While hairstyle trends come and go, it’s better to move on before it’s too late. Tim Haynes, owner of Boston’s Best winner Blade Barbershop, offers his pro take on when to change up your look, and how to do it.

The fall is the perfect time to make a switch, according to Haynes, since you can let your summer haircut grow out a bit with the cooler temperatures and give your barber something to sculpt with. By knowing how fast healthy hair grows (a half-inch per month), you can determine how much hair you will have by your next appointment and think of some styling possibilities, or even push back your appointment if you need more time to shape out your coiffure.

Change, however, can be difficult for some, especially those guys going through one of the tougher adjustments—going bald. A few brave men who are losing their hair might embrace it and just shave it off, but for those holding out hope, Haynes says it’s best to take the process in stages. “I tell [clients] to take it off as it happens, therefore they get used to it. I don’t want to take it all off and then give them a heart attack.” As for thinning hair, keeping it short can give the illusion that your locks are denser than they truly are.

Even those without much on top can modify their mug to make it look softer. “Adding facial hair is a good way to change the shape of your face, it can even out a blocked forehead and pointy chin,” Haynes explains. Back at home, make sure to have a pair of clippers with a guard on them to keep the length of the beard in check.

And when some modern trend inevitably goes the way of the mullet or Jheri curl, at least the photographic evidence can provide a good laugh when it pops up on the social media site of the moment. / Andrew Elmers