Tricks For Pulling Off The Elusive Center Part

Now that '70s style is making a comeback, it means center parts are the part to have. But as many of us who have become accustomed to rocking a side part probably know, center part hairstyles can be difficult to pull off. I for one had a center part from the time I grew hair until I was around 15. But once I crossed over to the, well I guess in this instance it's just the plain old side, I was hooked. Sure, I've dabbled in the center part since then if it worked for a costume or I needed to try a certain look for a story, but it hasn't been a style I've stuck with. Maybe it's because I didn't give myself enough time to get used to it. Or maybe it's because I didn't receive the best responses from those close enough to me to give their honest opinions. But it could also be because I didn't make the best center part for my face.

It sounds kind of weird, right? A center part is a center part is a center part. But slight variations on it can actually make it look better. This is because when hair is parted perfectly in the center of one's head, it serves as a sort of line by which you can more easily compare the two sides of one's face. In other words, it allows people to more easily tell where the symmetry of someone's face fails.

Of course none of us has a perfectly symmetrical face, but even the smallest asymmetries can be highlighted when an illusory line is drawn. If you find that you want to rock a center part, but just aren't happy with how it appears, there are a couple things that you can do.

1. Part Your Hair Slightly Off-Center

Your hair probably doesn't naturally part directly on center anyway, so first try showing off your natural part. Still not happy? Find where your center should be, but then create your part a centimeter off. The slight shift will still appear like a center part, but because it isn't splitting your face right down the middle, it will affect your face more like a side part.

2. Make Your Part Diagonal

Although the part still begins in the center of your face, because your hair line goes diagonally toward the back of your head instead of straight back, it reduces the division effect on your face. This part will look like a center part from the front but still give the effect of a side part thanks to the diagonal line.

Images: Miki Hayes