How to Style Long & Short Straight Hair for Men

• Choose a crew cut if you want more manageable hair, or opt for a long-on-top cut for more styling options. Or, grow your hair long.
• Work a small dollop of pomade, wax, or gel into damp hair. Start at the roots of your hair and work your way out.
• Comb the product through your hair for a cleaner look, or muss your hair with your fingertips for a messy, casual look.

Choosing a Hairstyle

Get a crew cut for a simple look that’s easy to maintain. The crew cut is a staple in men’s fashion. It refers to a haircut where the hair is relatively short but a little taller on top. A crew cut is really easy to work with and allows for a few relatively simple styles. This makes it an excellent cut if you want options when styling your hair but don’t want to worry that hard about taking care of it. The crew cut is what most people think of when they picture a basic men’s haircut. This is the best haircut if you like parting your hair to the side.

Keep it a little long on top to have more freedom with styling. Many popular men’s haircuts involve styling the hair on top while the sides are a little shorter. From the pompadour to the undercut, leaving the hair a little longer up top allows for plenty of options. Keep in mind, your hair will require regular trims and it may not look particularly good if you don’t style it with this cut.

Get a fade for a sleeker, cleaner look on the sides. A fade refers to any hairstyle where the sides are shaved with clippers so that the hair gets increasingly shorter as it goes down towards the neck. On the top, you can either keep the hair long to have more styling options, or cut it extremely short to match the rest of the fade. If you do the latter, keep in mind that there really aren’t any ways to style your hair. This is one of the easiest cuts to maintain, though! A high fade refers to fades where the hair gets longer near the top of the head. In contrast, a low fade refers to a fade where the hair starts getting longer closer to your ears.

Keep your hair medium length to comb it over or slick it back. If your hair isn’t exceptionally short, use your comb to part your hair to the side. Then, work the top of your hair back a little with the tips of your fingers to shape it towards the back. Alternatively, you can simply comb the top all the way back after parting it to slick it back an angle. This is an easy way to craft a trendy style with a classy edge. These are great options if you’ve got a little bit of a bald spot that you want to hide. These are not great options if your hair is shorter than 2 inches (5.1 cm) in length. In styling terms, a comb-over doesn’t explicitly refer to the cut you use to cover a bald spot—it’s simply any style where the hair is combed back at an angle from the part.

Grow your hair out and keep it long if you like a full head of hair. If you like the way you look with long hair, grow it out! Long hair can be styled in a variety of ways to make it look clean, messy, or anything in between. Keep in mind, shampooing and conditioning your hair can be kind of pain if you have a ton of hair!

Using the Right Products

Get a wax or pomade to shape and style your hair. For straight hair, wax and pomade are the best styling options. Wax and pomade will provide a medium hold that won’t add a ton of volume or texture to your hair. Since your hair is on the straighter side, adding a ton of shine and texture can make your hair look greasy and unnatural. The difference between pomade and wax is that pomade adds a slightly greasy texture to your hair and wax tends to be better at holding hair in place. Unless someone has a keen eye though, they won’t be able to tell the difference.

Opt for hair gel if you want a ton of hold and shine. Hair gel is thicker than pomade or wax and it’s great if you want your hair to stay in place regardless of what you’re doing. Unlike wax and pomade, hair gel reflects light when it’s in your hair. Depending on the look you’re going for, this is either a good or bad thing. Keep in mind that people will able to tell there’s product in your hair, though. Unless you’re crafting a really unique look or slicking your hair back, you probably don’t need gel for your straight hair.

Use a volumizing mousse if your hair is on the thinner side. Volumizing mousse is a foam product that will coat your hair when you work it into your head. This makes it an ideal choice if your hair is a little on the thinner side and you want to thicken it up. Mousse offers a fair amount of hold, but it won’t keep slicked back hair in place. Mousse will add a kind of rougher texture to your hair. This isn’t a good or bad thing, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Avoid styling cream unless your hair is really thick. Styling creams are better for people with thicker or frizzier hair that need a ton of hold. On straighter hair, it will make your hair look too curated and unnatural. This means you should stay away from styling cream unless your hair tends to frizz over the course of the day.

Crafting Your Style

Start with damp hair. Style your hair immediately after you get out of the shower. Blot your hair dry, but leave a little moisture in it. It’s much easier to style your hair if it’s still a little damp.Variation: If it isn’t time for a shower and you want to style your hair, scoop up some water in your hands and run it through your hair to get it damp. Blot your hair to remove the excess water before adding the product.

Scoop a dollop of product up in your hand and work it into your hair by hand. Pour or scoop up a quarter-sized dollop of product in your hand. Rub your hands together to spread the product out in your hand and warm it up so it's easier to apply. Then, run your hands through your hair. Start by running your fingers through the roots with your fingers spread out. Continue doing this until all of your hair has been exposed to the product. You may need to use more of the product if you have really long hair or you feel the strands starting to dry out while you apply the product.

Use a fine- or medium-tooth comb for firmer, cleaner styles. To shape your hair when you’re styling it, grab a fine-tooth comb if your hair is a little thinner. If your hair is on the thicker side and tends to frizz a little over the course of the day, grab a medium-tooth comb. These are the best tools to shape and move hair around while you’re styling it. Brushes and wide-tooth combs are best for folks with bulky, curly hair. Unless your hair is extremely thick, a brush or a wide-tooth comb is too abrasive for straight hair. This is the best way to craft side-parts, pompadours, slicked-back hair, and undercuts.

Craft messier, more casual looks with your fingertips. For cooler, less formal looks, move the hair around with your hand. Use your fingertips to make smaller adjustments and shape larger sections of hair with your palm. Move the hair around until you’ve achieved the style you’re going for. This is ideal for French crops, messy looks, or general hair styling. You can use a combination of the comb and your fingertips to craft carefully curated styles.

Dry your hair with a blow dryer while shaping it for a stronger hold. If you want your style to hold its shape, turn a blow dryer on and move it back over your hair while you’re shaping it. Style your hair with one hand and hold the blow dryer with the other. Drying your hair while shaping it will firm up the style that you’re crafting and keep it from coming undone over the course of the day. Unless your hair is really long, keep it on low or medium heat while you’re working.