Six Common Men’s Hair Problems (And How To Fix Them)

The Problem: Cowlicks

The cow’s contribution to your look should be as a jacket, not a hair stylist. These swirls of hair grow against the direction you want to style it in, creating the whorls that cow’s tongues imprint on their calves, and which stick up when everything else lies flat.

Though most common at the crown, they can appear anywhere to taunt your hair wax’s claimed effectiveness.

The Fix: Go With The Flow

Slicking on hair products won’t help, so know when to beat a tactical treat. “Choose the right hairstyle to embrace the natural direction of your hair,” says Ruffians creative director Denis Robinson. If your cowlick sticks up from the back of your head, a switched-on groomsman will cut it short, then sweep the hair in that direction.

“It all depends where your cowlick is,” says Robinson. “If it’s at the crown, ask your barber to keep more length there to help weigh it down. If it’s the front that’s unruly, a longer fringe has the same taming effect. If you’re more Vin Diesel than Poldark, a buzz cut is equally effective.”

The Problem: Unruly Side Parting

You spent the weekend bingeing on 1920s period dramas, and now you’re convinced a Great Gatsby side parting is just the dapper touch needed for your new smart-casual ensemble.

So why, then, is your hair refusing to play ball, old sport?

The Fix: Go Natural

One of the main problems with upended and abandoned side partings is that your hair is not supposed to bend that way. “Ensure you’ve found your natural side parting by trying both sides and seeing which sits most naturally,” says Robinson,

Another key could be that the lengths between side and top are uneven, creating a fan effect as your shorter hair tries to cope. Once both are fixed, use a hair dryer blast wet hair into place to part your barnet like Moses.

The Problem: Overgrown Crown

Though that bit at the top of your head which always seems to grow quicker than the rest of your hair isn’t uncommon, it’s no less annoying.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, particularly when trying to achieve a slicked-back style or when rogue hairs stick up to ruin your look.

The Fix: Taper Your Do

Take advantage of the crown’s growth speed and taper towards the back. “If you are growing out the front section of your hair, ask the barber to leave it longer there and gradually go down to a shorter length at the crown,” says Robinson.

You might still get some sticking up, but because there’s more volume at the front, you’ll look even all over. And it’s looks that count.

The Problem: A Patchy Beard

Follicular woes aren’t limited to the top half of your head. In fact, few things can put a patch on your style like sporadic facial hair.

Largely the result of bad genes (we’ll wait here while you call your dad), few things can be done to fix a patchy beard, but you can disguise it with a little know-how.

The Fix: Clipper Trickery

The most common places for patches are on the cheeks or under the neck. If you can’t grow the hair out to hide them, get creative with the clippers. “Try tapering down from the cheeks so the lighter hair becomes part of the beard,” says Matthew Hughes, owner of Idris Barbering Co. “Do the same on the underside, instead of a hard line exaggerating the gaps, softly taper out.”

If neither of those work, consider a short stubble beard à la Tom Ford and Jason Statham, as this minimises the contrast between the hair and hair-not.

The Problem: Widow’s Peak

The hair of choice for those considering a career as a Bond villain, the widow’s peak is V-shaped growth of hair usually found at the centre of your hairline. It’s naturally occurring but can also happen occurs when the hairline starts receding on either side.

Like a thinning thatch, the peak is unavoidable for some men – bar expensive treatments like hair transplants and oral drugs like Propecia.

The Fix: Forward-Facing

Though barbers might offer a handful of different options to make like Eddie Munster and embrace the widow’s peak, all agree that shaving it off is not the answer.

“If you have a widow’s peak, side partings with shaping at the front to enhance the volume in the fringe are best,” says Jamie Stevens, three times British Men’s Hairdresser of the Year whose clients include Leonardo Di Caprio and Hugh Grant. “Equally, a middle part works when the hair is long around the face.”

The Problem: Thinning Hair

You win some, you lose some, as they say. However, beyond a certain age it can feel like we men suffer more losses than gains, with testosterone, skin elasticity and hair all on the decline past 30.

Though by the age of 50 male pattern baldness takes hold of half of all male heads, if you’ve not quite reached Trump-level tresses yet, there’s still hope.

The Fix: Get A New ‘Do

Before you go at your bonce with a Bic, consider if a different cut could be the answer. “For thinning hair, it’s best to try a shorter, more textured style to maximise volume and create the illusion of thickness,” says Murdock London senior barber Ben Vowles.

To make the most of your new ‘do, avoid wet hair products which can cause the strands to stick together. “Matte finishes such as sea salt spray and texture paste are best for achieving this as they allow the hair to appear fuller.”

David Beckham’s Best Hairstyles (And How To Get The Look)

David Beckham’s dress sense is something that, frankly, we spend too much time analysing, but the man’s frequently-changing hairstyles are just as worthy of our scrutiny. Yes, there have been some questionable choices along the way (shout out to the Alice bands and toe-curling cornrows) but on balance, Mr Beckham can safely lay claim to one of the best decorated heads on the planet.

To remind you of how good Beckham’s hair game is, we’re revisiting some of his highlights (not that kind) from over the years. We’ve also tapped the knowledge of some of the best barbers and hairstylists in the business, so you can recreate Beckham’s best hairstyles on your own head.

The David Beckham Buzz Cut

For years the skinhead suffered from pretty shoddy press. And who can blame men for not wanting to take barnet inspiration from politically-motivated thugs, football hooligans or newborns? Yet when David Beckham shaved his hair off, all that changed. He made the shortest of short haircuts cool, contemporary and less threatening. Game changer.

Beckham’s take on the buzz cut ranged from basic to bleached blonde, kicking off a mass emancipation from hairy heads everywhere. Suddenly you didn’t have to be part of an angry mob to go shaven up top and men with hair on permanent vacation could finally embrace their sparsely populated skulls. Ever since, the buzz cut’s been a go-to for the style-conscious, time-poor man.

How To Get The Look

Don’t be reckless with the hair clippers, achieving the Beckham-inspired buzz cut isn’t a just a case of pulling a Britney and shearing it all off on a whim. International hairstylist Joseph Lanzante explains: “Many will try to do this themselves; it is a simple cut in theory. However, you’ll struggle to achieve the sharpness on the back of your head needed for the look. Stick to your barbers if you want to [look like] David Beckham.”

To make sure your barber gives you the 2017 version of the buzz cut and not a bog standard, Britain First head barer, Lanzante says, “Ask to have the edges of your hair faded, leaving a small bit of length on top and complete the look with a line cut throat shave to keep everything looking neat and tidy.”

Job’s not done yet though, lads. Although there may be minimal hair on your head, it still needs the right treatment to look more Becks than bouncer. “Choosing the right product for this style is key,” Lanzante says. “For a dry look, use a powder based product. For the matte trend, try a fibre-based product and to achieve the wet look, use pomade.”

The David Beckham Curtains Hairstyle

Beckham’s love of highlighted curtains became the footballer’s (and nearly everybody else’s) trademark during the early days of his footballing career. Flying in the face of what was deemed acceptable to be sprouting from a man’s head, Becks’ artificially enhanced locks meant that men reaching for the bleach bottle weren’t necessarily giving the toilet bowl the once over.

He tried curtains swept across his face, parted in the middle, pushed back curtains. You name it, he did it, even though curtains aren’t exactly practical for running around a football pitch. So why are we including them on this list?

Well, before you tell us that curtains are only good for soft furnishing, they’re back as a legitimate men’s haistyle. Don’t take our word for it though, take the word of Joe Mills, a hair stylist and barber whose sharp cuts have appeared on the likes of Ben Affleck, Dermot O’Leary and James Bay. He says: “For a long time Becks’s curtains cut was considered uncool, but now that’s gone 180. This style is on trend currently and has been seen in magazines and on the catwalks this year.” It’s no longer curtains for this most nineties of styles.

How To Get The Look

If your bemused barber reaches for the bowl, abort mission immediately. “It’s a modern version of the curtains look, it should be scissor cut to finger length around the back and sides but left longer on top,” Mills says. “The top should ideally have no layers and reach down to the ears and past the eyebrows.”

Surprisingly, bleach isn’t out of the question either, just leave the platinum to the ladies. Mills says: “This style looks really good with colour and some dirty blonde will add texture.”

Maintenance requires a degree of technical skill, he adds. “To style this you need to use a hairdryer and a vent brush to blow dry your freshly washed hair back from your face with the brush. Once your hair is nearly dry part it with your fingers (not a brush) and then apply a small dollop of styling cream through the mid lengths and ends. If your hair is finer then use a sea salt spray to help it feel thicker. Apply to damp hair and then blow dry it in to add texture.”

Don’t keep it too neat though. “This is meant to look a bit messed up, it needs to look unwashed almost lived in. To make this look even cooler it could be longer, so you can almost tuck the fringe behind your ears,” says Mills. You’re aiming for Beckham in his prime not a Backstreet Boy singing on a stool.

The David Beckham Textured Fringe Hairstyle

Among David Beckham’s greatest hair hits, his forward short and textured fringe style rarely ranks as the most memorable. For us though, it’s a woefully under-appreciated moment of barnet brilliance. Forget the fact that he may have been hair-twinning with his wife when he first sported it, it’s a hairstyle that hasn’t really dated a day.

Essentially just a messier, trendier version of the classic short, back and sides and unlike some of Beckham’s more challenging haircuts, this style is democratic. Ergo, nearly everyone who tries it is a winner. Even better, this style is not only high on the safe haircuts scale, it’s low effort too, says Robinson. “This low maintenance floppy crop was really fresh at the time because most other men were wearing hair slicked back, this crop was David’s way of wearing something different yet easy to manage.”

How To Get The Look

If you want a David Beckham hairstyle that won’t require putting in the man hours, this cut is a standout option. “Ask your barber for a classic scissor over comb cut on the back and sides. Hair on the crown should be well blended and left longer at front, cut blunt just above the eyebrow,” says Robinson.

Then all you need to do is a pick a product for the finish you want (matte or shine) and gently work through with your fingers for texture and separation. At no point should you pair this with a head-to-toe biker leathers look. Just saying, Dave.

The Biggest Men’s Hair Trends For 2020

Refreshing your look needn’t cost more than a round of drinks. Yes, you could spend the equivalent of a small car on a new wardrobe, but 45 minutes in the barber’s chair can have the same effect if you’re brave enough to say something other than “The usual.” Plus, if it’s the kind of barbershop we like – plush seats, hot towels and craft beer – it’ll be a lot more pleasant than a march up the high street.

So what are we doing for you, today? If 2020’s hair trends are anything to go by, you can go one of two ways: messy or military. While some cuts favour texture and grunge-style long hair, others are all about a sharp short back and sides or no-messing buzz cuts.

From fashion weeks to your working week, here’s a heads up on the best men’s hairstyles for the year.

The Textured Crop

Since the bad bowl cuts of nineties and the acne-inducing emo side sweeps of the noughties, sensible men have instinctively given fringe haircuts a wide berth. In most cases this has been wise risk aversion. But, this year’s big hitter on the fringe front – the textured crop – is neither scarily precise nor antisocial, just flattering for the majority of guys.

The style, in a nutshell, is a remix of the short back and sides where the length on top works with gravity rather than against it. “The messy cropped cut works with your own natural growth patterns,” says Robbie Burt at London’s Sharps Barber and Shop. “It’s best on those with thick hair that has natural texture. You should ask your barber for the makings of a high and tight but ask for plenty of length to be left on top which should be cut for bold, square texture.”

The style comes from the woke-up-like-this school of hairdressing, so if you’ve got several thousand hairs out of place that may be a good thing. “Maintaining this style involves minimal fuss,” says Burt. “By working a matte paste through your hands and applying evenly through your hair you can create a softer, undone appearance.” If you’re more slick Rick than bird’s nest though, you’re still eligible to apply. “To create something with a smart, smoother finish by using a water-based pomade.”

The Undercut Quiff

The quiff is the default hairstyle of adolescents armed with too many hormones and too many bargain hair products. This year’s version is not so try-hard, however. It sees the quiff enter the serious grown-up hairstyle arena via a sharply contrasting undercut and a finish that prizes gentle matte texture over skyscraping stiffness.

Before you think about which industrial-strength hair product can secure your hair into place, think about the cut; it’ll make maintaining this style a hell of a lot easier. “Ask your barber to disconnect the sides from the top at clipper grade zero, creating a blunt contrast in length,” says Bradley Smith, creative director at Bradley Smith Hair Heathrow. “Then you’ll need a taper off through the neck and sides while leaving length on top and your fringe will allow room to create texture and volume at the front.”

Those familiar with keeping a quiff in place will know that technique (and a steady hand) is everything. “To start, towel-dry your hair until slightly damp then apply a pre-styling agent,” says Smith. “Work a dash of sea salt spray into your hair all the way to the roots, then blow-dry your hair into shape, using a round brush to create texture and volume. Follow this by working a coin-sized amount of clay into your hair and create texture with your fingers. To complete the look, use a booster powder to help group your hair together.”

The Tapered High & Tight

Not really into long hairstyles? Can’t be bothered to style your hair? Don’t want to look like an egg with human features? This year’s tapered take on the high and tight sounds right up your street. This short, low maintenance style borrows the buzz cut’s CBA attitude but leaves you with something to play with up top.

The high and tight is a time-poor, style-conscious classic, but on the wrong head, it can get a little too Secret Service. “For a sleeker version of the basic short back and sides ask for a tapered high and tight at clipper guard one or two with a compact crop on top,” says Smith. “The finished cut should echo tradition but a sharply cut and textured length on top will steer modern; think Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.”

Most of the artistry of this style is down to your barber, so once you’ve survived the awkward chair chat, the hard part is over (although you will have to go back regularly). “Apply a smudge of fibre paste to towel-dried hair, working from to back to front distributing the product to create weight and texture with an overall natural but smart look,” says Smith.

The Messy Man Bob

Since time immemorial, long, messy hair has been the preserve of rebels and grungers. It’s been regarded as a hairstyle that just kind of happens to a man when grooming goes out of the window. With a bit of TLC and fancy scissor work though, long locks don’t need to smear you as a soap dodger. Mid-shoulder-length hair that’s slightly messed up has plenty of potential to reach the hallowed mid-point between making an effort and not. Look to the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Kit Harrington as your go-to guardians of the messy man bob.

Although this year’s take has undoubtedly smartened up its act, avoid anything too smooth; that’ll land you in ABBA tribute band territory. “This style can work on those with any thickness or texture, the key to getting it right is making sure that you’re asking your barber for layers which complement your face shape and hair texture,” says Burt. “Strong shapes should be cut into the hair’s outer layers to create flow or drop within hair, ensuring that the weight and balance is evenly distributed.”

Pleasingly, this cut doesn’t require the patience of a saint to style, it can mostly be left to its own devices. “Let the style dry naturally,” says Burt. “You should use product though depending on the finish you’re after; use a little salt spray for a messy matte effect or soft wax to encourage texture and curl.”

The Buzz Cut

Traditionally, the buzz cut has been shorthand for either rebellion against ‘the man’ or a way of turning you into just another number. Depending on your point of view, when the clippers come out, either your individuality or compliance with society will end up on the floor. Not that it can’t show off your good looks, but that’s the thing – you need to have the features for it.

The sad fact of life is that we’re not all blessed with pleasantly proportioned heads. “Before getting a buzz, feel your head for any lumps or bumps as these will be visible,” says Smith. “I suggest looking in the mirror and imagine what you would look like with a buzz cut and ask yourself is this right for me?”

Once you’ve got the all clear to go all clear up top, it shouldn’t be a self-shave job with the hair clippers. The buzz cut may be uniform in length but small variations on your clippers’ guard can be the difference between Channing Tatum and Gollum. You’ll also need a barber to clean up the edges. And as it grows back, don’t think you won’t need a little product. “You may wish to add some product to change the texture, such as a matte paste. However, for a shiny polished look, a pomade-based product will do the trick,” says Smith.