[ppc123]

How much can I 'expect' a barber to be able to with my hair. I want a new haircut that isn't just a 'short back and sides' etc...do I need to go to a proper hairstylist for this?

[ScottCornwall]

YES! My hairdresser made a great statement to me, he said Barbers are 'Hair Removers' and hairstylists don't concentrate on what they are cutting off, but leaving on.

All I would say is - some chain salons charge stupid amounts for men's cuts. Ideally you should pay less than £30 (I only pay £28 in a really great London Salon just for men) and you need someone who is expert at cutting men's hair. Usually this tends to be another guy.

Another tip could be (with guys) to miss a haircut, so if you get it cut every 6 weeks try to go 3 months. You'll feel like a Yetti but the hairdresser will have more to play with when you go in and can maybe create a better new look for you. when guys come to me with very short hair there is little you can do for them, so try to wait. The length could be important as guys hair is getting longer now and the World Cup is starting soon and it's here that new male hairtrends will explode!

[echelon B-)]

Thanks for the advice scott, sorry i've got one more question: when i go and get my haircut, what do i ask for so that it's still long enough to have a choppy style? so that they don't cut it too short. I've heard that u can texturise your hair without making it much shorter by cutting half the hair or something, is that the same thing as getting ur hair cut thinner without making it shorter? So yeah do u know what i would ask for? Thanks

[ScottCornwall]

(Original post by jj.)
Hey Scott it's me again.

I didn't explain my problem properly I guess. Well I used to have super curly hair, ringlets, it was lovely. Then I bought some fat GHDs and straightened my hair every single day for months at a time. My hair was literally ironed flat but it looked so nice

now I'm getting bored of straight hair an I want my natural curls back but they're gone!!!!! Now my hair is half straight half wavy. Where did my curls go???

Please help!!!!!

Hi JJ,

Well firstly I don't know your age but its very unlikely the GHD's permanently killed your curl. It's possible the hair started to retrain as it grew to be more controlled (that can happen if the hair is being styled in a certain direction). However the biggest reason hair can change is because of the conclusion of puberty (even as late as 21 the final changes can still be happening). I was a teenager in the late 1980's early 1990's and I had really straight flat hair at a time when big sticking out hair or curly texture was in. I used to have my hair permed to get curl in it (sounds naff now I know, but it did actually used to work really well mostly! LOL). When I was about 15/16 Happy Monday's hair came in and guys all started growing their hair out I ended up with long curly (permed hair) that looked pretty good (and natural). At almost 20 (Keep up with my brief hair life story here please LOL) I decided to have all my long hair cut off. By now the last perm I had was over a year old and straight hair was in. For 10 months I had been ironing my hair out with probably the worlds first ever straightening iron (a babyliss crimper style thing with a flat blue plate) and my hair was fried and breaking off in clumps! Now here is the twist! When at 20 I decided to cut all this curly hair off so I could have my old straight hair back I discovered (several months after going short when I started trying to grow it again) that my hair (over the past five years of perming it) had gone curly naturally! Now I was left with this dreadful half grown out short hairstyle that curled up like Kevin Keegan or one of those Scousers from Harry Enfield!! The irony was when I did used to have a perm - nobody could ever tell as it looked so natural, yet my natural curl looked really stupid and false and people started asking me if I'd had a perm!!!

My point is - even at 20 I discovered my hair had changed and its possible this has happened to you too.

The other explanation is bleach. If you have bleach highlights it will mess up the texture in curly hair and cause it to straighten.

The best solution for you (if you have no bleach on your hair) is to actually (as I have been saying) have your hair permed to match your old curl formation. Then as it grows it will take the new growth with it and form a curl pattern. This would have also been a big contributor in why my hair (once cut) was so curly and 'permed like' as the hair was growing in the direction the old perm was pulling it into - even though the old perm was long gone! If you have even a small amount of natural wave still in your hair, applying a firm perm will work with it and retain a curl for a very long period of time!

[ScottCornwall]

(Original post by echelon B-))
Thanks for the advice scott, sorry i've got one more question: when i go and get my haircut, what do i ask for so that it's still long enough to have a choppy style? so that they don't cut it too short. I've heard that u can texturise your hair without making it much shorter by cutting half the hair or something, is that the same thing as getting ur hair cut thinner without making it shorter? So yeah do u know what i would ask for? Thanks

You ask them to texturize it, they can do this by chopping into it (one they have dried it) or by using a razor on it. If your hair is thick and you want to retain length but remove bulk and get texture have it razor cut. Just tell them you want to keep the length, but you'd like the bulk removed and to get some texture in it - say I suggested razor/slice cutting!

Where r u Echelon - are you in London?

[ppc123]

(Original post by ScottCornwall)
YES! My hairdresser made a great statement to me, he said Barbers are 'Hair Removers' and hairstylists don't concentrate on what they are cutting off, but leaving on.

All I would say is - some chain salons charge stupid amounts for men's cuts. Ideally you should pay less than £30 (I only pay £28 in a really great London Salon just for men) and you need someone who is expert at cutting men's hair. Usually this tends to be another guy.

Another tip could be (with guys) to miss a haircut, so if you get it cut every 6 weeks try to go 3 months. You'll feel like a Yetti but the hairdresser will have more to play with when you go in and can maybe create a better new look for you. when guys come to me with very short hair there is little you can do for them, so try to wait. The length could be important as guys hair is getting longer now and the World Cup is starting soon and it's here that new male hairtrends will explode!

Any tips for looking for a good one outside of finding one which is tailored towards men? Or any you can recommend (London)?

Thanks

[ScottCornwall]

Yes I can recommend my hairdresser. He is Phil Reader from Jason Shankey in Fulham Broadway's he's excellent and can work out contemporary styles that suit you and also work with your hair texture. You can find out more here:-

http://www.jasonshankey.com/branch.p...0London&BID=11

Other tips would be finding out who stocks American Crew near you. American Crew is a standard men's range which tends to be mainly sold in salons who have a good male clientele. You could even contact them and ask them who they supply to near you. That would be a good starting point:-

http://www.buyamericancrew.co.uk/contact.php

[echelon B-)]

When u say by a razor, do u mean the electric buzz thing lol or like a shaving sort of razor? I'm from surrey, near to new malden and kingston, so on the outskirts of london. Why? Oh i just read the last post, and there's a men's hairdresser's that sells american crew fiber very close to me, so should that be a good place to go to get a haircut, i currently go to a unisex one literally across the road lol.

[ScottCornwall]

Kingston and New Malden have quite a lot of salons like Headmasters, but you really do need a good stand alone business. If the salon near you sells American Crew and seems to have a good male hairdresser in there then give it a go. I'd suggest popping in there and asking their opinion if they seem vague walk away.

If you are in Kingston/New Malden way is it not easy for you to get on the District line in Wimbledon and go to Fulham Broadway to my guy? Its only 6 stops and the salon is about 2 minutes walk from the station. Even if you went to Phil once he'd be able to advice you what would work and put you on track. Sometimes going to an expert initially puts you in get stead for the future.

When I said razor I mean either a cut throat on they slide the scissors down the hair, doing either of these methods creates texture and removes bulk.

[ppc123]

Probably another silly question, but should I make an appointment and know exactly what I want? Because I don't. Can I instead make appointments, go there and try and find something with their recommendation which would suit?

[ScottCornwall]

Buy GQ or a similar male magazine and have a look at the styles which are coming in first. For guys its long fronts, fringes and old style Etan short back and sides with heavy side partings. You can make an appointment and go there, but if your hair is short they will only cut it shorter - you would be best growing it for a month or so first if thats the case.

[echelon B-)]

Okay scott thanks. To be honest i couldn't really be bothered to go all that way lol but i'll try that hairdresser's across the road. Oh, i bought the brylcreem clay, and it's good, bit of a pain to wash off the hands tho. Are there any extra tips u know for that product?

[ScottCornwall]

I agree about the washing it off your hands part!! When you wash it off don't wet your hands first - put the soap straight into your hands, rub them together and then add the water and it will come off.

I rub it in my palms and heat it up then it goes on easier. Best way to use it is to apply it to dry hair and then run the hairdryer through it again to heat the clay up about and get additional texture. Once I've done this I always add a tiny bit more into my palms, heat it up and then re-apply again to the ends just to tidy it up a little.

[ppc123]

(Original post by ScottCornwall)
Buy GQ or a similar male magazine and have a look at the styles which are coming in first. For guys its long fronts, fringes and old style Etan short back and sides with heavy side partings. You can make an appointment and go there, but if your hair is short they will only cut it shorter - you would be best growing it for a month or so first if thats the case.

My hair's quite long already...it's a big of a mess, haven't had it cut for over a month at this point anyway.

[Lostwithoutyou]

Hi Scott,

Hoping you can help! Ive got fairly long curly hair, Ive dyed it a few times to a red/black colour. Now it tangles and knots constantly, I never used to brush it and now I have to which makes the curls fall out. No matter what I do I get really thick tangles after Ive slept. Ive been to the hairdresser and had it layered which hasnt helped. Its also gone really really dry and straw like.

How do I stop the tangles without having to brush it? And how can I get rid of this dry straw like hair?

Thanks for your help!

[ScottCornwall]

I'm a little confused as to why it's gone dry and straw like? Its possible the black hair colour has made it dry which has made it tangle and then you've started brushing it (possibly when wet) and it's breaking.

First off you should buy a Tangle Teazer these are great brushes to stop long hair getting tangled. Next off I think you may need to invest in some good hydration treatments. Joico K Pak and Redkin anti-snap leave in conditioner would really help your hair start to hydrate and repair.

I have a very weird suggestion, but one which would work. If you can bare doing this, try winding your hair on rags (such as j clothes) with serum and the anti-snap before you go to bed. You don't need to wind it to the roots, you can leave the rags (once wound) hanging so it doesn't feel too uncomfortable to sleep on. If you comb each section out and then apply serum and mist anti-snap down it the hair will smooth out as it sets. When you wake up in the morning you will have definate shiny ringlets which you can break up with your fingers.
If you are working with j clothes wind them up into a tube and then wrap the hair around it (also in a tube) to form a spiral wind, you then tie each end of the rag into a knot. Funnily enough I find towling socks give the best rag wind and produce big fat long lasting ringlets.


You should find that if you do this the hair survives the next night (without needing to wind) and the night after that. If at first you are still finding its tangled in the morning keep conditioning and winding the hair on the rags every night and then at some point (probably after only a week) it will stop tangling as much.

You could also try sleeping with your damp hair wrapped in a tight bun on the top of your head. All you'd need to do is mist it with the anti ssnap, comb it neatly and then wrap it around itself (neatly) into a bun and wrap some scrunchies on the outside. When you wake up in the morning your hair will be wavy but smooth.

Hope those tips help.

Regards

Scott

[flyingspree]

Hi!

Maybe you could give me some advice, I'm torn between the wish to get some change and to keep my hair healthy... The everlasting "should I go blonde?" question

I used to dye my hair a lot and I've had all kinds of brown, red, black. About 18 months ago I decided to let my natural hair colour grow out, which is to be honest, quite boring. A mousy brown (my hairdressers call it dark blonde but it's certainly the darkest kind) but at least it's healthy. However, now I'm dying to get another hair colour and I wonder if blonde is the way to go, despite all horror stories about hair falling out etc...

If the natural hair is not too dark and untreated, is it really that hard to go blonde?
My friends say that it's probably not possible to go blonde at once, they think I should get highlights once a month and let it go blonde gradually. Would you recommend this?
How would you treat blonde hair to keep it as healthy as possible?
Lots of people use silvershampoo to stay blonde, is this a good idea?

A bit of a messy post, but I hope you understand my concerns

[Nidhogg_Rider]

Hi,

Basically, how do I go about getting a good 'asian' style haircut?

I mean, I went to Hong Kong a year ago and had a haircut then, I was so much happier with the way my hair had been cut. Nothing i've had since or before even compared so what can I do to try and replicate the results here?

For reference I mean like hairstyles you might find here:

http://www.beauty-box.jp/style/mens/

Sorry if this is a bit of an awkward question!

[jeffers86]

Ok I would like hair like this.

http://mensfashion.about.com/od/goom...5hairmed_9.htm

http://coolmenshair.com/2008/07/chac...hairstyle.html

Can I go to any hairdressers to get this done or will I need to go to a salon and pay £30+, one of the sites says that the hair is razor cut? I've never been to a salon in my life as my mum is a hairdresser. What would I ask for? Just take in a photo or two?

Thanks for your help.

[ScottCornwall]

(Original post by flyingspree)
Hi!

Maybe you could give me some advice, I'm torn between the wish to get some change and to keep my hair healthy... The everlasting "should I go blonde?" question

I used to dye my hair a lot and I've had all kinds of brown, red, black. About 18 months ago I decided to let my natural hair colour grow out, which is to be honest, quite boring. A mousy brown (my hairdressers call it dark blonde but it's certainly the darkest kind) but at least it's healthy. However, now I'm dying to get another hair colour and I wonder if blonde is the way to go, despite all horror stories about hair falling out etc...

If the natural hair is not too dark and untreated, is it really that hard to go blonde?
My friends say that it's probably not possible to go blonde at once, they think I should get highlights once a month and let it go blonde gradually. Would you recommend this?
How would you treat blonde hair to keep it as healthy as possible?
Lots of people use silvershampoo to stay blonde, is this a good idea?

A bit of a messy post, but I hope you understand my concerns

Hi Flyingspree,

Firstly if you have dark blonde (so 6.0 to 7.0) natural hair it's actually easy for you to go blonde, as your hair is sittinging on a blonde base anyway. Even though it looks dark to you.

I agree with what you said, it's best to go blonde gradually, you will wreck your hair if you apply an all over blonde to it - plus it will look cheap and tacky.

Instead I'd start by getting some fine highlights applied around your hairline and down your parting. Ask the hairdresser to use bleach and 40 volume peroxide. This will start lifting your overall hair colour out of brown and into a sunkissed blonde shade.

I'd wait a few weeks (maybe 4 to 6) and then return and ask them to apply more bleach highlights with 40 volume peroxide, this time slightly thicker highlights/weaves than before. Now your hair will be looking a definate blonde.

6 weeks later still I'd go back and this time ask they apply high lift tint foils in an alternative ratio of 12/01 (lightest ash blonde) with 40 volume peroxide and 12/07 lightest beige blonde with 30 volume peroxide. This final colour technique will give your blonde hair three different blonde tones and create a really nice all over colour of lightest blondes (from the previous bleach) and biscuit and platinum tones.

By now all you should need to do is maintain the colour, so I would suggest (when you go to the salon which would probably be every 8 to 10 weeks) you ask them to apply 3 foil colours - 1 x 7.3 (medium golden blonde with 20 volume), 1 x 12/01 (lightest ash blonde with 30 volume) and 1xbleach with 40 volume. Make sure the hairdresser always applies 50% of the bleach foil packets and 25% of medium golden blonde and 25% of the lightest ash blonde. This foil ratio will ensure your hair stays a really nice natural lightish blonde with both cool and warm tones running throughout.

Once your hair starts getting blonde use Lee Stafford's bleach blonde silverizing shampoo and conditioner products (from Boots).

It's worth doing this transition right as if you have natural hair now you have the perfect platform to create a fantastic blonde colour over the next few months - so by summer it looks dazzling. Just don't rush it and make sure you follow the above instructions.

Regards

Scott