Style: Men: Hairstyles and cuts to tell your personality

Hairstyles and haircuts are just as important as anything else that affects men’s looks. They can make you look more youthful, rough or masculine, intelligent or even sexy and then there is the ‘star or celebrity treatment’ that can transform you into a total babe magnet that the girls just can’t resist.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Hairstyles and haircuts are just as important as anything else that affects men’s looks. They can make you look more youthful, rough or masculine, intelligent or even sexy and then there is the ‘star or celebrity treatment’ that can transform you into a total babe magnet that the girls just can’t resist.

Safari Manzi, a barber at desire barber shop says that knowing how to style your hair is one thing and actually getting it done the way you want is another. Barbers may know how to cut and style hair, but they need your input when it comes to getting the haircut that will make you irresistible to women, and make you feel great about yourself.

This is why there are pinned charts of cut styles in barber shops for you to make a choice. The choice is not as limited as some might think. You can choose from a dramatic, modern classic, conservative, care free, business or formal styling.

However, Manzi says that the best hair style or cut is one that is suitable for the individual’s face shape and hair care preferences. For example, a long, round afro common these days may not be the ideal choice for an individual with a round face, because it will only stress that shape.

At the same time, someone with a very narrow face may seem unequal if they choose a large afro. Afros and cornrows require precise care to keep looking their best, while other cuts need frequent trims to appear stylish. A long face should be cut lower on the top than other face shapes, but not necessarily shorter. 

The sides should be full in order to make the top of the head seem lower. A round face automatically has a compact appearance and usually needs thinning, by leaving more hair on the sides as well as on the top. Square face is similar to a round face as far as design is concerned. 

Again the face is thinned by ensuring that the hair is full on the sides. This also helps balance off the jowly look. The hair can also be full over the top, but the fullness is not as critical as on the sides. Triangular and Oval face can have any style that the hair will permit.

Apart from the face variables, you need to work with the hair you have. There’s no sense in working against your hair type. Instead, choose a hairstyle that will show off your hair in its best light.

For instance, short hair cuts are deemed to be men hair style’s classic cuts. Long hair cuts are a difficult to maintain. Men will often have thick, strong and stubborn hair. When it starts to grow too long, instead of falling down it will twist and turn into a massive bush.

Styles

There are many varieties of men’s hair styles that work well for men, but the most popular styles include:

Buzz (brush) cuts: A very short style typically shorn with clippers, these are easy to manage looks that can be maintained in seconds. The edges of the cut along the hair line may be sharply defined or left with a natural definition.

A shaved style is longer than a buzz cut and often features edges usually along the back of the head or neck. The sides of the hairstyle may be tapered to shorter lengths near the hair line or sideburns.

Cornrows or dreadlocks: This is getting very popular among the youth. The long style from Jamaican or Caribbean backgrounds consists of thick twists or braids covering the head. The hair may be only as long as the collar or it may extend to the waistline.

Cornrows: This braided style keeps hair close to the scalp in medium-thick braids, unlike the micro braids preferred by women, which are longer and thinner.

Afros: An afro is a natural hairstyle where the hair stands out in a puff around the head rather than being confined, straightened or trimmed. Some afros are only an inch or two long, while others may be several inches in length for very prominent styles.

Natural afro can be adapted to different men’s preferences. A smaller afro could have tapered sides to better suit particular face shapes, and a buzz cut could have a longer top to help lengthen a face and reduce the regularity of trims.

Shaved (bold) head: Many black men opt for shaving their heads completely to eliminate any hassle with confining curly hair. Shaves must be redone every few days to keep a neat, clean style.

But once you have your new hair style, do not let it get wild. Regular trims in about every one to two weeks, will keep the hairstyle look best.

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