Everyone should have a hairstyle according to their physical factors and needs, also some other points like the subject's physical attributes and desired self-image or the stylist's artistic instincts.

Physical factors include natural hair type and growth pattern, face and head shape from various angles, and overall body proportion. Self-image may be directed toward the social image and job pattern (military-style crew cuts or current "fad" hairstyles such as the Dido flip), identifying with some differences (e.g., dreadlocks or punk hair), or respecting religious and social dictates (e.g., Orthodox Jewish payout or the Sikh practice of kesh), though this is highly context-dependent and a "mainstream" look in one setting may be limited to a "subgroup" in another.