Surfer hair is one of those hairstyles that are referred to as tousled. The hair is intentionally made to look unkempt, disheveled and messy to create a relaxed impression. It appears as if you’ve spent long hours under the scorching tropical sun, with salty sea water and gentle breeze shaping your locks. Though, with the right styling products and approach, you can achieve such an appealing hairstyle without leaving home. Already feeling intrigued? Then check out our ultimate guide to the surfer’s hair look.

How To Get Surfer Hair
Surfer’s hair begins with medium shag haircuts, thus to nail the look, your hair should be of the neck length at the back, chin length on the sides and eye length at the front. Hence, when considering a beach hair style, ensure that you have enough will and patience to grow your locks. As for the texture, don’t bother adding any waves or curls. They will come with length, so let nature do its business.

How To Style The Haircut
When looking for the ways how to style long hairstyles for men often misjudge that because of its length, the styling of the surfer haircut requires a lot of time and effort. In reality, you can achieve the perfect surfer hair by simply going with a “bed-head”. Although, for the added enhancement, follow these simple steps:

1. Wash your hair and dry it with a towel.
2. Apply a salt-infused product with a matte finish and either leave the hair air dry or blow dry with a diffuser.
3. Optionally, add a touch of shine with a pomade.

Men’s Surfer Hair
One of the main advantages of a surfer hair style is its versatility. You can style it in naturally hanging loose locks or get a skater haircut and play with the hair on top. You can even add a formal air to it by brushing back with a blob of pomade. For more inspiration on the look, here’s our handpicked gallery of the best surfer hairstyles.

Tousled Hairstyle
This short on sides long on top haircut is a modern take on classic surfer mens haircuts. Thanks to the cropped sides, you get a clean and defined look appropriate for different social occasions while the prominent sun bleached hair on top reminds of a tousled origin of this style.

Long Surfer Hair Style  
Long wavy haircuts are arguably the best option if you want to pull off a surfer hair style. Paired with a coarse full beard, these soft and mellow waves create a perfect merman look. All you need to do is to arm oneself with patience, as both the hair and beard require some time to grow.

Curly Surfer Hair With Beard
If you’re not after long mens haircut styles that much, go for a medium-length haircut then. The blonde highlights men usually add to random strands enhance the appearance of the sun-bleached hair for a more authentic look whereas the mid-length beard brings it a dose of masculinity.

Curly Medium Style
The beach hairstyles are most complimentary for those guys whose hair texture is naturally curly or wavy. To ace the surfer hair style, they simply should let their hair grow until the coils begin to form and wear it loose. Several bleached streaks here and there won’t hurt though.

Parted Tousled Medium Hair
Here’s another good example of medium-length guys haircuts for a surfer look. Similar to the undercut long hair on top, this mid-length hairstyle can be harnessed on any occasion, from casual to formal. You can add an elegant twist to the style by pushing the front section to the side, thus dividing the hair with a natural side part.

Straight Layered Blonde Hair
Blonde hair men are bound to try a surfer hairstyle at least once. They can skip on the dyeing job and simply get one of the shaggy haircuts to pull off the beach boy look.

Long Flowing Hair
Shoulder length blonde hair styled falling on one side is a perfect fit for a beachy ambiance. To achieve more volume and texture, get one of the layered mens hair cuts all over the head.

Surfer Short Hair Style
To get the surfer look right with the short haircut styles for men, you should focus on layering instead of growing. The best haircuts for men are stylish, low-maintenance and hassle-free, which is exactly what a short surfer hairstyle is about.

From Mens Hair Cuts

Embrace Filth
Don’t shampoo your hair too often, warned Jimmy Pham, a New York City-based photographer and surfer with jet-black, shoulder-length hair. “My hair gets frizzy and bowl-shaped if I use shampoo,” he said, crediting the ocean for giving his stick straight hair a slight wave. “I wash it twice a month—max.” While shampooing twice a month might war with your commitment to hygiene, try reducing washes to every other day for a more casual, less fluffy look.

​Get Salty
Salt is a key ingredient in good beach hair. Gritty salt wraps around the hair shaft to give it texture. “I like the way it makes everything thicker,” said Michael Kololyan, the co-founder of Locals Surf School in Rockaway Beach, N.Y.
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Those who don’t harness the waves regularly can find plenty of salt-infused hairstyling products, such as the R+Co spray pictured below. A homemade mix works just as well: Combine a handful of salt with water, and spritz using a spray bottle. Just remember to moisturize dry ends with a lubricant like argan oil, said Daniel Kent, a Rockaway Beach-based surfer and woodworker. “You don’t want to look like a surf rat.” Anabel Kingsley, a consultant trichologist and president of hair clinic Philip Kingsley, goes one step further. She advises saturating the hair with cream, oil or fresh water before getting in the sea, saying saltwater makes hair brittle without protection.

​Lighten Up
Rather than use chemical, time-sucking Just for Men dye, surfers let their hair speckle gray naturally—or let the sun bleach highlights into it. “All it takes is two weeks in the sun for your hair to lighten up,” said Michael Reinhardt, another co-founder of Locals Surf School, who is known as “Blonde Mike” for his peroxide-white hair color in the summer months. Not everyone’s hair lightens as rapidly as Blonde Mike’s, so if it’s darker or thicker it may take more time or more sunshine.

Of course, not all worker bees have the luxury of endless beach time. To encourage the process, try tinctures with natural lighteners such as chamomile or freshly squeezed lemons. But remember: Just because the sun and lemons are natural brighteners doesn’t mean they’re not damaging. The chemical reaction within the hair is similar to that of bleach, warns Ms. Kingsley. If you must put lemon juice in your hair while out in the sun, “reserve it for the roots to the upper mid length, and comb a protective product through the rest of your hair.” She recommends a hydrating mask.

Shape It Spontaneously
Many surfers cut their own hair once it gets untenably disheveled. “It’s part of [our] image,” said Mr. Herrick, recalling the DIY mentality of 1970s surfers such as George Greenough, whose stringy blonde shag would fit right in with the at-home haircuts people are posting today using the #covidcuts hashtag. “Surfers shaped the boards they rode, and they shaped each other’s hair, too,” said Mr. Herrick.
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When it comes to giving yourself a trim, don’t overthink it, said Queens, N.Y., surfer and hair stylist Bobby Reynolds, who recently lopped off 7 inches of curls on the beach while still in his wetsuit. Use your fingers to estimate length (two fingers stacked equals about 1 inch), taking care around the hairline and nape of your neck. And crucially, don’t rely too heavily on a mirror, which can interfere with hand-eye coordination, he said. Surfers are nothing if not coordinated.

I’ve never given much thought to the tool I use to style my mane. Brush? Comb? I just use the first thing I find in the bathroom. Sometimes it’s a brush. Sometimes a comb. Come to think of it, I can’t remember ever buying a brush or comb for myself. They’ve somehow always been around. 

But as I was brushing my hair with the pink, pillowy brush I borrowed from Kate the other day, I got to thinking, “Should I really be using a brush right now or would it be better to use a comb?” 

To answer this burning question, I called up AoM’s friendly resident barber, Thad Forrester, co-owner of Hudson / Hawk Barber & Shop. Thad gave me the lowdown on both brushes and combs, and when a man should reach for one over the other.

The Brush
There are all sorts of brushes on the market, but a man will most commonly employ a paddle brush on his hair.

A paddle brush is oval or rectangular in shape and has lots of bristles sticking out of a soft cushion. “The paddle brush is a good foundational brush,” Thad told me. “It’s gentle on the hair and scalp. I like to use it to smooth wavy hair out or detangle fine or kinky hair.”

In choosing the right brush for you, Thad offers this general rule: “the closer together the bristles are, the better they are for fine hair, and the farther apart they are, the better they are for thicker hair.” You’ll also need to pick between brushes with bristles that are made from either natural or synthetic materials (or a combination of both). Thad offers this lowdown on the pros and cons of each type:
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• Natural bristle brushes. “Natural bristle brushes are typically made from boar bristles. They are known for being able to evenly disperse your hair’s natural oils and give your hair a very natural shine. The bristles are very close together so natural brushes work best in fine hair.”
• Synthetic bristle brushes. “Synthetic bristles are typically made from nylon or plastic. They are generally spaced out on the brush head more, so work better on thick, coarse hair. They do a better job at detangling due to the wider spaced bristles and don’t generate as much static as natural bristles do.”
• Combination bristle brushes. “Combination bristle brushes present the best of both worlds, as they can detangle and add shine to the hair. These would be the most versatile and work with fine to normal hair.”

Brushes range from the very cheap drugstore kind to uber expensive luxury varieties. Thad says that “A good quality brush doesn’t have to break the bank. There are some great boar bristle, synthetic, and combo brushes available from companies like Diane, Kent, Denman, and Bass that range from $5 – $20.” Consider experimenting with a few different types/brands of brushes to find one that feels good on your hair/scalp, and makes your hair look its best.

The Comb
Every man surely knows what a comb is: a single, rectangular piece of material with a solid upper from which spring a line of tines or “teeth.”

“The main thing that differentiates combs are the width of the comb teeth,” Thad says. “The smaller the width between teeth, the more precision and detail you can get with your hair styling.”

If you’re styling your hair with a side part, you’ll want a comb that has narrower spacing between teeth so you can get that kind of defined line in your comb-over. Think of the classic Mad Men type hairstyles. If you’re going for a style that’s a bit looser, go with a comb that has more widely spaced teeth.

“If you have really thick or coarse hair, I’d use a wide-tooth comb. You’re less likely to pull and damage your hair with it,” says Thad.

To keep your hair styling tools to a minimum, Thad recommends picking up a single comb that has more widely-spaced teeth on one end and more narrowly-spaced teeth on the other. Utilitarian and versatile.  

In addition to the varied spacing of teeth, combs can also be made out of different materials. Plastic is the most common, but wooden and even metal combs also exist. I once owned a stainless steel comb, as I liked the idea of it being so sturdy and indestructible. But I found that in reality, running metal tines over my scalp never seemed inviting, and I actually preferred plastic. Even though plastic doesn’t have luxurious connotations, it does seem to make for the best kind of combs. 

Perhaps surprisingly though, even between plastic combs, quality can differ, and it’s worth paying a bit more for a good one. Well-made combs are sturdy yet flexible, which keeps the teeth and the comb itself from snapping and breaking (especially important if you carry one around in your pocket). Quality combs also sport straight, smooth teeth with comfortable rounded ends that will feel good on your scalp and won’t scratch your skin or pull out your hair as they glide through its strands. Kent is a well-vetted brand in this category. 

When to Use a Hair Brush vs. a Comb
When should a man use a brush on his hair and when should he use a comb?

Thad’s general rule is that for longer hair, you want to stick primarily with a brush. A paddle brush will keep your hair smooth, straight, and detangled without causing too much discomfort in the process. Brushes don’t allow for precision styling, but when you have longer hair, you’re usually not trying to get a sharp style. You’re going for “loose” and brushes achieve that for you.

For shorter hair, Thad typically recommends sticking with a comb since you’re usually going for more precision with your styling. A comb’s teeth will leave those sharp, crisp lines in your hair. 

While brushes aren’t great for styling, Thad will often combine a brush and comb on a customer’s hair. “Brushes are great for distributing hair product evenly throughout the hair without it clumping up. I also like to use a brush to establish the basic structure of a hairstyle and then go back with a comb to give it a more precise look.”

Many men will therefore want to keep both a brush and a comb on hand.

This helpful information is from Art of Manliness

It’s essential to get things right when tying a bandana around your head so that you don’t look like you’re trying too hard! 

​Be confident and laid back, and you’ll carry off this look effortlessly. Here’s how to tie a bandana around your head:

1. Lay your bandana flat
2. Fold it lengthwise a few times until you have a long rectangle
3. Tuck in the loose edges 
4. Tie around your head
5. Rock on!

Bear in mind that this is easiest with a larger bandana, and cotton is the easiest fabric to work with here. Silk and satin fabrics look great but can be more difficult to tie and hold in place.