The new trend in men’s styling reflects the metrosexual man: experimental, bold and adventurous.
His hair reflects his personality: long and textured or super short and tight held together with gel, mousse or pomade. At other times he does not even run a comb through his hair. “Today men have become more experimental. A contemporary, easy going look is in,” says Muniraj Srini, Senior Hairstylist, Joops Styling salon, Bengaluru. The truth is that now more than ever there are numerous ways to achieve a stylish and trendy hair cut. “While men’s styling today is less rigid than it was in the 80s and requires less goo to accomplish, the modern hair cut is still best served by a little styling”, says Faheem Ahmed, Senior Hairstylist, Keune the salon, New Delhi. Salon India speaks to stylists in different parts of the country to share with you the top trends for 2009.
Super short: “Both a shorter, tighter look and long hair are in vogue these days. A lot depends on hair texture. For example, curly hair does not look good for a long ponytail, straight hair is better,” says celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib. Variations in the short hair cut include a high and tight cut, spikes, clipper cuts, crew cuts and fades (fade is a gradual increasing or decreasing in the length of the hair). Most popular are the high and tight style and fades. “Characterized by a closely cropped clipper cut around the sides and back of the head with just enough hair on top of the head to comb, the high and tight hairstyle with its many variations accounts for about 75 percent of all popular styles,” says Keune stylist Faheem. Spike up the top with some gel, mess it up, or finger into place. While it may require more frequent cuts to keep in shape — every three weeks or so the ease upkeep makes this style a favorite among the busy men of today.
Medium, textured: Medium-length styles (approximately three to four inches long) require more textured hair. These styles resemble the classic cut of the past, but step it up a notch by using extreme texture and color to bring it together. Most stylists use a great deal of razoring and texturizing with notching scissors to get this look right. Add pomade for better styling, working the product through dry hair and fingering into place. “The best thing about medium textured hair is that you can achieve many different styles with this. You can leave it messy or keep it clean or uneven textured,” Muniraj points out.
Long: While most men do not wear their hair trailing down their back anymore, the long hairstyle has made a comeback. Long, textured and disheveled, this style is gaining widespread popularity. Again, this style requires a lot of texture and works best with pomade and is a favorite for those in more creative fields of work.
