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October 25, 2010 6:56 PM

How do I learn what to ask for in a haircut?

I'm a young guy with curly/wavy hair, I keep my hair short to medium-long. Are there any good resources on the web which demonstrate various haircuts and tell you how to describe them to hairdressers? I'd like to become more knowledgeable in general about haircuts, what the possibilities are, etc. Some day I may even ask for a fashionable haircut.

Thanks in advance.

posted by schmichael to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

You need a fashion magazine. Or really, anything with a lot of ads with pictures of men in them. Pull out all of the photographs of men whose hair looks good to you. Bring them to a good hairstylist and ask which of them are feasible given your hair type. Then, trust them to give you something good. But the bottom line is that there's no "magic hair language" and that photographs are going to be the most effective way to communicate what you're looking for.
posted by decathecting at 7:01 PM on October 25, 2010

The old standard advice is to bring in pictures where the person/model has hair you like. Or even pictures of you on days when your hair turned out just the way you wanted it.

That's much better for a stylist, than some general description. The only exceptions are specific descriptions like "buzz cut" or "Don Draper", but even then, a picture is better.
posted by ldthomps at 7:03 PM on October 25, 2010

I know someone who recently got the haircut of his dreams simply by bringing in a picture of a movie character who had that haircut. So if you see someone in the movies or TV with your hair type and a style that you like, find a picture of it online and print it out.
posted by wondermouse at 7:06 PM on October 25, 2010

Yeah seriously. Pictures. That's how I've gotten every good haircut I've ever gotten.

Go flip through GQ, and Esquire, and, uh, whatever other men's magazines there are, but actually spend time looking at the ads. Specifically the guys hair in ads.
posted by grapesaresour at 7:18 PM on October 25, 2010

Definitely pictures. I've even gone in with more than one picture and said things like, "Can we do something with bangs like this one and sides like this one, but color like that?"
posted by corey flood at 7:23 PM on October 25, 2010

My husband finds pictures in music magazines. Usually there are some nice-looking, hip-ish, but not over-the-top haircuts.
posted by smirkyfodder at 7:30 PM on October 25, 2010

Filter or Under the Radar, usually.
posted by smirkyfodder at 7:31 PM on October 25, 2010

When you talk to your stylist, tell them how your hair typically behaves and what you do (and won't do) to style it. A cut that looks fantastic on fine, straight hair might look completely different with curly hair. Or sometimes you can get the exact look you want, but only with 15 minutes of styling.
posted by Metroid Baby at 7:56 PM on October 25, 2010

You also might find some inspiration here, at a database of photos of men's hairstyles at naturallycurly.com.
posted by virago at 8:38 PM on October 25, 2010

Well, depending on whether the person who cuts your hair uses electric clippers or not, when you do get a cut you like, with your hair the proper length, ask them which setting they use. Almost all the shops I've been to use extending guides on their electric trimmers that have corresponding numbers. So the next time you get your hair cut, you can say "I like it short on the back and sides -- use a 2."
posted by crunchland at 8:43 PM on October 25, 2010

As another guy with curly hair, it's hard. There aren't really all that many guys out there who wear their hair curly to draw on for pictorial inspiration, and curls vary from person to person anyway. My approach is first to find a place that is good with curly hair, either by asking around or by asking the stylist directly. The people that I've gotten good haircuts from have told me that it's not the same as cutting straight hair and really needs to be learned somewhat separately. When I actually ask for a haircut, since I don't have a photo to use as a guide, I focus on the features that I want. For me, that involves saying that I want my hair to be curly, to fall onto my forehead, and to be a bit shaggy over my ears. And then I listen to them on products, more or less.

And god no, don't let anyone cut it with clippers — curls need texture to develop well.
posted by Schismatic at 12:11 AM on October 26, 2010

I used to take this picture of Matt Dillon from The Face magazine to my hairdresser. Worked a treat until I got sick of the "you sure ain't Matt Dillon" comments.

Then eventually I found Brad Pitt advertising Edwin jeans and used that instead. As a bonus, no hairdresser has ever told me that I don't look like Brad Pitt, so I'm going to assume the similarity is uncanny.
posted by Sutekh at 7:08 AM on October 26, 2010

I have curly hair and it's almost impossible to find somebody to cut it. I actually travel 2 hours to my hometown to have someone cut my hair. She's been cutting it for years and actually knows how to cut my curly hair.

Honestly, I doubt your going to find a lot of pictures of people with curly hair that you can show a stylist. It takes a lot of skill to cut curly hair especially when we keep it short. I would suggest calling different salons and asking for stylists that are comfortable with cutting curly hair. Schismatic basically nailed it on the head. It takes a lot of trial and error.
posted by bobber at 8:17 AM on October 26, 2010