Getting your locks chopped can instantly make you feel and look young and sexy. But sometimes, with the wrong hair styling techniques, short hair can age you. Here, we lay down everything you need to know to veer away from tita territory.

Adding too much volume at the crown
When you add too much height to your cropped ‘do, you emit the dreaded tita vibe. If you still want volume, make sure the fullness is uniform all over.

Worshipping the blow dryer
Another trick to avoid the tita blowout is to air-dry short hair until it is 50 percent dry. Then run a serum through your strands, and start blow-drying them.

Going all out with gel
Slicked back hair is a great look to cop from the runways,but if you put on too much gel, you’ll look more like Dracula than a Karolina Kurnikova. Stick to a five-peso coin-sized amount to be safe.

Putting on too much product
We know it’s a must for gals to have perfect hair days, but piling on too much product on your tresses will only weigh it down. If you want to keep things edgy, dab a sculpting wax on your tips. For beachy, Lauren Conrad-esque hair, a few spritzes of sea salt spray would do. If you prefer to simply polish your bob, just run a smoothing serum through the ends.

Fighting your bangs
Your bangs or the short snips of hair that fall on your forehead will always be there—always. Stop fighting them by tucking them with a bobby pin or letting your bangs fall freely on your face. If you’re really bothered, consider a retouch cut from your stylist to refresh the length of your bangs or just let them grow out.

PHOTO: Instagram @chekakramer