How to Look Very Different So That Others Cannot Recognize You

Change your hair. Hair is incredibly important for visual identification, and should be the first step in creating a drastic difference between the old you and the new you. Simply changing one's hair color goes a long way in making a person less recognizable, but if you aren't willing to dye or get highlights, a new haircut works too. Bushy or shaggy haircuts and bangs/fringe have the added benefit of obscuring more of your face. Try styling your hair differently: if you have long hair that you usually leave down, put it in various updos.

Your face is another very important aspect of your look. Do it differently.

• If you don't usually wear eye makeup, use some eyeshadow and liner to obtain a smoky eye look. Similarly, if you do wear makeup regularly, cut it back to moisturizer and chapstick. Change your lipstick shade (e.g., from light pinks to red; from dark shades to a sheer gloss). Start or stop using blush.^[1]
• If you typically remain clean shaven, try growing your facial hair out (These can make a huge difference in your appearance).^[2] If you typically style your facial hair, try going for a full beard; if you let your mane run wild, try a more controlled look (Restrict your beard to stubble or a chinstrap, perhaps).
• Eyebrows also can have a huge effect on what you look like. If yours are neatly groomed and shaped, let them grow out for a bit. If you let them go, try plucking a bit at them. Bleaching or penciling them are other options for modification.^[3]

Change the way you dress. Often, each person dresses uniquely and this is a way to tell people apart. If you mindlessly throw clothes on and don't pay much attention to style or fashion, this would be a good time to start.^[4]

• People tend to have distinct approaches to light outerwear, which contributes significantly to a look. Zip-up jackets, hoodies, sporty windbreakers, (cropped, full, loose, or snug) cardigans, wraps, pullover sweaters, flannel, plaid shirts worn as a top layer over tees--all of these result in very different looks.
• If you normally dress down in light, distressed jeans or sweatpants and sweatshirts, printed tees or crop tops/tank tops, take the formality up a notch with darker jeans and less casual looking tops. Perhaps this means polos or dress shirts, perhaps it means blouses with some sort of frills or camis under blazers; this varies, depending on gender, regional trends, and what looks good to you. Similarly, if you usually try to look put together, try a hoodie, old jeans, and a quick ponytail (if female).
• Vary your fit. If you dress in slim-fitting, snug clothes, try some flowy or loose styles, and vice versa. Throwing a baggy button-up sweater over tight outfits is a good way to change a fit.