain them, so just leave your curls be.

How to switch up your part

If you've tried switching up your hair part, you'd know that training your hair to fall into your desired parting is no easy feat. Try this trick out if you're struggling — part your hair where you would like your new parting to be formed, and dampen the roots after. Brush it into place, before tying your hair into a low ponytail and going to bed. If you're unable to tie your hair into a ponytail, try non-crease clips to hold your hair instead. Do this consistently every night, and you should start seeing results in a week.

Hair products can help

If your natural hair part stubbornly refuses to change, it might be time to pull out the hair products. Try applying some hair mousse to your wet hair before drying. This can help provide hold and set the style of your hair. If you're wearing your new part out, spritz on some lightweight hair spray to help hold the part in place throughout the day.