How to style your hair: products, tools and routine
To style your hair, start with it towel dried and slightly damp, blow dry it into shape if it needs lift, then work a pea-sized amount of product through it with dry fingers. Matte clay or paste gives hold and texture, cream gives a softer, shinier finish, and most short cuts take about two minutes. The cut does most of the work, so the best styling advice is to tell your barber how much effort you'll put in each morning.
Most of what follows is practical convention from barbers and stylists, so treat it as advice, not science. The parts that come from dermatologists are marked, and they're about protecting your hair from damage.
Start with the cut
Product can't fix a cut that fights your hair. If you have a cowlick, thick waves or fine hair, a good barber will cut with that in mind. Bring a photo of a haircut on someone with similar hair, and say three things out loud: how long you want the top, how short the sides, and how many minutes you'll spend styling. "Two minutes, no blow dryer" is a useful instruction. For picking a shape that suits your face, see how to pick a haircut for your face shape.
Ask the barber to show you what they did with the product at the end. Then buy the same type, or ask what it was.
What the products do
Names vary by brand and the categories overlap, so read the label. The general idea:
| Type | Hold | Finish | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Medium to strong | Matte, textured | Thick hair, messy or textured looks |
| Paste | Medium | Low shine to matte | Most short and medium cuts |
| Cream | Light | Natural, low to medium shine | Soft, loose styles, dry or wavy hair |
| Pomade | Medium to strong | Shiny (water-based or oil-based) | Slicked back and classic looks |
| Sea salt spray | Light | Matte, rough | Adding body to fine hair before blow drying |
Two things come up often. First, shiny and wet-looking is a style choice, and it's easy to overdo. Second, anything labelled "strong hold" tends to feel stiff when someone touches it. If you're not sure, pick medium hold and matte.
You don't need brands to compare. You need one product from the list, used for a month. Switching every week makes it impossible to tell what's working.
Towel drying and blow drying
This is where dermatologists have something to say. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises wrapping your hair in a towel or t-shirt to gently absorb the water, because roughly rubbing it dry can cause damage. It also says to limit blow drying and tools like flat or curling irons, to use low or medium heat settings, and to use a product that protects hair from the heat. Its page says that no matter your hair type, excessive heat can cause damage. For wet hair, it says to use a wide-tooth comb instead of a brush.
In practice that means:
- Pat, don't scrub. Press the towel into your hair.
- Let it air dry a few minutes if you've got time. Hair that's already damp needs less heat.
- Blow dry on a low or medium setting, as the AAD suggests. A common barbering tip is to hold the dryer a hand's width away and point the nozzle down the length of the hair, from root to tip.
- Lift the front. For volume, dry the front upward and back with your fingers. For a flatter look, dry it in the direction you want it to lie.
- Finish with a cooler setting if your dryer has one. Many stylists say it helps the shape hold. That's convention, not a studied claim.
If your hair is short and dries in ten minutes anyway, skip the dryer.
A two-minute routine
This works for most short to medium cuts.
- Start damp, not wet. Dripping hair won't hold product. Totally dry hair makes it harder to spread.
- Take a pea-sized amount (a bit more for long or thick hair). Rub it between your palms until it's invisible.
- Work it in from the back to the front, then finish the top. Starting at the front is how people end up with a greasy fringe and a bare back.
- Shape with your fingers. Push the hair where you want it, then leave it alone.
- Check the mirror from the side, then add a little more only if you need it.
Add product in small amounts. You can always add more, but taking it out means washing your hair again.
Washing and the skin around your hairline
The AAD says people with straight hair and an oily scalp may want to shampoo every day, while people with dry, textured, curly or thick hair can shampoo when needed, at least once every 2 to 3 weeks. It says to apply shampoo to the scalp instead of the whole length of the hair, and to use conditioner afterward. For fine or straight hair it says to apply conditioner to the ends, and for dry or curly hair along the entire length.
Product that builds up can also reach your skin. The AAD's acne advice says hair oil can contribute to forehead acne, and that if your hair is oily you should shampoo more often and keep it away from your forehead. If you break out along your hairline, switch to a lighter product or wash it out each night. There's more in acne for guys.
Common mistakes
- Too much product, which looks wet or crunchy.
- Styling with product still on your hands from yesterday. Wash your hands and start clean.
- Using a brush on wet hair. The AAD recommends a wide-tooth comb.
- Skipping haircuts. A styled cut loses its shape as it grows out. How often to go depends on your hair and the cut, and the grooming checklist suggests a standing appointment every 3 to 4 weeks if you go out most weekends.
- Copying a photo of someone with different hair. Straight, fine hair won't hold a look that thick, wavy hair gets by itself.
Hair that's thinning is a separate topic, and there are cuts and styles that work with it. See thinning hair in your 20s.
What to do next
- Book a haircut and bring a photo plus the line "two minutes, here's my routine."
- Buy one product, matte and medium hold, and use it daily for 30 days.
- Switch to patting your hair dry with a towel starting tonight, and turn the blow dryer down to low or medium.
- Time your routine once. If it takes longer than five minutes, tell the barber at your next visit and ask for a cut that needs less.
- Run the checks on your next night out: nails, shave, breath, then hair.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology: Tips for healthy hair (opened in full; the shampoo, conditioner, towel, heat and comb advice, as worded on the page)
- American Academy of Dermatology: Acne, tips for managing (opened in full; the hair oil and forehead acne point)
The product table and the styling steps are general barbering convention, not research findings, and no brands are ranked here.