Must-Know Tips For Helping Your Man Up His Hair Game

The last 30 seconds of the game. The hilarious way he put one over on his best buddy at work. Beer. There are lots of topics that men love to discuss. His hair is usually not one of them. For most guys, the stuff on the top of their heads is SO no big deal. It gets washed in the shower, combed right, cut when absolutely necessary. End of story. Now you adore your guy but his hair? Maybe there’s room for some improvement. Undoubtedly he admires your exquisite taste (after all, why else would he be with you?) so stay alert for the opportunity to weigh in on his hair cut and style. To prepare, here are tips for every type of men’s hair, plus some common male strand situations.

Style Choices
It’s true—the haircut needle moves slowly for guys. It seems once they find a cut they like, they stick with “the usual,” and suddenly several decades have elapsed. Granted, the spectrum for men’s hairstyles is much narrower than for women, but every now and then, whether he’s a classic suit and tie man, or more of the artsy type, an update is in order. Here are some suggestions.

If he’s an edgy guy…

Thin Hair: A Dramatic Fade Hairstyle
The thing about fine hair is that it tends to be unevenly fine. A closely-clipped fade haircut keeps the existing hair evenly distributed. Some length on the top and a strong part make a dramatic statement. A neatly-clipped beard serves as a balancing element for the big picture. Tip: When hair is this short, all brow, nose and ear hair should be impeccably groomed! 

Thick Hair: Over Swept Pompadour
Lucky guy, with hair to spare! It’s the perfect texture for a modern pomp. Rock and roll birthed this men’s cut, and decade after decade, it never goes out of style. It always makes an irresistible “artist/bad boy” statement. The cut should be trim on the sides and in back with enough length on top to lift and mold with pomade. 

Curly Hair: High and Tight
Clipped and faded sides and back, a finely-etched hairline and a squared-off top produce a crisp and masculine effect. Curls can have a softening effect on a guy’s features, so it’s best to keep the shape of the haircut angular.

If he’s a classic guy…

Thick Hair: Carefully Controlled
The good news is thick hair pretty much looks good no matter how it’s cut. But if you and your guy can find a barber or stylist who knows how to prune it a bit, it will look even better. That could mean using shears to thin out the sides and back, and to texturize the top by snipping out random sections. The snipping creates some movement in a solid shape, and can be further defined with styling crème or pomade.

Curly Hair: Perfectly Proportioned
Well-tailored side and back sections with a boyish, eye-grazing fringe place curls in their best light. It’s important to keep the outline nice and square, with a gradual taper to avoid clumps or bumps. 

Must-Have Products
Here’s the thing that most guys don’t realize. Shampoo isn’t enough. Adding one or two styling products to his daily regimen is the secret to looking well-groomed, no matter how he wears his hair. There are options for every hair type.

Fine Hair
After shampooing, apply a light holding product like mousse to damp strands, comb the hair into place and let it dry completely.  This ‘sets’ the hair and controls the texture.  Next, break up strands with a brush or with the hands and add a dab of light pomade for shine and unfussy texture. 

Thick Hair
Prep thick, damp hair with a leave-in conditioner or styling crème before it dries. Then there’s another step once the hair is dry, that will help control this hair type. Select a strong-hold pomade that will make the hair firm but not sticky.  Work up from the back and sides and finally through the longest top sections, using the hands to form the final shape.

Curly Hair
Curly hair is thirsty hair so moisture is critical.  Styling should start with a cocktail of leave-in conditioner and hair crème applied to damp hair.  (If hair is super-dry and frizzy, add a few drops of styling oil to the mix.)  Keep in mind that every curly texture is different so your guy may have to experiment with his cocktail to get the perfect recipe.  Massage into hair and then, hands off!  The moisture in the products will encourage a controlled and consistent curl formation and tame the frizz. Touching curls once they’re dry will just mess up the curl pattern.

Special Circumstances

Dry Scalp
Most docs don’t even know what causes scalps to become dry and flaky, but no guy wants to sport white stuff on his collar. One thing that is for certain—his flakiness isn’t about clean hair (or not) it’s about the skin on his scalp, which is producing and turning over skin cells at a too-rapid rate. The fix is pretty simple. Look for a scalp-treatment shampoo and conditioner that keep the scalp hydrated and irritation-free. They may contain natural anti-bacterial and calming ingredients like mint leaf or rosemary.

More Salt than Pepper
If backed against a wall, most guys would admit they don’t much care for their gray hair. Gray may be a good look for a professor or CEO who wants to give the impression of wisdom and experience, but not so much for a guy still competing for the promotion, raise, new job, etc. Covering a guy’s gray with hair color has become fairly quick and painless, thanks to professional demi-permanent hair color formulas that subtly blend the silvers, rather than covering them like shoe polish. These products also prevent the dreaded orange effect, they process in just 10 to 20 minutes, and since they fade gradually with subsequent shampoos there’s never a grow-out line.

Where Did All The Highlights Go?
When he was the cutest lifeguard on the beach, the sun did a heck of a highlighting job. Now the main light he’s exposed to is from his laptop, and that sun-kissed blonde has turned to mouse beige. Again, professional hair color to the rescue. A few swift, hand painted highlights after each haircut will transport him back to his Baywatch glory days, and no one will be the wiser. 

This article first appeared on Matrix.com