What should I do with my hair?
December 23, 2011 6:10 AM Subscribe
What should I do with my hair? White, male, 32. Hair is dirty blonde and wavy but not quite curly. I've never had good luck getting it cut, so I've always gone back and forth between shaving bald and just letting it grow. It's been growing for most of the year and looks like a fro, with the back almost to the shoulder. That was great in my 20's but I'd like something more professional and consistent. As is, it's all messed up and lopsided by lunchtime.
I get compliments on the curls, so I'd like to keep it long enough to show them. I'm looking for exactly what to say to a barber or stylist to get a decent cut. And if you happen to know a good stylist in Austin, that'd be a bonus.
Extra info: I have a skinny bodytype. Sometimes wear a short-shaved beard, sometimes clean shaven.
I get compliments on the curls, so I'd like to keep it long enough to show them. I'm looking for exactly what to say to a barber or stylist to get a decent cut. And if you happen to know a good stylist in Austin, that'd be a bonus.
Extra info: I have a skinny bodytype. Sometimes wear a short-shaved beard, sometimes clean shaven.
I would find a good stylist (sorry, can't help there) and just tell him/her what you told us. If the feedback/suggestions you get sound reasonable, say, "Ok, do your thing!"
Do you wear any hair product now? That's really what keeps you looking consistent thoughout the day and until the next cut.
posted by supercres at 6:25 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Do you wear any hair product now? That's really what keeps you looking consistent thoughout the day and until the next cut.
posted by supercres at 6:25 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I have a male friend with curly hair and I think his best hairstyle was longer and curly on top but shorter at the back and sides. He also said it was quite easy to maintain: he washed his hair, then patted it with a towel carefully, then sprayed in leave-in conditioner and let it air dry. (If he rubbed it with a towel or dried to brush it when dry, he would get fuzzy curls that looked crappy.)
The way you describe your hair routine makes me think you just let it grow without any trims and now every hair is the same length. I think you'll achieve a more polished look if you get the back and sides trimmed.
I agree that taking pictures to the stylist is a good idea and a quick google image search for "Adrian Grenier" might give you some nice ideas.
posted by cranberrymonger at 6:38 AM on December 23, 2011
The way you describe your hair routine makes me think you just let it grow without any trims and now every hair is the same length. I think you'll achieve a more polished look if you get the back and sides trimmed.
I agree that taking pictures to the stylist is a good idea and a quick google image search for "Adrian Grenier" might give you some nice ideas.
posted by cranberrymonger at 6:38 AM on December 23, 2011
Best answer: I like Aveda salons. They train their people really well and have great products to offer you. You can google aveda salons for your area.
At your appointment, tell your stylist what's been going on with your hair and ask to be shown how to style it. They will try to sell you product. BUY IT. BUY IT ALL. Curly hair in the south cannot survive without product. Ask for unscented or allergy free (which is unscented) so you don't smell like a girl.
I prefer men who keep their curls short in the back and sides and then leave a wave on top. It's sexy.
posted by myselfasme at 6:54 AM on December 23, 2011
At your appointment, tell your stylist what's been going on with your hair and ask to be shown how to style it. They will try to sell you product. BUY IT. BUY IT ALL. Curly hair in the south cannot survive without product. Ask for unscented or allergy free (which is unscented) so you don't smell like a girl.
I prefer men who keep their curls short in the back and sides and then leave a wave on top. It's sexy.
posted by myselfasme at 6:54 AM on December 23, 2011
Response by poster: I was hoping to avoid this, but here's a couple pictures.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 6:54 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 6:54 AM on December 23, 2011
Short back and sides, long on top, product to give the top volume not unlike a pompadour. That will look really nice on you. Would that I had curly hair.
posted by Frowner at 6:59 AM on December 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 6:59 AM on December 23, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oh hey, that's my hair. Good luck! I've never been happy with a hair cut, other than just cutting it short.
posted by empath at 7:00 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by empath at 7:00 AM on December 23, 2011
You're cute! I would just keep the sides shorter. The length you have on top right now is fine. And follow the advice above re: leave-in conditioner and no hair dryers. (I'm curly-haired too.)
posted by chowflap at 7:14 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by chowflap at 7:14 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Your hair looks great. I can't really help on the cut, but I just wanted to recommend some more curl maintenance things. You may want to cut out your shampoo or at least greatly reduce how many times you shampoo each week.
The book Curly Girl was infinitely enlightening to me the first time I read it. The same advice would apply to your curls! Even if you can just go read the relevant info in a book store; it wouldn't take that long (and they probably have a copy).
posted by Kronur at 7:19 AM on December 23, 2011
The book Curly Girl was infinitely enlightening to me the first time I read it. The same advice would apply to your curls! Even if you can just go read the relevant info in a book store; it wouldn't take that long (and they probably have a copy).
posted by Kronur at 7:19 AM on December 23, 2011
Best answer: OH okay that helps.
Now we're all JEALOUS!
So, right. This turns into surfer wildman hair really easy. Frowner is probably right. And basically, you can do anything that Matthew McConaughey does. (Uh, with hair, I mean.) The problem is, he looks like a class-A jerkface half the time. (Don't do this.) Definitely have them keep the sides shorter. What cranberry monger said is also true: your hair is all cut the same, essentially, and it's like, too round because of that.
Also I would suggest the beard trimmer regularly. Keeping your beard close will cut down drastically on your looking less profesh.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:30 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Now we're all JEALOUS!
So, right. This turns into surfer wildman hair really easy. Frowner is probably right. And basically, you can do anything that Matthew McConaughey does. (Uh, with hair, I mean.) The problem is, he looks like a class-A jerkface half the time. (Don't do this.) Definitely have them keep the sides shorter. What cranberry monger said is also true: your hair is all cut the same, essentially, and it's like, too round because of that.
Also I would suggest the beard trimmer regularly. Keeping your beard close will cut down drastically on your looking less profesh.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:30 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Going with what RJ Reynolds said, I would suggest something like this. Basically what other people were saying, short back and sides, longer on top.
posted by brilliantine at 7:37 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by brilliantine at 7:37 AM on December 23, 2011
Best answer: Aw, you're cute. Shorten the top just a bit, and lop off the sides and back. Here. Or here.
posted by desjardins at 9:14 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by desjardins at 9:14 AM on December 23, 2011
Wow, you have great hair! You kind of have a Bradley Cooper thing going on, and FWIW, he was recently name Sexiest Man Alive by People Mag. Check out some of those pictures I linked to, and pick a style you like. Find a good stylist, one who specializes in men's cuts. Yelp is a good resource for this. Bring them a picture of the style you like, and pay close attention to (or ask about, even) the products they use in your hair! You're cute! You'll have no problem.
posted by two lights above the sea at 9:21 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by two lights above the sea at 9:21 AM on December 23, 2011
Please cut your hair quite short all over. The curl will show up between haircuts no matter what you do, anyway. You're a handsome guy, but that look is way too scruffy to qualify for "professional" at your age. Curls, shmerls, nothing is sexier or more worth a compliment than a well-groomed man who abandons the outgrown "signature look" of his young adulthood for a more refined one.
There's just something devastatingly attractive about a mature, self-aware, exceptionally well-groomed man fresh from the straight razor-proficient, top-tier barber-- scruffy doesn't even compare...
posted by devymetal at 9:46 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
There's just something devastatingly attractive about a mature, self-aware, exceptionally well-groomed man fresh from the straight razor-proficient, top-tier barber-- scruffy doesn't even compare...
posted by devymetal at 9:46 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Red-haired curly guy.
Naturallycurly.com has a link for salons that specialize in curly hair.
posted by shoesietart at 9:49 AM on December 23, 2011
Naturallycurly.com has a link for salons that specialize in curly hair.
posted by shoesietart at 9:49 AM on December 23, 2011
The problem: Everyone has different tastes in hair. Women who like bald guys will tell you to go bald. Women who like long hair will tell you to go long.
FWIW, my gf and I were watching Geek Love in TLC last weekend and there was a guy on there with hair similar to your (slightly longer, slightly unkempt). I commented that his hair really worked for him, and my gf said, "Yeah, his hair's cool!"
Of course, she apparently likes longer-haired guys already, since that's what I have. But if my hair were curlier, I'd have your 'do. No need to change anything.
posted by coolguymichael at 10:32 AM on December 23, 2011
FWIW, my gf and I were watching Geek Love in TLC last weekend and there was a guy on there with hair similar to your (slightly longer, slightly unkempt). I commented that his hair really worked for him, and my gf said, "Yeah, his hair's cool!"
Of course, she apparently likes longer-haired guys already, since that's what I have. But if my hair were curlier, I'd have your 'do. No need to change anything.
posted by coolguymichael at 10:32 AM on December 23, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks everybody!
What I'm hearing is, leave the top, but shorten the sides and bottom. And put goop in it. (I kid. I'm naturally averse to product, but I'll give it a try)
For people recommending short and clean-cut, thanks, I usually cut it all off every year or two.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 3:27 PM on December 23, 2011
What I'm hearing is, leave the top, but shorten the sides and bottom. And put goop in it. (I kid. I'm naturally averse to product, but I'll give it a try)
For people recommending short and clean-cut, thanks, I usually cut it all off every year or two.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 3:27 PM on December 23, 2011
Hopefully, your extremely competant stylist will give you a product that is not GOOPY or GEL, but rather a light, creamy, moisturizing emulsion that seems to disappear as the hair dries, yet keeps the curl together, or as mentioned upthread, a spray version of same.
Hopefully ... unless you go into the place specializing in jheri curls or something.
In a pinch, you can even use certain kinds of co-operative hair conditioners or body lotion for this.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 7:42 PM on December 23, 2011
Hopefully ... unless you go into the place specializing in jheri curls or something.
In a pinch, you can even use certain kinds of co-operative hair conditioners or body lotion for this.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 7:42 PM on December 23, 2011
Response by poster: Ok, I've added a couple "after" pictures here. My directions to the stylist were a bit wishy washy, but I'm pretty happy with the result. I do feel it's less ... striking now, but I might get that back with time.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 12:29 PM on January 8, 2012
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 12:29 PM on January 8, 2012
Ooooo, I'm so glad I checked Recent Activity. That looks really good! I bet it will grow out into a nice shape, too.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:00 PM on January 9, 2012
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:00 PM on January 9, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
But do what we used to do in the 80s: bring in a picture of what you want your hair to look like. (You really have to, words don't work: I recently told a barber that I wanted "the basic Morrissey" and he was like, "who?" Gasp.)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 6:22 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]