Try On Hairstyles With Your Own Photo (Bangs, Short Hair, Buzz Cut)

You can try on hairstyles with one clear photo of your face and a sentence that describes the cut. In Toybox AI, that happens in Smart Editor: you upload the photo, type something like "curtain bangs that fall to my cheekbones" or "a jaw-length bob", and one edited photo usually comes back in about 30 seconds. Each edit redraws the full image, so the sentence also names what has to stay the same. This page covers the cuts worth previewing, a face-shape table, wording to paste for bangs, short hair and buzz cuts, and what to check before you book.

What you can preview with a hairstyle simulator

A hairstyle simulator is a photo editor that redraws your hair in a new cut and is meant to leave your face, clothes and background alone. These are the changes worth seeing on a photo first, because a cut can't be undone:

• Bangs. Curtain, blunt, wispy or side-swept. They change how much forehead shows, so preview two kinds on the same photo.
• A short cut from long hair. A pixie, a jaw-length bob or a lob that stops at the collarbone. A big length change means the editor has to draw the neck, ears and shoulders your hair used to cover, so check those areas closely.
• A buzz cut, a fade or a shaved head. The editor has to guess the shape of your head and your hairline, which it can't see under longer hair.
• Layers and texture. Shag layers, loose waves or curls on straight hair. For curls, name the size: "loose 2-inch curls" or "tight coils". Braids and locs work the same way: give the size and where they end, such as "medium box braids to the middle of my back".
• Length you don't have yet. Shoulder-length hair on a short cut, to see whether growing it out is worth the months.
• An event style. A sleek low bun or a half-up style for a wedding, tried on a photo where you wear the outfit.

Hair color needs different wording from a cut; see how to change hair color in a photo.

What would I look like with bangs?

Take the photo with your current fringe pinned or swept aside, so your forehead and eyebrows show. Then preview the bang style against them. L'Oréal Paris's bangs guide pairs longer curtain bangs that sweep outward with round faces, light and wispy curtain bangs with heart-shaped faces, and a thick, full fringe with a long forehead. The same guide says bangs need a trim every 2 to 4 weeks and that cowlicks change how they lie, which no preview can show.

Give me curtain bangs that part in the middle and fall to my cheekbones, blending into the rest of my hair. Keep my hair color and the length at the back the same. Keep my face exactly the same: eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, skin texture and expression. Don't change my clothes or the background.

Change: swap "curtain bangs" for "blunt bangs that stop just above my eyebrows" or "wispy side-swept bangs".

What would I look like with short hair?

Pick one length and name where it ends on your body, because "short" covers everything from a pixie to a lob. The chin, jaw, earlobe and collarbone are landmarks the editor can see in the photo, so "a bob that ends at my jawline" is clearer than "a medium bob".

Cut my hair into a jaw-length bob with a side part on the left and soft layers at the ends, tucked behind my right ear. Keep my natural hair color and texture. Keep my face exactly the same, including my eyes, eyebrows, nose, skin and smile. Show my neck and ears naturally where the long hair used to be, and keep my top and the background unchanged.

Change: try "a short pixie cut with extra volume on top" or "a lob that stops at my collarbone".

Buzz cut, fade or bald

A buzz cut preview is the one where the editor guesses the most, since it can't see your scalp or hairline under longer hair. Treat the head shape in the result as a rough idea. If your hair is already short, there's less to guess.

Give me a short buzz cut, about a quarter inch long all over, with a natural hairline at the forehead and temples. Keep my hair color. Keep my face exactly the same: eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, beard, skin and expression. Keep the lighting, my shirt and the background as they are.

Change: for a men's crop, write "a textured crop on top, about 2 inches long, with a low skin fade on the sides". For a shaved head, write "shave my head completely bald, with a smooth scalp in the same skin tone as my forehead".

Longer hair, layers or curls

Adding length means the editor draws new hair over your shoulders and part of the background. Check where the ends meet your top, and whether the hair still looks like it grows from your own hairline.

Give me shoulder-length hair with long layers and loose, natural waves, parted in the center. Keep my current hair color. Keep my face exactly the same: eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, freckles and expression. Keep my sweater, the lighting and the background unchanged.

Change: for curls, name the size ("loose 2-inch curls") and add "keep the curls the same size all over".

What haircut suits my face?

Your face shape tells you which cuts to preview first; it isn't a rule. Pull your hair back, take a photo straight on at eye level, and compare the width of your forehead, cheekbones and jaw with the length from hairline to chin. Then find the closest row. L'Oréal Paris's face-shape and bangs guides describe the shapes and pair them with bangs like this:

For short hair on a round face, L'Oréal Paris suggests adding height (a pixie with volume on top, or a textured pompadour with short sides), a side part, or an uneven line such as an asymmetrical bob or an A-line bob that's longer at the front. Run the two cuts you like best on the same photo, save both, and swipe between them in your camera roll before you decide.

Tips for a realistic hairstyle preview

• Face the camera at eye level. A photo from below or above changes how long your face looks, which throws off both the face-shape check and the preview.
• Use soft, even light. Window light from the front shows your hairline and ears. A hard shadow across one side hides where the new hair should sit.
• Get your hair off your face. Tuck it behind your ears or tie it back loosely so your forehead, ears and jawline are in the photo.
• Upload the original file. Pick the photo itself from your camera roll, not a screenshot of it. Smart Editor accepts JPG or PNG files up to 10 MB but not HEIC, so if your phone shoots HEIC, save a JPG copy before you upload.
• Change one thing per edit. A cut with bangs is one look. A new cut, a new color and a new background are three edits. OpenAI's image prompting guide gives the same advice: ask for one change per edit and repeat the details you want preserved.
• Start every new cut from your real photo. Before the next cut, switch Smart Editor's "Editing" control to "Original photo". OpenAI's guide warns that repeated edits can shift details you meant to keep, and a pixie built on top of a bob preview redraws your face a second time.

Where AI hairstyle previews fall short

• How your hair really behaves. A preview can't see how thick your hair is, how it grows or where your cowlicks are, and those decide how a cut falls. Ask your stylist what your hair will do with the cut.
• The exact same face. Smart Editor redraws the entire image, so details away from the hair can move too, and you can't mask off one area. List the features to keep, then check them against your original; the page on editing photos without losing your face has more keep-line wording.
• A haircut copied from someone else's photo. Smart Editor works on a single image per run, which rules out adding a reference photo of the cut you saw. Describe it in words instead: length, layers, part and fringe.
• Free tries. Every cut is its own edit. Smart Editor needs a Pro plan and currently costs 85 credits per HD edit (110 in 4K), so four cuts in HD come to 340 credits.

Add a beard or glasses to the new cut

Glow Up Studio adds accessories to a portrait, including five facial hair styles (Full Beard, Stubble, Goatee, Mustache and Handlebar), glasses and hats. To see a new cut with a beard, download your favorite hairstyle result, upload it to Glow Up Studio and pick the style. Glow Up Studio works on the Free plan and currently costs 75 credits a photo. The beard filter guide covers each facial hair style and how to photograph your jawline for it.

Bring the preview to your stylist

Take the result with your hairline and ears visible, plus your original photo, so your stylist can see how far the cut is from your hair today. Ask what your density and texture will do with that cut and how often it will need a trim. Salon owners who want to use previews like these with clients can read about AI tools for hair salons.

How to try on a hairstyle in Smart Editor

1. Open Smart Editor and sign in. It's included with Pro and higher plans.
2. Add your photo under "Your image" (JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB): your face straight on, in even light, with your hair off your face.
3. In "What should change?", describe one cut: the length by landmark, the bangs, the texture and the part. End with the features to keep.
4. Leave "Shape" on Original under "More options" so the photo keeps its proportions. Pick 4K under "Quality" (currently 110 credits) if you want to zoom in on the hairline.
5. Press "Apply edit" and give it about 30 seconds.
6. Look over the eyes, eyebrows, ears and hairline next to the photo you uploaded.
7. For the next cut, switch "Editing" back to "Original photo" and type the new instruction. If an edit fails, the credits come back and your last result returns.
8. Keep the cuts you like in your gallery, or download the PNGs to show at the salon. Unsaved results disappear after 24 hours.