No Barber? Surfers’ Tips on Making Shaggy Hair Look Cool

This simple advice on shaping, lightening and washing might make you reconsider lopping off your quarantine mop

ROCKAWAY BEACH BOYS Surfers with decidedly good hair, like Paul Godette (pictured above),
photographed at the legendary spot in Queens, N.Y.
Paul Godette;
Photo: Alec Kugler for The Wall Street Journal

MEN’S HAIR has never been scragglier. During these months of social distancing, professional haircuts have been as rare as unsuccessful Drake singles. But life has changed: With many offices still closed, few men need the meticulously groomed cut that a boardroom requires, and we bet that those who’ve grown fond of their longer locks won’t rush to the barber even as some states open personal-care businesses. For guidance on maintaining a low-key mane, we turned to the legendarily shaggy surfing community.

“Surfers may tell you they don’t care about their hair, but they do,” insisted Ojai, Calif.-based photographer Wyn Herrick, whose coarse brunette curls have turned blonde from years spent in the sea and sun. If you’re more likely to hang out on your couch than to hang ten, don’t worry. Surfers’ outdoorsy, antiestablishment approach can be adapted by most men. Here, the basics:

Jimmy O’Brien
Photo: Alec Kugler for The Wall Street Journal

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.

Daniel Kent
Photo: Alec Kugler for The Wall Street Journal

​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.

AMBER WAVES Surfers use tricks like argan oil and
skipping shampoo to keep long, shaggy locks looking lustrous
Photo: Alec Kugler for The Wall Street Journal

​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.

NOT THE SURFING TYPE? / TRY THESE TO GET THE
SEA-SWEPT LOOK FROM THE SAFETY OF YOUR BATHROOM

Left to right: Verb Shampoo, $18; R+Co Salt Spray, $26;
Pomade, $20; Kevin Murphy Curl Enhancer, $32

Brought to you from The Wall Street Journal