Many of us still believe that short hair doesn’t need much care. This however isn’t the case according to Apsara Pradhan, hair dresser at KA hairdressing and beauty salon, located in Pulchowk. Men need to pay attention to what suits them and style their hair right in order to look their best. Short hair isn’t the only answer to looking neat, if you do it right, long hair can look equally, if not more, presentable.
Types of haircuts
“More than the types of face people have, what helps determine the haircut that will suit people is the texture of their hair,” says Pradhan. Although the facial structure plays a role in someone’s haircut, it isn’t the deciding factor. Some people don’t understand this and want the haircut they have seen a celebrity sport and think they can rock it as well. One of the first things they ask their clients when asked to recommend a hair style is what their lifestyle is like. You can’t have punk-rock hair if you have to give business presentations all the time. The next thing they gauge is whether or not he can maintain the hairstyle. There are cuts that don’t need much maintaining and some that do.
Buzz cut
Stealth styling: Men’s edition
For the sake of it being easy to maintain, a lot of men choose to go for the buzz cut. However it isn’t a cut that suits everyone. Some people don’t have a great hairline, in the forehead, the neck or above the ears, and some have really thin hair. These are people who shouldn’t be opting for the buzz cut. “When you have a receding hairline, you should leave the hair along the line longer to give it an illusion of fullness,” she says.
Shaved sides haircut
This is one of the most popular cut that most people are going for in the recent times. The sides are buzzed and the top of the hair is left longer to style in whichever way you want to. This style is great for curly hair as it is easier to maintain. However, if you have this hairstyle, you have to style it every day. Just leaving it as it is doesn’t look good as the hair is just floppy, usually with no volume. If you get a haircut at the saloon, style it there and it looks good, but if you don’t do it every day, it’s wasting the hairstyle. Spend some time styling it every day to make it look like you have just stepped out of the salon.
Freestyle
“There are a lot of people who come in wanting to look different but without an idea in mind, and ask us to change their hairstyle,” says Pradhan. But to be able to do that, she says that the clients need to have longer locks. “There isn’t much we can do to change the hairstyle if the length of the hair isn’t easily manipulated,” she adds. The only thing they can do in this case is color your hair.
Styling your hair
The misconception that hair products and accessories are only for women is a thing of the past. All the equipment women use can be used by men as well. If you have curly hair and want to change your look for a day, you shouldn’t shy away from using a hair straightener. Straightening your hair however might be too big of a leap for you. Start slow with a blow dryer instead.
When you step out of the shower, don’t towel-dry your hair. Comb wet hair with a round brush towards the direction you want your hair to stay. Then apply heat protecting serum and use the blow dryer, while combing your hair in the direction you have chosen. Make sure that the brush is under your hair and not over it while using the drier. This will not only help dry your hair easily, it will also add volume to it. Only after drying your hair like this, you should apply other products onto it. You can use gel for a wet look and hair wax for a matte look. “Drying your hair before you apply gel will make it look natural and help you avoid stiff looking hair,” she says.
Treat your hair
“You can’t neglect your hair just because it is short,” says Pradhan. You have to oil your hair at least once a week before you take a shower. Using the right products and the right shampoo goes a long way to solve your hair problems. What happens in the average household in the country is that people use which ever shampoo is lying around the house, regardless of the type of hair every individual in the household has. “There is a misconception that we can use any shampoo because it’s just something to clean your hair with. But different types of hair need different types of care and it begins with the shampoo,” explains Pradhan. Try using shampoos that are recommended by hairstylists. However, these products aren’t available in the market and can be purchased from professionals only.
There are many hair treatments available for men as well. “Serum treatments are the most popular because they only take 20 minutes to work and men generally don’t like to wait around for too long,” says Pradhan. As hard as it is to maintain dry and color treated hair, it’s harder to maintain curly hair. People who have these types of hair should be even more vigilant about getting hair treatments once in a while.
