Mistake 9: Over-Accessorizing

With a cropped cut, you run the risk of looking a little too young if the headband is big or the barrette is…well, if you wear a barrette at all. Stick to simple stretchy bands, like the ones by L. Erickson, or wrap a silk scarf around your head, headband-style. “Scarves are especially great for disguising bad bangs,” says Lloyd.

Mistake 10: Losing Perspective

It’s all about the shoulders when you have short hair.

Those with broad shoulders look best with a little volume in their hair. “Otherwise you’ll look like a pinhead,” Lloyd warns. He suggests smoothing a quarter-size blob of Shu Uemura Fiber Lift into hair, then blowing it out with an ionic dryer (we like the T3 Bespoke Featherweight Hair Dryer).

For small shoulders, make hair as sleek as possible, says Lloyd. He recommends slicking wet hair down with a half-palmful of John Frieda Frizz Ease Clearly Defined Gel, then letting it dry that way.

Mistake 7: A Lack of Layers

Here’s a scary thought: “If you don’t cut layers in short hair, you’ll look like Dorothy Hamill,” says hairstylist Chris McMillan of Chris McMillan, The Salon in Los Angeles. (Or worse: “Remember Dumb and Dumber?” asks Lloyd.) The trick here is to cut strategically: long pieces are subtle but still add dimension. Choppiness all over adds volume to fine strands. And if hair is really thick, cutting layers underneath can reduce volume and make hair “less blunt and broomstick-y,” says Lloyd.

Mistake 8: Not Keeping up With the Cut

Short hair may be low-maintenance in the style department, but it’s like a needy boyfriend when it comes to trims. Go in for a cut every six weeks or, as Lloyd says, follow the hairstylist’s rule of thumb: When your longest layers start flipping up on the bottom, it’s time to go to the salon.

Short Hairstyle Mistakes 9 & 10 (Over-Accessorizing & Losing Perspective)

Mistake 5: Product Overload

How not to OD on the sticky stuff: For fine hair: Thick pomade can be too heavy, but a styling cream adds shine and control, says hairstylist Luigi Murenu. “It helps define all those jagged points.” (Try Fekkai Coiff Contrôle Ironless Straightening Balm.)

For Medium or Thick Hair: A little bit of paste, wax, or pomade (such as Bumble and Bumble SumoTech or Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Sculpte Nacre) can help prevent helmet head. It also keeps wavy or frizz-prone locks from looking poufy. The key is to use an eensy, weensy bit: a pea-size smear rubbed between your palms to make it more malleable. Then glide your hands through—but not all over—your hair. “You don’t necessarily want it on every piece,” says New York City hairstylist Warren Tricomi.

Mistake 6: Using No Products—and Having the Bad Hair to Prove It

“Even a good short haircut can make you look bad if it’s not smoothed down with a little something,” says Lloyd. “I find that even just putting in a little hand cream makes it look more polished, more groomed.” For those who hate the feeling of anything in their hair, Lloyd recommends Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue. “It makes hair nice and shiny and is heavy enough to subdue a puffball, but it feels weightless,” he says.

Short Hair Mistakes 7 & 8 (Lack of Layers & No Keeping Up With The Cut)

Mistake 3: Big Body, Small Head Syndrome

Voluptuous women look best with a choppy, chin-length bob, says hairstylist Edward Tricomi of the Warren Tricomi Salon in New York City. If you cut the hair close to your scalp, “your head will look too small in comparison,” he says.

Mistake 4: Mixing Styles

Kate Gosselin may be partial to the smooth in front, spiky in back look, but anyone else with short, layered hair should learn from her mistakes. “Kate looks like she’s using gel and hair spray to spike it up—and that’s exactly what not to do.” Lloyd says. “Instead, you need to smooth down the back with a dab of pomade.” (We love Bumble and Bumble SumoTech.) Or, says Lloyd, “after you blow-dry it, wear a baseball cap or a ski hat for ten minutes or so. That will get the short layers under control and the cut looking more cohesive.”

Hairstyle Mistakes 5 & 6 (Product Overload & Using No Product)