Best way to soften coarse, short men's hair?

September 21, 2018 3:27 AM

What products can I use to soften the effect of short, straight, coarse transplanted hair?

I got a couple hair transplant sessions in the front of my head a few years back and while it's filled in the hairline, it's not dense enough to look great past a #2 clipper cut.

So I keep it short, but the hairs aren't nearly as soft and straight as the hair on the sides of my head. The transplanted hairs are also slightly twisty rather than totally straight.

I spoke to a local hair stylist who sort of shrugged and said I could try straightening, but my hair would have to be much longer and I don't think I want the chemical treatment...

So, are there any other treatments or products that aren't harmful but might help make the overall effect less harsh?

Here is a photo where it doesn't look too terrible, at least imho, but it still sticks up very sharply - whereas in a normal thinning scenario, the hair would look a little less coarse.

Any ideas? (BTW I live in Boston in case there's a local hair stylist I should see)

posted by anonymous to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

Beard oil? I mean, it softens beard hair.
posted by Leon at 5:08 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think you’re fighting innate qualities of hair, personally. The hair on the sides of one’s head tends to be finer as a rule, especially as one gets older. And of course thinning hair gets finer over time. So what you’re asking is for your transplanted hair to seem finer than it is, which I don’t think you can really accomplish very easily (except by waiting for the aging process to take its course).

I would recommend a moisturizing leave-in conditioning product, or even something like argan oil (commonly used as a moisturizer, hair treatment and beard oil), but apart from that, I don’t think there’s much you can do. Not that my opinion is the authority on the matter, but personally I think it looks fine and the way buzzed hair is supposed to look.
posted by Autumnheart at 5:24 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]

I’d also try beard oils and leave-in products. I recently tried a Garnier Moroccoan oil product and like it a lot. I got it at Target but I imagine it’s sold many places Garnier products are.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:46 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Do you condition your hair when you wash it? Coarse hair needs a different conditioner and application method to fine hair. You need to let it sit for a while, use stronger conditioner and not rinse it fully out. Uhh you grew it longer you could use a straightening iron on it, these can make coarse hairs feel less coarse while straightening. Hair with a curl tends to feel coarser by nature. Also blow drying may he'll it sit more naturally worth the rest of your hair but you'd have to grow it out to do that.
posted by wwax at 6:17 AM on September 21, 2018

Oil! I did some research recently and found out that coconut oil is the oil best absorbed into hair. My hair is super soft after I put coconut oil on it overnight.

(Also, your hair looks totally fine, I'd never know it was a transplant, and I bet no one but you notices this issue.)
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:35 AM on September 21, 2018 [6 favorites]

It does look good in the photo fyi. I have coarse, wiry hair. A very smll amount of a silicone-based serum helps a small amount. The key ingredient are Dimethicone or siloxane or something similar; they use different names. The silicone coats hair and makes it slippery so less wiry or frizzy. I have tried expensive and cheap brands with no difference in results, currently using fructis.
posted by theora55 at 9:10 AM on September 21, 2018

"Beard oil? I mean, it softens beard hair."

Wow, I feel dumb for not knowing this. I got a beard kit last Xmas but never knew what the oil was about and figured it would just make my skin greasy and my beard oily. I think I need to give it a real chance, I sometimes get wicked beard hairs that literally become splinter in my finger if I'm stroking my beard.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:52 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]