She’s the celebrity hairstylist known for creating some of the most iconic red carpet looks of recent memory, with a client list that extends from Kendall Jenner to Hailey Bieber and Jennifer Lopez, as well as being the founder of the impressive haircare brand Ouai. And somehow, in between all of these commitments, she’s managed to find time to help people with their haircuts online. The dream. 

For a few months, Jen Atkin, aka the haircut-rut helper, has been answering people’s pleas on TikTok about what the best haircut for their face, hair type and lifestyle would be. Far from embarrassing, Atkin’s advice is positive in tone and crystal clear in direction. You, you need a bob, she might decide. Or, for one person, layers would be a small but transformational difference to the length they’ve had for years. 

One person asked if their chin-length bob needed a fringe to suit her face shape. “Girl, no. You need to wait until your hair grows a little bit longer, like two more inches, and then cut a fringe. You’ll look so chic,” was Atkin’s sweet but no-nonsense response – the kind of advice we all want from someone who knows. 

“Can someone please tell me what my hair is?” another asks from the seat of her car. “I’ll tell you what your hair is. It’s beautiful. This is what you need to do,” replies Atkin, holding up an image of Suki Waterhouse with tousled blonde hair and bottleneck bangs. “I would do something that’s like around your cheeks – between your cheeks and your chin – and just give yourself a fringe that you can have a little bit of lightness around your face.”

“You’re going to maybe be scared of this but I think it’ll look amazing – lob it,” Atkin advises another TikTok user with long, straight hair and halo highlights. “And leave the colour, just get the roots touched up a bit but leave the colour.”

While the chances of Atkin replying to one of the many, many requests in her inbox are slim, the ones she has chosen serve as great inspiration for trying something new and inching out of your comfort zone. Screenshot fingers at the ready. 

Main image: Getty