AI told us these hair apps are great. Here’s why it was wrong.
What’s the first thing you do when thinking of a dramatic hair change? Of course, rushing to ask ChatGPT or any other AI for recommendations! And within seconds, you get a list of “amazing” hairstyle try on tools.
You download the first one, upload your photo, and… nothing. The app crashes. You try the second one. But it simply doesn’t exist in the app store (oopsy!). The third link leads to a 404 error page.
In today’s AI-dependent world, we’ve grown accustomed to asking artificial intelligence for everything from restaurant recommendations to travel advice. But when it comes to beauty technology, particularly AI hairstyle apps, these assistants are failing us over and over again. And, honestly, we’re not surprised.
Many apps disappear overnight, rebrand, become paid, or add entirely different features (without notifying the users, of course). This creates a frustrating cycle. Women seeking to experiment with their look waste precious time downloading broken apps and dealing with outdated interfaces.
After experiencing this frustration firsthand, we decided to investigate. We tested ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, asking each for their best hairstyle try on suggestions. The results were shocking: out of 18 recommended apps, only 8 actually worked as described. The rest were digital ghosts, broken promises, or bait-and-switch experiences that bore no resemblance to their AI descriptions.
According to recent studies on AI hallucinations, generative AI and large language models produce inaccurate information in approximately 15-20% of their responses. In beauty tech recommendations, our research suggests this number is significantly higher. This article reveals the truth behind AI’s beauty app blind spots and provides you with a real, tested list of AI hairstyle tools that actually work in 2025.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team.To understand the scope of AI’s recommendation issue in beauty tech, we designed a detailed review that would expose the gaps between AI promises and reality. Our methodology was straightforward but thorough: we asked three major AI assistants for their best try on hairstyle recommendations and tested every single suggestion.
The prompt we used was pretty simple: “Suggest the best AI-powered hairstyle try-on tools.”
We wanted to replicate the exact experience most users would have when seeking haircut AI tools. No leading questions, no specific requirements. Just the natural query someone would type in when looking for a virtual hair experimentation service. Here’s what we got.
ChatGPT confidently provided a list including AI Hairstyles (aihairstyles.com), Perfect Corp’s AI Hairstyle Changer, TheHairStyler.com, Virtual Hairstyler, Krea AI Hairstyle Changer, and the mobile app “AI Hairstyle Try On:Bangs, Wigs by JYCoder.
Each recommendation came with detailed descriptions of features, pricing, and capabilities that sounded incredibly promising.
Claude’s response was equally comprehensive, featuring Perfect Corp (YouCam), Fotor AI Hairstyle Changer, AI Hairstyles, AI Ease, Facetune, and The Right Hairstyles.
The AI provided specific details about each platform, including the number of available styles (140+ for Perfect Corp, 100+ for The Right Hairstyles) and even user satisfaction statistics.
Perplexity rounded out our test with YouCam AI Hairstyle, Fotor Hairstyle Changer, Perfect Corp, Funy AI, Bylo.ai, Style My Hair 3D, and Hair Zapp.
What struck us immediately was the overlap between recommendations. We noticed that certain apps appeared across multiple AI responses, lending them an air of credibility.
Armed with this list of 18 apps and platforms, we began our investigation. We tried to download each mobile app, visit each website, and test the actual try on hairstyle functions described by the AI assistants. We came by broken links, recorded app crashes, noted feature discrepancies, and tracked which tools actually delivered on their AI-described promises.
The process took over 40 hours and revealed a troubling pattern: AI assistants were recommending beauty tools with the confidence of personal experience with no real-time verification capabilities. They were essentially guessing (often convincingly, though) about the current state of beauty technology.
Unlike humans, who can check information in real-time, AI models are trained on historical data that quickly becomes dated in the modern world of beauty technology. So, asking for AI haircut recommendations is like consulting a librarian who’s been locked in a library since their last update, unable to check whether the books they’re recommending still exist.
Besides, beauty tech operates on an entirely different timeline than most other industries. While a restaurant might stay in business for decades, hairstyle AI apps frequently disappear or completely overhaul their features within months. This creates a digital trash bin of apps that AI systems continue to recommend long after they’ve stopped functioning.
When L’Oreal quietly rebranded it as My Hair ID and reduced its functionality, the AI systems never received that update. They continue recommending the original version with enthusiasm, completely unaware that it no longer exists.
This creates a frustrating experience for users seeking hairstyle AI tools. So, when these apps crash or fail to deliver promised features, users lose time and confidence in the entire category of virtual beauty tools.
Our testing showed a dilemma where AI confidence met the harsh truths. Out of 18 hairstyle apps from three major AI assistants, only 8 functioned as described. The remaining 10 fell into three troubling categories: ghost apps that no longer exist, bait-and-switch experiences that bore no resemblance to their AI descriptions, and technically functional but practically broken tools that crashed or provided such poor user experiences that they were essentially unusable. Here are some of them.
Style My Hair 3D, repeatedly recommended by Perplexity, ceased to exist years ago when L’Oreal folded its technology into its My Hair ID platform. Still, AI systems continue describing it as a cutting-edge virtual hairstyle try on tool with “revolutionary 3D visualization” and “extensive customization options.”
Perfect Corp represents a different type of ghost story. AI systems recommend Perfect Corp’s AI Hairstyle Changer as a standalone app, but Perfect Corp is actually a company that develops multiple beauty apps, not a single downloadable tool.
Users searching for the specifically named app find themselves confused and frustrated, unsure which of the Perfect Corp’s products actually provides the described virtual hairstyle try-on functionality.
Perhaps more frustrating than ghost apps are those that exist but have evolved far beyond their AI descriptions. These free hairstyle apps lead users to downloads that provide completely different experiences than promised.
TheHairStyler.com, enthusiastically recommended by ChatGPT, exemplifies this category. The AI described it as a comprehensive virtual hairstyling platform with advanced AI capabilities.
The reality is a basic website with an outdated interface that looks like it was designed in 2010. While technically functional, it provides generic hairstyle overlays rather than the sophisticated AI-powered transformations described by the chatbot.
The final category consists of apps that technically exist and even provide some hairstyle functionality, but deliver such poor user experiences that they’re practically unusable. They waste the most user time and create the most frustration.
For example, let’s take the almost-not-working Hair Zapp. While appearing in app stores, Hair Zapp often crashes during the photo upload process. Users report waiting through loading screens only to have the app freeze or close unexpectedly. The haircut filter simply doesn’t work reliably enough to provide any meaningful value.
Users write that after investing time and emotional energy in the process, they are left with nothing but frustration and skepticism about the entire category of hairstyle try-on tools.
After testing all those broken AI suggestions, we committed to finding the truth: which different hairstyles apps actually deliver on their promises in 2025? We spent over 40 hours systematically testing every major hairstyle try-on platform we could find, going far beyond AI suggestions to discover tools that real users rely on today.
We used the same selfie across all platforms to ensure consistent comparison, tested both free and premium features where available, and evaluated each app based on real-world usability rather than promotional promises. We looked for hair try on tools that could actually help women make confident decisions about their hairstyle changes, not just generate social media content.
How it works: Focuses on hair color experimentation with bright and vivid color options.
Perfect365 has found its niche in the bold color space, offering a range of realistic hair shades that go far beyond traditional browns and blondes. If you’ve ever wondered how you’d look with rose gold hair, electric blue highlights, or any of the Instagram-worthy colors trending on social media, this is your testing ground.
The app also includes traditional hairstyle options, but the color functionality is clearly the main attraction. Users report that the color accuracy helped them feel confident about dramatic color changes they had been too nervous to attempt before.
Pros: Exceptional color realism, bright/vivid color options, good for experimenting with bold changes.
Cons: Limited traditional hairstyle options, some features require a premium upgrade.
Best for: Users considering dramatic color changes or wanting to experiment with non-traditional hair colors.
How it works: Provides hundreds of hairstyles with realistic color simulation.
The Right Hairstyles try-on tool has emerged as a top choice for AI hairstyle experimentation among women this year and is poised to become one of the leading tools in 2026. The app delivers on its core promise: helping users visualize how different cuts and colors would look with their actual face shape and skin tone. It has clearly found its audience among women seeking serious hairstyle exploration.
The Right Hairstyles’ user-friendly interface ensures smooth and effortless navigation, allowing users to try on multiple styles quickly and see how each one harmonizes with their natural look. The app includes a wide range of basic shades alongside some creative options that look realistic rather than cartoonish, addressing one of the biggest complaints about virtual hair tools. Best of all, The Right Hairstyles try-on app works now, without any bugs or complications, is regularly updated, and continuously expanded with new features. It’s a constantly evolving technology.
Pros: Realistic results, an extensive style library, regular updates with new styles, colors, and features, a free try-on option, and a budget-friendly price.
Cons: Premium features require a subscription, and some advanced styles are available only in paid tiers.
Best for: Users who want to try different really popular and up-to-date hairstyles before making salon appointments in 2025 and 2026.
How it works: Provides basic hair color visualization with L’Oreal product integration.
As the “child” of Style My Hair 3D, My Hair ID represents L’Oreal’s current approach to the virtual hair try-on technology. However, our testing revealed limitations that make it less useful than other alternatives. The color options are restrictive since they focus on variations of medium brown and dark brown rather than the diverse palette modern users expect.
The integration with the L’Oreal’s product line is both a strength and a weakness. Users who love a particular look can immediately see which specific L’Oreal products would create that color, making the salon consultation process easier. However, this products’ focus seems to limit the creative possibilities compared to platform-agnostic alternatives.
The interface is clean and professional, reflecting L’Oreal’s corporate resources, but the actual try-on results often look remarkably similar regardless of the selected shade. Users report frustration with the limited color differentiation and unrealistic final results.
Pros: Professional interface, direct product recommendations, backed by a major beauty company.
Cons: Limited color range, unrealistic results, heavy product marketing focus.
Best for: Users specifically interested in L’Oreal products and subtle color changes.
How it works: Offers hairstyle try-on functionality but restricts saving results to premium users.
Reface gained popularity for its face-swapping technology but has expanded into hairstyle experimentation. The app provides decent AI hairstyle results and a user-friendly interface, but the business model is frustrating for users who want to save and share their experiments.
This limitation is particularly problematic for hairstyle planning, where you typically want to save multiple options and reference them during salon appointments. The free trial approach might work for casual experimentation, but it creates barriers for serious hairstyle decision-making.
Pros: Good rendering quality, contemporary style selection, fast processing times.
Cons: Cannot save results without premium upgrade, limited functionality in the free version.
Best for: Casual experimentation.
How it works: Provides multiple hairstyle options, but with poor realism in results.
This app impresses users initially with its library of hairstyle options, offering the most popular cuts and colors. The selection covers everything from classic bobs to elaborate updos and edgy pixie cuts. However, the quantity doesn’t always translate to quality.
The app’s rendering technology shows mixed results depending on the chosen style and your photo quality. Some combinations look surprisingly realistic and helpful for decision-making, while others produce obviously artificial results that bear little resemblance to how the style would actually look. This inconsistency makes it difficult for users to trust the results when making important hairstyle decisions.
Pros: Huge selection of styles, covers all major hair categories, regular content updates.
Cons: Inconsistent realism, some results look obviously artificial.
Best for: Style inspiration and broad exploration rather than precise visualization.
Learning to identify unreliable AI recommendations can save you hours of frustration and help you make better decisions about which haircut simulator tools deserve your time. Through our testing, we’ve identified clear red flags that signal when an AI assistant is recommending outdated or non-existent beauty apps.
The main red flags in AI recommendations are:
When AI systems describe apps with precise user counts (“over 50,000 satisfied customers”), exact numbers of available styles (“140+ hairstyles”), or detailed technical capabilities (“advanced 3D rendering technology”), they’re often pulling from old marketing copy rather than current reality.
References to Perfect Corp’s AI Hairstyle Changer or ModiFace Professional Tools often indicate that the AI is confused about company names versus actual app names. Legitimate hairstyle generator apps have distinct, memorable names.
When an AI confidently recommends an app without mentioning recent updates or current user experiences, you’re likely looking at an outdated recommendation.
Descriptions of “revolutionary technology” or “perfect results every time” without any limitations or drawbacks.
Your Verification Checklist:
The truth about AI-recommended hair apps reveals a broader lesson about artificial intelligence in our daily lives. Although these systems are great for discovery and inspiration, they fail at verification and accuracy.
So, next time you want to ask Chat GPT what hairstyle suits you, go for tested recommendations rather than AI suggestions. Take your time and try multiple tools. Then, save your favorite results and use them as conversation starters with professional stylists who can help you achieve the looks you love most.
