The Official Hair Thread

[AndrewDoesHair]

oops. double post

 

[Flame]

Thanks Andrew. My stylist gives similar advice, always have good results. What do you think of using hairspray to finish? My stylist is an advocate of hairspray.

Note that I'm chinese, with typical coarse asian hair that just wants to stick right out on the sides and lie flat down when it gets long.

I also live in a humid climate, so sweaty hair often has to be tolerated throughout the day. I find hairspray helps, but after 7-8 hours my side-parted quiff looks kind of flat (the volume dies down)

for reference, here's my usual everyday hair:

Spoiler

btw current hair using hairbond distorter + hair spray.

 

[AngryCRS]

Hi all,
looking for some advice with what to do with my hair - I am an 18 year old male, in my opinion I dress well - mainly aim for simple enough clothes with a subtle shout out to the 70s/80s, the era which fascinates me in terms of music. I don't particularly want to grow my hair out long or shave it completely, but not sure if a quiff sort of thing would work with my shape of head?

So really I'm just looking for general hair advice, and if anyone could show me examples of what they think might work it'd be very much appreciated!!


Other notes - I have never straightened my hair in my life, it is just naturally this straight.

 

[Passat774]

Hi, official hair thread, my name is Andrew.

I've spent 10 years focusing on perfecting men's hairdressing, I've made several youtube videos on the topic of styling hair (admittedly, they have poor editing and quality, but I assure you they're rich in content), I teach cutting, styling, and marketing men's hair at a few local cosmetology and barber colleges, and I am in the process of working with a few other masters of their trades (a barber and a graphic designer) to create a line of custom formulated hair styling products. I've experienced what I'd consider a tremendous response to my Instagram page (@andrewdoeshair), where I find myself answering many of the questions I see a lot of you guys asking on this forum, too. If you'd allow me, I'd love to share some of what I know about hair.

Forum help vs stylist help
If you're asking the forum "how long should this cut be?" or especially "exactly how long should this haircut be?" then you need to find a new hairdresser. Imagine a scenario where a friend asks you why you like your hairdresser, and all you can say is "Oh, she's the best, because when I ask for 2 inches, she cuts it EXACTLY 2 inches..."

When a client asks me to cut his hair 2 inches, I point out the door and tell him how to find great clips. Not really... But what I do, as a professional who offers his experience and expertise on top of the actual act of performing a haircut, is ask the client "well what do you want your hair to do?" because it's not a client's job to know what his hair will do at 2 inches long, it's MY job to know that. If your friend has fine hair that he slicks back, and it's cut 2 inches long, you need to understand that you do not want a 2 inch long haircut to slick back your coarse thick hair (it'll spike up, at that length)! You are to tell your hairdresser/hairstylist/barber what you want your hair to do, and then they tell you how long it has to be. Use descriptive words. Messy, neat, jagged, slick, clean, grungy, tight, tall, dry, not measurements!

Telling your hairdresser you want to cut 2 inches is the equivalent of telling your personal trainer you want to lift 20lbs. I will repeat, you are to describe the look your desired results, and then trust your stylist to give you what you need in order to achieve them.

Need to find a better stylist? Go sit at the mall and wait until you see someone with great hair. Flag them down. Ask them where they go. If you can just walk in, there is a great chance you're not going to the best stylist! If a stylist asks you "how long do you want it?" then walk out.

STYLING 101
The first thing you need to unlearn is that product should control or hold your hair. This is learned while we are in Jr. high, and we use Garnier or Axe to glue up our hair. Be better than the axe! Wash the product out of your hair and then follow these steps with me...

Wet hair is neutral. If you comb it forward, it stays forward, but only until you comb it sideways- then it stays sideways. But only until you then comb it back... You get the idea. Wet hair goes wherever the external forces will it to go.

Hair comes out of neutral and shifts into drive by applying heat. The heat (whether by flat iron, curling iron, or blow dryer) will make the hair pliable, and wherever it sits as it cools is where it will stay, product or no product. Heat your hair in small sections (I like to start in the back) using a good blow dryer (I trust Solano) and also use a brush to pull your hair where you want it (up, beck, sideways, forward, wherever). Your hair WILL stay where you put it, by doing this. Even if you mash it down with your hand afterward, it'll bounce right back up. And if you have wavy hair, brushing it straight while you blow dry it can remove the curl (ask your girlfriend- she's been doing this to her hair for years!)

This was done with ONLY a blow dryer and a brush. There is NO product at all in here....



All you want to expect from your hair product is a finish. You'll use it to stick the hair together, and to glue down those light fly-aways, but the biggest job of the product is to turn the "fluff" into whichever type of finish you'd like. product will also shrink down your blow dry, so blow dry your hair bigger than you want it. You can remove volume with product, but you can't easily add it with product.

Matrix beach clay provides a dry and pliable finish. It doesn't get hard or flake. I rub it very thin on my fingertips, apply it to the root first, then pull it through to the ends, so that the majority of the product will support the root of the hair, and not weigh down the ends. A similar product would be Redken Rough Clay, and another good dry product is Redken Rough Paste. This is what Beach Clay looks like on blow dried hair.



For that wet and clean look that is popular lately, I still recommend a blow dry before adding product, and I strongly recommend not using any wax or oil based products. When you coat your hair in wax or oil, it is put into a state of semi-permanent wetness, which can take a week or so to get out of your hair, and it will remain in "neutral" no matter how much you blow dry or flat iron it, and then you are left with only the styling power of the wax itself (which pails in comparison to what a blow dryer can do for your hair). For these wet looks I recommend a water based pomade, because it'll easily rinse out when you're done. A few good ones are Redken Polish up, which is very shiny and not very dense, and Imperial Classic Pomade, which is slightly less shiny and very very dense and heavy (my favorite). These were styled with a blow dryer, and then Imperial classic pomade...





I really hope I've been able to help you today. If you'd like, learn more on my youtube channel (search Andrew Does Hair) or on my instagram account (@Andrewdoeshair).. Thanks!

Dude your youtube channel is awesome! I have hair curly hair similar to Ben Savage (Boy Meets World). What would you recommend as a daily use product? I currently use gel but do not like the way my hair feels hard and stiff and then sometimes frizzy. I have used a variety of different gels but want something that leaves my hair without the stiff feeling..

Thanks!

 

[SuperheroSoul]

Hey all was looking for some ideas on a new hairstyle.

I have let my hair and beard grow out a bit to give me maximum possibilities.

I dress in a variety of different ways as I like to keep my style looking fresh.

I have had the mohecan, the short back and sides, the short all over and now im looking for something new as im going for a bit of a rebrand.

Any ideas on potential styles would be great.

Find some pictures attached.

Sorry for looking rough i was just lounging at home

I also wear contact lenses if I feel the need if that affects hairstyle options

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[kindofyoung]

edit your post and click "picture" instead of "file" for uploading the pics, so we don't have to download them to watch them

 

[SuperheroSoul]

edit your post and click "picture" instead of "file" for uploading the pics, so we don't have to download them to watch them

thanks updated

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Shave off the beard, shorten the hair (especially at the sides and back), and (no offense) do something to minimize hair loss.

 

[az64q]

Any of you guys use thickening hairspray, or know much about them?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I've used it on *******. I didn't notice much improvement.

 

[andca]

Howdy people!
I'm wanting to try something new with my hair (previously just had short back & sides, with a sort of slight side part + quiff), but have no idea about what my face shape is (Oval? Long? Square?), or what would suit me.
If someone could tell me my face shape that would be awesome, and any suggestions about hair styles would be very welcome!
Thanks

 

[conceptionist]

I don't know much about hairstyles that compliment different face shapes, but I would just continue to grow out the top and fringe while getting the sides and back cut every 3-4 weeks or so.

You'll have loads of styling options once your top is around 3-4" and sides and back are cut short. You'll figure out what works eventually.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Aaron Eckhart, Jr. there. Basically an oval face with a good jaw. The above hairstyle works well. Just about anything medium-length and tasteful should go well with the facial features, presuming it's not very square, which could look hyper-masculine.

 

[andca]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm gonna have my first haircut in 2 months, so going to just have it tidied up a bit, ask them to leave most of the length and let the stylist do their thing.
Cheers

 

[Anna Black]

I think the best you can do is to try and search a hairstylist on the net, they are much more dedicated than a hairstylist in a saloon I think, you can have a long chat with them and really focus on your hair and face so you can get the best results, I found several good hairstylist on lifetsyleprofessional.net and I must say I am very satisfied. I hope you'll get a great new look.