Curly Haired Guys: Your Epic Guide to Curly Hair as a Dude With Curls

Curly Haired Guys:

Your Epic Guide to Curly Hair
as a Dude With Curls

​Curly Hair for Men made simple and
fuzzy-free

​Despite the commonality of curly hair in men, little has been published and written on the right hair care, hairstyles and haircuts for curly-haired men. The reality so far is that most curly men prefer to tame their curls by buzzing their curly manes instead of paying some attention as to what is needed to rock their tresses.
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My name is Kevin Arthur and I’m a barber with curly hair. It is thus that I’ve gone on to publish this CurlyHairGuys.com website with plenty of on-point advice and handy tips so as to give you all curly folks a resource with which to learn about your so-called waves, coils and kinks. You see, I too hated my hair in my teens; I have curly hair that can be labeled as coiled (you can learn more about curly hair types in this site too), so my hair has always been a very rebellious creature, so to speak!

​After working the ropes of my profession for many years, I’ve gone on to establish my own barbershop and I’ve trained my staff on curly hair care for men since approximately 70% of our clients have some type of curly hair. I’ve seen and experienced the dramas of curly hair, so I’d like to now create this website so as to give you all my advice and tips on curly men’s hair straight from my years as a barber catering (mainly) to curly-haired guys.

What is curly hair?

Right, this is the money question: what is curly hair? I believe that it’s best that I answer this question right from the stat before you continue to browse my site since many men have curly hair yet they do not know it.

Scalp hair can only grow in two textures: straight or curly. The texture of the hair (and thus either of the two textures) is dictated by the structure of the hair shaft, which itself is manufactured inside the follicle. A follicle is a tiny hole in the skin from which a single hair strand grows. The shaft of a hair strand is the actual structure of the strand

The shaft of a hair strand is manufactured inside the follicle by laying layers of keratin on top of each other so that the hair grows in height and width. With straight hair (one of the two textures for scalp hair), the layers of keratin are laid evenly so that the straight hair strand has a symmetrically-rounded cross sectional area. On the other hand, with curly hair, the layers of keratin are laid unevenly, leading to a hair shaft that is lop-sided and asymmetric; this lop-sided manner in which the layers of the hair shaft are laid is what causes the curviness of a curly hair strand.

Curly hair is inherited, hence the degree of curviness of your own hair strands is already established in your DNA and is yours alone, which makes each individual’s curly hair unique. Curly hair can be inherited via the mother’s side, the father’s side and it can even be a blend of both sides (as is usually the case of interracial kids with a curly-haired parent and a straight-haired parent).

Hair types for men

So, I’ve already mentioned that the degree of curviness that you posses is yours only. However, that same degree of curviness can be categorized into several types, which makes it easier for you to choose the right men’s hairstyles and haircuts for your curly hair.

The two most famous hair-typing guides are the ones of hairstylist Andre Walker and of men’s hair expert Rogelio Samson (author of ManlyCurls.com). I used to use Andre Walker’s hair typing guide with my male clients for a good number of years, but, when Rogelio Samson’s hair type guide came out, I changed to his hair-typing guide as the latter (i.e. Rogelio Samson’s guide) is specifically tailored to male hair, whereas Andre Walker’s hair-type guide was created with female hair in mind.

Using Rogelio Samson’s hair type guide, these are the four hair types for men:
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• Straight hair (straight hair is both a texture and a hair type)
• Wavy hair
• Coiled hair
• Kinky curly hair

Wavy hair, coiled hair and kinky curly hair are considered the three types of curly hair for men, and I personally use these types and hair-type guide to give my curly clients the best grooming results.

I will now continue below with this curly-hair guide by giving you the main tidbits of each of the three curly hair types including a reference photograph of each curl type as visual guidance.

Wavy hair (also known as wavy curls)

Wavy hair is curled as a wave-like pattern depicting the “S” letter of the alphabet. Wavy hair is the least curly of all hair types and it is the easiest to style for men. A male celebrity with wavy hair would be Adrian Grenier.
In the picture below, you can see how wavy curly hair looks like in a male; notice how the hair curves and begins to form wave-like shapes as it has reached a medium hair length.

Coiled hair (also known as coiled curls)

Coiled hair is curled in a spiral-like pattern which produces coils and ringlets. Coiled hair is a bit more difficult to style for men but it (coiled hair) enjoys a good amount of natural volume that enhances the hair’s aesthetics. A male celebrity with coiled hair would be Kenny G (a professional saxophonist).
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Here is (below) a picture clearly depicting how coiled curly hair looks like in a male; notice how the coils and ringlets are grouped as thick locks and how the locks preserve the well-defined coiled shape.

Kinky curly hair (also known as kinky coils or afro-textured hair)

Kinky curly hair is curled as tiny spirals with sharp (instead of smooth) edges, giving kinky curls a very-compact look. While kinky curly hair is notorious for being the most difficult men’s hair type to style (within reason), it does however enjoy a natural ability to voluminize to great lengths, which makes kinky curly hair, as a hair type for men, the most voluminous hair type. A male celebrity with kinky curly hair would be Will Smith.
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The next picture below is a great example of how kinky curly hair looks like in a male. Notice the very-small size of the curly coils and how sharp the overall coiling pattern is.

You can find more on these curly hair types on my published hair type guide, and I highly recommend that you go through the notions of learning your hair type so as to make the most of your curly mane.

Curly haircuts for men

One thing that I will tell you right now as a barber is that curly hair is cut different when compared to the hair-cutting of straight hair. Curly hair has to be cut dried (and not wet, unlike straight hair) and curly hair needs to be cut with a shaping emphasis instead of with a chopping emphasis. What this means is that there are certain men’s haircuts that favor curly men’s hair, while there are other men’s haircuts that look horrible on curly men’s hair.

Unfortunately, many barbers and hairdressers cut curly hair as if it were straight hair, which almost-always leads to a catastrophic haircut. Straight hair can get away with just about any haircut, but curly hair, on the other hand, needs to be carefully cut with the right haircuts if one is to sport a good-looking mane of curls.

You can find plenty of hair-styling information on this site under my curly haircuts guides (see the menu on the top) so make sure that you browse through them so that you can learn to choose and cut the right haircut for your curls.
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Curly hairstyles for men

Just like with the advice above on curly men’s haircuts, the same emphasis on carefulness must be said for curly men’s hairstyles. The main thing to bear in mind with curly hair is that curly hair will always have a tendency to coil back to its natural shape, hence the use of hairstyles that require your hair to be flattened or excessively combed are futile.

A great example of a bad men’s hairstyle for curly hair is the older classic slicked back hairstyle that requires the hair to be flattened backwards with pomade (this was a very-popular hairstyle with men in the 1920s). On the other hand, a good men’s hairstyle for curly hair that resembles the classic slicked-back style would be what I call the “modern” slicked back hairstyle that has the hair swept back with the fingers alone. By using the fingers to scoop and sweep the hair back, the curls are not pulled hard or flattened, while the timeless-and-elegant slicked hairstyle is maintained.

As with every curly haircuts guide on this site, you too can find lots of advice and information on the right hairstyles for your curl type in my curly hairstyles guides. For what is worth, you must always use a wide-tooth comb to style your curly hair if you want to comb it. Never (and I repeat, NEVER) use a regular men’s comb or a hair brush to comb your curly hair; by mistakenly using either of these two men’s styling tools (regular comb or hair brush) on you curly mane, you are running a very-high risk of damaging your curls and follicles as your curls are trapped and pulled hard by the comb’s teeth and brush’s bristles.

Don’t worry, there’s a lot more information on this site on styling and on products for curly hair, and I’ve made sure to include a section on this site that covers the most common mistakes of styling curly hair.

Hair products for curly men

Unlike what most people think, not all hair products suit curly hair. In fact, there is a specific range of hair-product types that are most useful for curly-haired guys. Likewise, there are certain hair products that you as a curly-haired dude should avoid or use the least.

One more thing that is very important to be aware of is that a curly male doesn’t just need hair-styling products. Hair-care products such as hair conditioners or deep conditioners are excellent “styling allies” for curly men. The vast majority of curly men will have no clue of what a hair conditioner is (perhaps even you aren’t aware either!), but knowing about these products and actually using them effectively will have an immensely-positive effect on the overall aesthetics and health of a male’s curly hair.

Good hair products for curly men’s hair

Here are the some of the best hair products for curly men:

• Styling cream or hair cream.
• Light-hold hair gel (firm-hold hair gel is also fine).
• Hair mousse.
• Water-based pomades with a light hold or firm hold.
• Light-hold hair spray (which leaves your curls bouncy and flexible).
• Leave-in conditioner (to be used as a styling product).
• Hair conditioner.
• Deep conditioner or hair mask.
• Moisturizing shampoo.
• Natural oils like extra-virgin olive oil, argan oil or raw coconut butter.
• Wide-tooth comb.
• Ionic hair dryer (if interested in drying one’s curly hair faster or achieving extra volume with the other hair-styling products).

Bad hair products for curly men’s hair

Here’s now a list of some of the worst hair products for curly-haired men:

• Extra-strong-hold hair gel.
• Oil-based pomades.
• Strong-hold hairstyling waxes.
• Strong-hold.
• High-strength shampoos like clarifying shampoos or chelating shampoos when used often (once-a-month use or once-every-two-weeks use is OK though and I actually recommend such a spaced-out frequency).
• Daily use of any type of shampoo.
• Hair straighteners (also known as “flat irons”).
• Non-ionic hair dryers.
• Regular men’s comb or fine-tooth comb.
• Hair brush.

​As a rule of thumb, any hair product that has a strong styling hold will be a bad product for curly hair.

Men’s hair care and hair grooming for curly hair

The key to maintaining an aesthetically-pleasing mane of curls is to groom your curls daily and take care of them. This isn’t difficult since you only need a couple of minutes in the morning to groom your curls and rock a great mane of waves, coils or kinks atop your head.

Grooming your curls involves getting them ready for the day: from the moment you hop in the shower to the moment that you’ve finished styling your curly mane. In itself, grooming your curls is a process and it’s a very straight-forward process too. Furthermore, taking care of your shapely tresses (i.e. hair care) is a very simple process that only needs consistency to reap the benefits of having waves, coils or kinks atop your head!

CurlyHairGuys.com as the online reference for curly men

As mentioned earlier, my goal with this site is to bring you useful, trust-worthy information and tried-and-tested advice and tips on your hair so that you can get to know your curls better and thus open a new door to a world of endless hair-styling possibilities to fit to your styling taste and grooming needs.

Without further ado, welcome to CurlyHairGuys.com!

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​Curly Haired Guys
FAQ

Curly hair is the most misunderstood hair type, and it gets even worst when we’re talking about curly hair for men; the vast majority of curly-haired guys are completely unaware of how to style and look after their wavy, coiled and kinky-shaped manes. In retrospect, that’s the main reason for this site: to give you all the advice, information and tips that are needed so that you can finally get for yourself a good-looking head of curls.
 
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