|
5/11/2024 Today’s Man Wants It AllThe men’s grooming category is growing at a healthy clip as guys strive to look their best with the latest hairstyling accessories. “Men have become more invested in styling and care routines with an eagerness to learn which products are best for their specific hair type, texture and desired result— and most importantly, how to use them effectively,” he explained. “With the rise of social media, men have greater access to grooming inspiration and education, from their favorite celebrities to their local barber.
“There has also been a shift towards more relaxed and casual grooming and styling trends, reflecting changes in work environments and lifestyle preferences,” Garcia added. “We’ve seen an enormous explosion in the men’s grooming category during the past 10 years,” concurred Laurence Hegart, co-founder of Reuzel, a men’s grooming line. “There’s been a huge increase in the number of barbershops, and hair salons that have dedicated male grooming areas.” Sam Lewkowict, co-founder of Black Wolf Nation, told Happi, men have just entered one of the most competitive dating landscapes in human history. “You’re not just competing with your peers for women, you are now competing with the world— men will need to step up how they look and smell,” he observed. “It’s not necessarily a good thing for our society, but online dating and the increased time spend on those platforms have made products like our more necessary.” 2/23/2024 The 5 Best AI Hairstyle Apps for MenGet a virtual hairstyle consultation with the help of these 5 AI hairstyle tools.  Choosing the perfect hairstyle can be challenging. You spend countless hours scrolling through photos, looking for inspiration, yet feel overwhelmed with your options.
This is where technology comes in handy. And with AI enabling a lot of technological advancements, it is no wonder it’s being used to power websites and applications that help men explore different hairstyles. An Al hairstyle app can help determine the best options based on your features. These apps use advanced algorithms and 3D modelling to detect your facial features, hair texture, and more to provide personalized recommendations that are most likely to complement you. Nowadays, you can preview potential looks on your own face with the click of a button. It’s as easy as uploading a selfie and waiting for the results. Here are some of our top picks:  In the fiercely competitive world of career advancement, success often hinges on meticulous attention to detail. From honing your skills and qualifications to perfecting your attire and grooming, every element contributes to your professional journey. One often underestimated factor that can profoundly impact a man's career prospects is hair. Yes, you read that correctly! In this article, we'll delve into the intriguing ways in which hair can be a game-changer, from bolstering self-confidence to leaving a lasting impression. Let's explore the intricate relationship between your locks and your path to professional success. THE ROLE OF HAIR IN BOOSTING CONFIDENCE Your hair can be a powerful confidence booster, a vital attribute when aiming for career growth. The saying, "When you look good, you feel good," holds true, as well-groomed hair enhances your overall appearance and self-image. This boost in self-esteem encourages you to stand taller, maintain eye contact, and exude confidence in your interactions with others. Positive feedback about your hair, whether from friends, colleagues, or strangers, provides social validation. Compliments and admiration reinforce your self-confidence, creating a positive feedback loop that encourages assertive behaviour and facilitates success in various professional settings. Additionally, people often associate well-groomed individuals with competence and reliability, further enhancing your confidence in the workplace.  THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAIR IN MAKING FIRST IMPRESSIONS Your hair is a pivotal component of your professional image, often being one of the first things people notice about you. A polished, well-maintained hairstyle communicates discipline and professionalism, making it imperative that your hair sends the right message, particularly during job interviews or client meetings. Moreover, your hairstyle can work wonders in concealing your age, a valuable asset in the workplace where a youthful appearance is often linked to energy and adaptability. With the right haircut and grooming routine, you can maintain a fresh and youthful look, potentially gaining a competitive edge over your peers. UNDERSTANDING HAIR LOSS IN YOUR 30S AND 40S For many men in the prime of their career in their 40s, they usually start to notice their hair loss becomes more pronounced, typically following the pattern established in their 30s. Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is the primary culprit. Here are key insights into hair loss in your 30s and 40s:  - Pattern of Hair Loss: Male pattern baldness often manifests as a receding hairline and thinning at the crown of the head, with hair loss progressing gradually over time. - Genetic Predisposition: Genetics plays a significant role in this condition, and a family history of hair loss can increase your likelihood of experiencing it. - Hormonal Changes: Hormones, especially dihydrotestosterone (DHT), contribute to hair loss by causing hair follicles to shrink over time. Hormonal changes that come with age can exacerbate this process. - Slower Rate of Growth: As men age, their hair growth rate typically slows down, resulting in finer and less dense hair, contributing to the appearance of thinning. - Lifestyle Factors: Stress and certain lifestyle choices, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and poor nutrition, can exacerbate hair loss. Adopting a healthier lifestyle can mitigate these effects. - Medical Interventions: Treatments like minoxidil (topical) and finasteride (oral) are FDA-approved options that can slow down hair loss and promote regrowth in some cases. Hair transplant procedures offer a more permanent solution for those seeking restoration. - Scalp Care: Proper scalp care, including regular shampooing, using a gentle conditioner, and avoiding harsh styling practices, is essential for preserving existing hair. - Consultation with a Hair Transplant Doctor: If hair loss concerns you in your 30s and 40s, consulting hair transplant doctor is advisable. They can assess your condition, provide a diagnosis, and recommend suitable treatments or provide further research materials including videos, podcasts and blogs. - Managing Expectations: It's crucial to maintain realistic expectations when addressing hair loss. While treatments can slow down the process and promote regrowth to some extent, they may not completely reverse the effects of male pattern baldness.  FROM MANAGER TO LEADER: THE IMPACT OF HAIR ON LEADERSHIP As you ascend the corporate ladder, leadership skills become paramount. Interestingly, your hair can also reflect your readiness for a leadership role. A well-maintained, authoritative hairstyle exudes a sense of control and command, fostering trust and making it easier for others to follow your lead. Here are some of the best hairstyles to exude confidence and authority in the corporate setting: - Classic Tapered Cut: The classic tapered cut is a timeless and professional choice. It's short on the sides and back, gradually tapering in length as it moves up the head. This style is clean, neat, and exudes a sense of discipline and attention to detail. - Short Side Part: A short side part is a refined and sophisticated look. It involves slightly longer hair on top, combed to one side with a distinct part. This style is a favorite among executives and conveys a polished appearance. - Slicked-Back Style: The slicked-back style features hair combed back and held in place with a product like pomade or gel. It offers a sleek and organized appearance that can exude confidence and authority. - Textured Quiff: The textured quiff features longer hair on top that's styled upward and slightly back. It adds an element of stylish sophistication to your appearance while maintaining a professional edge. - Professional Pompadour: A professional pompadour combines a sleek, swept-back look with volume on top. It's a refined style that can exude confidence and authority without being overly flashy.  Remember that the best hairstyle for projecting confidence and authority in the boardroom depends on your individual style, hair type, and personal preferences. Regardless of the style you choose, it's essential to keep your hair well-groomed, maintain regular trims, and use appropriate styling products to achieve the desired look. CONCLUSION Your hair is far more than just a collection of strands on your head; it's a critical component of your professional image that can significantly shape your career journey. From boosting self-confidence to making an indelible impression, your hairstyle is a powerful tool for career advancement. By paying careful attention to your hair and grooming routine, you can enhance your professional image, radiate confidence, and ultimately unlock the doors to success in your professional pursuits. So, don't underestimate the potential of your locks; they might just be the secret weapon you've been seeking on your path to professional achievement. Written by Menswear Style
Celebrity hairstylist Jay Small shares the simple ways men can bulk up thin strands and hide hair loss  If you're losing your hair, going in for a haircut might feel like the last thing you want to do. But a smart, stylish cut can make thinning hair appear fuller, according to celebrity hairstylist Jay Small. Small has two decades of experience that includes work with celebrities like Matt Damon, Luke Grimes, and Noah Centineo. He also cofounded Arey, a dietary supplement and hair serum brand for aging and graying hair. The stylist told Insider that "hair thinning and hair loss for men, specifically," is the most common issue he encounters at the salon. Here are his top tips for making thinning, aging hair appear fuller and healthier. A comb-over can look chic if done properly Don't dismiss the comb-over, Small said, especially one done at the hands of a skilled stylist. "I know it's a cliché to talk about a comb-over," he said, but "there are ways in which you can leave a little bit of hair and not have it be very obvious." He recommends a comb-over to some clients who are losing a significant amount of hair on the crown of their head. But maintaining a chic comb-over requires more frequent visits to the salon, to make sure the combing isn't too obvious. A man with thinning hair who chooses to rock a comb-over might need to visit their stylist every four to six weeks to ensure the remaining hair remains neat and not overgrown. Small also recommends using a powdered dry shampoo to minimize greasiness, which can make hair lie flat on the scalp. Keeping hair dry can add volume, making your hair look fuller. He says look for a dry shampoo that is not aerosolized — those spray cans can be loaded with up to 95% propellants like benzene, which isn't actually helping absorb any oil; it's just pushing the spray out of the can. Also avoid dry shampoos with alcohol in them, which can dry out your scalp. Instead, find a small bottle of dry shampoo powder, ideally one where 100% of the ingredients target oil absorption. Consider changing your part or chopping off some length to help your hair look fuller  If you're noticing a visible bald spot on your head, you might want to change up your part so more hair covers the exposed thinning area, Small said. Though the change might feel "awkward" at first, the stylist recommends trying out a new part with wet hair and blow-drying your hair in the direction of the part. Changing your part later on, once hair is dry, might make the hair "stick up" unnaturally, Small said. If you happen to have a longer hairstyle, chopping off some of that length can also help make hair look fuller. "The longer your hair is, the finer your hair will look," he said. Finally, don't let your hair loss deter you from keeping your scalp healthy and clean. If you wash your hair frequently, find a gentle shampoo that won't over-cleanse. You may also want to consider a weekly scrub, like an acid-based exfoliating treatment that can help "balance the bacteria" on your scalp, Small said. Above all, be open with your hair stylist Small says he understands it can be hard for clients to bring up new hair loss issues with their stylist. "A lot of times people aren't really willing to talk about it," he said. He tries to find "tasteful" ways to broach issues or changes he's seeing on a particular client's scalp. "Our job is to have a conversation that a wife or a friend might not have," he said. from Business Insider
7/15/2023 BARBERING AND TATTOOS? If you, dear reader, were to take a quick look through a few barbers Instagram pages (other social media sites are available) you may notice that a lot of them have a tattoo or two, probably quite a few more. Yet somehow this adult male in his mid twenties (dear writer) has never really thought beyond “that looks pretty cool”, when on the surface of it, there is no real reason for the two to be linked… is there? Before we voyage (hint hint) into the great unknown, maybe the quickest of recaps is required: barbering – very old, tattooing – old but not as old. Hope that clears things up… Seriously though, as you may know from posts such as History of the Barber Pole, barbering is an ancient profession, the first implements that we are pretty certain are barber tools is a barber razor that is over 20,000 years old! And since then the base profession of cutting men’s hair hasn’t changed, hair will continue to grow and laser epilation was a bit less precise in ye olden times, and sadly the Dark Stag Premium Straight Razor just wasn’t available. Of course such minor things as becoming surgeons, bloodletting and leeching, fire cupping, performing enemas, and a toe curling idea of pre-anaesthesia tooth extraction became part and parcel of the role really. But what else would you expect of your local barber? 19,900 years after it’s rather grim conception, and a colossal business boom with the invention of mass production, the business took a hit. Barbering fell out of popularity. Possibly thanks to the invention of the safety razor in 1880 (a.d. now, obviously), but even more likely was the invention and business model created by King Camp Gillette, keep the hissing to a minimum please. As you may be familiar with his work, all I need to say is he invented the idea of disposable razors and the ‘razor and blades business model’, both of which have been made wildly popular, and which led to the decrease in popularity of barbers and their profession. The art had a pretty grim outlook with unisex hairdressers becoming trendy. Fortunately, with indie culture growing more fashionable, and men’s grooming with it, the barbershop is being restored to its pre-Gillette glory. And we here at Dark Stag are thankful for it!  So with that covered, what about the other half of this article, tattoos? Tattoos also have a rich and varied history, with pretty much every culture having a punky rebel stage at some point. The UK has been lucky enough to have 3, the woad phase (ancient Britons), the naval exploration (read: colonialism) phase, and the modern resurgence. I won’t go over the ancient stuff, it’s kind of irrelevant to modern barbering, so let’s jump right in to the rise in popularity in the 19th century. The British navy has quite the reputation for landing in foreign countries, usually conquering and claiming it for itself, leading to that well known phrase: ‘The sun never sets on the British empire’. Fortunately for modern day tattooists, this colonial expansion led to the sailors being exposed to a lot of different cultures from around the world, and a lot of these cultures (looking at you New Zealand, Japan and Samoa) had a deeply ingrained tattoo culture. Which the sailors quite fancied for themselves. This was the birth of the stereotype and image of the grizzled tattooed sailor, and these men brought the images back home where they gained popularity in a major way, even kings and princes got inked (Edward VII and his sons). So you can see exactly how this led to a hugely popular tattoo culture within the UK, and other nations of course. After the world wars, and a number of other events, tattoos had a stigma attached to them, a cumulative effect rather than one defining event, which suppressed them and made them into a subculture of their own. But the fashionable force could not be contained, and the tattoo is now once again in the spotlight.  Now back to the meat of this: we’ve heard of mice and men, but what of barbers and tattoos? What’s the link? One pretty simple explanation could be that both require a clean, sterile environment, electrical tools that need to be handled with precision, and a rather cool old-school atmosphere that few other places can compete with. Dark Stag products are all designed with this classic aesthetic in mind, so they look right at home in your barber shop! Whilst this does logically explain the modern aspects, it really doesn’t cover the historical links. On the surface it appears to be that there is no causal link, that the pair have always been linked, pre-Gillette anyway. One answer that jumped out to me was that, historically, ships would have a barber on board, and as we know, in the olden times these guys would have to switch between straight razor and scalpel and just pray they didn’t get the order muddled up. And we also know that these ships were the first modern Europeans to encounter the cultures that were heavily tattooed.  Some would have been inked in these foreign lands, but I am willing to bet that some sailors would have liked the idea of getting them after seeing these examples, and who else is better to perform this art than the ships resident barber surgeon? From there the barbers leave the ships, set up a business and well there you have it, the barber-tattoo wombo combo that seems so familiar to us. There is one final interpretation however, and it really speaks to me. The subculture stems back to barber shop culture and its roots, as well as the seemingly permanent stigma regarding tattooed people. It’s easy to understand how comfortable a tatted professional or artist would feel working in an environment that supports how they like to express themselves, particularly one that is seen as so ‘alternative’. A mutual respect for each other on this basis would really encourage working together. And barber shops are the place to be to provide it. Men travel to barber shops and tattoo parlours to forge and expand their identities, and the venues have come to represent a distinct set of values that are… well, valued by their customers and the people working there. Going to a barber shop is no longer just about getting your hair cut, it’s also about finding a place where you can relax and be amongst like-minded people without feeling judged. And the same applies to tattoo shops, so it’s no wonder the two are so closely linked!  So there you have it! I’ve supplied the ideas and knowledge, it’s up to you to decide which fits in with your worldview. The question is, which answer do you choose?
Until next time Dark Stag Team |
Hair by BrianMy name is Brian and I help people confidently take on the world. CategoriesAll Advice Announcement Awards Balayage Barbering Beach Waves Beauty News Book Now Brazilian Treatment Clients Cool Facts COVID 19 Health COVID 19 Update Curlies EGift Card Films Follically Challenged Gossip Grooming Hair Care Haircolor Haircut Hair Facts Hair History Hair Loss Hair Styling Hair Tips Hair Tools Health Health And Safety Healthy Hair Highlights Holidays Humor Mens Hair Men's Long Hair Newsletter Ombre Policies Procedures Press Release Previous Blog Privacy Policy Product Knowledge Product Reviews Promotions Read Your Labels Recommendations Reviews Scalp Health Science Services Smoothing Treatments Social Media Summer Hair Tips Textured Hair Thinning Hair Travel Tips Trending Wellness Womens Hair Archives
December 2024
|
Search by typing & pressing enter
RSS Feed