You know you want to do it. The only question is, how far should you go? Naturally, the first focus is whether or not you’ll look super in a certain style.

Before heading to the salon, consider your face shape. Ask yourself whether or not you have the right face shape for super-short hair. Cuts that are above the ears are best for oval-shaped faces, but they can work with slightly oblong and heart-shaped faces, too.

Bring photos of cuts you like to the salon, making sure you keep your face shape in mind. Halle Berry, for instance, has a slightly pear-shaped face; Sharon Osbourne’s face is Square; while Michelle Williams and Emma Watson are lucky to have an ideal oval shape. If you’re not sure which category you fall into, face the mirror, trace your face shape with lipstick, step back and evaluate.

You also need to consider if you’re willing to get a monthly trim. Short cuts require maintenance. The third biggest issue is your own comfort zone. Do you define femininity by mid-length to long locks or, more to the point, are you ready to show off your neck? Not everyone can.

If you have a longer neckline, an extra-short snip will look a lot better than if you have a short neck. I feel there is no age dividing line, but sometimes super-short hair and an exposed neck don’t look so great. Do a spot check by pulling up your hair and mirror-check the front, back and sides. Double chins and “waddles ” don’t cut it when it comes to short hair.

Yet another factor in deciding how short to go involves grow-out. If you only want to be short for a season, keep the length below the earlobes and avoid supper-choppy or complicated cuts.

Whether or not shorter is more versatile comes down to the specific length and your styling ability.

The idea is to enhance your beauty as a total package, not to have your hair stand out too much. But there’s always something wonderful about trying a new look. If you’re leaning toward change, I say take a risk and go for it.