As we are over the worst of the winter, that usually means a short haircut. The question is, how best to style and care for it?
Styling and care tips for dudes with short hair
Whether your hair is curly, coarse or thin – with just a few, small ‘hacks’ you can get back to looking fresh and sharp
A new year is a time of new beginnings. A time to take stock and strive for improvement. Now, if we were one of those self-help books you get in airports, we might start talking about careers and money and cars and all that predictable business. But, frankly, we’ll leave that to the Wall Streeters. Our thoughts are a little more down to earth. A little less in the air and a little more, well, in the mirror.
The first thing to know is that to style and look after hair properly, you need the hair to be cut properly in the first place. A bad cut means a bad hair day every day. No amount of styling can change that.
The second thing to know is that it pays to recognize the type of hair you have and work with its natural properties, rather than against it. that is exactly what we are going to do in this post.
There are 5 broad hair types: straight, curly, thick, coarse and thin – we’ll break them all down below.
1. STRAIGHT HAIR
Fairly straight hair is perhaps easiest to manage. David Beckham’s hair fits into this category. It is easy to manage and you can do quite a bit with it. It’s quite a versatile type of hair. That said, there are still some hard and fast rules to get the most out of it. Do experiment with products. You don’t need to stick with one. Try a few. You might prefer Change It Up Texturising Clay or Tight Grip Fixing Spray – whatever works for you. Remember though, don’t overload it with product. Less is more – too much product never makes for a good look.
2. CURLY HAIR
When your hair is curly, you need to work with the wave to get the best out of it. So, let’s start with what not to do. Simple: don’t blow dry it unless using a diffuser on a a very low heat. Again, blow drying can dry curly hair out and take the curl out, and as we mentioned, we want to enhance the curl.
Do, however, apply a pomade or gel product that is moisturising, as this means the hair won't dry out, which is never a good look. And to get the most out of the styling product, apply the product just before the hair is dry.
3. THICK HAIR
When styling thick hair what you are trying to do is essentially gain control of it. Remember then, in this case, product is your friend and comrade. So, apply a little product when damp and blow dry it in, working with the cut of the hair, to get the very best result. Then, apply more product once it is dry to do the final styling. Don’t: skip on the product. Thick hair can take whatever you throw at it.
" To get the most out of the styling product, apply the product just before the hair is dry " - Buddha -
4. COARSE HAIR
Coarse hair is normally quite thick and is also normally curly at the same time. With this type of hair, what you are always looking to avoid is frizziness. So, to do this you want to keep in the moisture. So, do make sure you use a soothing lotion to prevent hair drying. Also use a gel or pomade when not quite dry for best results. Don’t, however, blow dry it. Well, if you can help it anyway.
5. THIN HAIR
When styling thin hair, your aim is to do one thing: create thickness and body. The question is, how to do that? The key is in the blow dry using a brush and lifting hair. It follows on from that what our don’t is for this type of hair – use too much product or a heavy wax. Doing so will just reduce the sense of body.
Use a lightweight wax and nothing much more.
My final tip: whatever type of hair you have, remember you can always add product but not take it away. So, go easy and go slow."