Are you tired of struggling with your unruly, thick hair every morning? When you have thick hair, it’s easy to think that luxurious locks are just not in the cards. It might seem that all around you are people with thin hair that naturally forms neat styles. But have no fear: you can deal with men’s thick hair.
This article breaks down seven tips to tame thick hair for guys out there, ranging from the depths of self-understanding to the heights of hair care specifics.
How to Deal With Unruly Thick Hair for Guys
Managing unruly thick hair can be a challenging task for men. Here are the tips to follow in dealing with thick hair guys.
#1. Know Thy Hair, Know Thyself
The first step to managing your thick hair is to understand your hair’s needs.
It is regrettably common for guys with thick hair to assume that their hair is the same as those with thin hair–or worse that it is just a defective version!
In reality, your thick hair is biologically different from someone with a different texture. If you have curly hair, for example, you have different follicles than guys with wavy or thin hair.
This matters because you cannot treat thick hair with the same methods someone else uses to treat their thin hair. It would be like using oranges in an apple pie recipe and being surprised when the taste is off!
You must research your specific hair type and its unique requirements rather than modeling yourself on others. If you have a curly hair texture, for example, you need to moisturize your hair regularly to prevent it from drying out or splitting–but each head of hair has different needs.
#2. Find Hairstyle Inspiration
As an extension of knowing your hair, you should find stylistic inspiration online for someone with your hair texture who seems to be managing it well.
Why do this? “Managing” unruly thick hair is subjective and looks different for each person. For some people, taming their hair means sculpting it to have an attractive shape, while for others, well-managed hair should be sleek.
These hairstyles for thick hair require different approaches, products, and methods.
To find inspiration, hit the Internet to find someone with hair like yours, then make clear notes on how their hair differs from yours.
#3. Get the Right Products
This next step is crucial: you must, by all means, get good products for your hair. As we have highlighted, each head of hair has different needs, and you need products to match that.
Many scalps are very sensitive to harsh artificial chemicals, and they need products with gentle, natural ingredients.
Others need products that only minimally condition their hair, while others-especially those guys with curly hair need products that moisturize their locks thoroughly.
Not all styling products can achieve the same look. Some like pomade, only offer moderate help to hold hair’s shape. Others, like gels, can help keep the hair in a single style throughout the day. Even others, like creams, define and moisturize hair without fixing it into one solid shape.
#4. Mind Your Porosity
Besides hair shape, you should also consider issues like porosity. Men with thick hair tend to have strands that are not very porous, which means that their hair does not absorb moisture or products very quickly.
To test your hair’s porosity, put a strand of hair into a cup of water. If the hair sinks immediately, it is incredibly porous, but if it dithers or floats on the surface, it is not very porous.
If this is true of you, get products specifically designed to penetrate and moisturize less porous hair.
#5. Get Your Timing Right
Another tip is to be thoughtful about the timing of your styling routine.
Depending on the products you use and the hairstyle you are going for, you will need to wet and wash your hair at different intervals–some hair textures require daily rinses, while others can stand a few days without doing so.
At the immediate level, you should time your styling around the needs of your hair and your products. For instance, applying hair cream to damper hair gives a strong definition and less volume, while the reverse happens when you apply the cream to drier hair.
On the other hand, applying pomade to wet hair is often completely ineffective.
#6. Don’t Sleep on It
If you find it hard to tame thick hair, your sleep patterns might be responsible.
Hair is sensitive to heat, and the body produces so much heat at night that it can dry out and damage hair to sleep directly on it. To mitigate this issue, consider using a very soft pillow or wearing a nightcap.
#7. Consult a Stylist
When all else fails, speak with a hairstylist. They will be able to give you recommendations for haircare and products to help support your vision.
Even more importantly, they may be able to recognize when the problem is simply that you need to have your hair cut differently!
Are Men with Thick Hair Considered More Attractive?
If you’re worried about your thick hair making you less attractive, you can put those worries to ease. Thick hair can be an extraordinarily attractive feature.
Oftentimes, we are used to seeing fashion icons with thin, straight hair that appears to be naturally well-managed. It is quite rare to see a heartthrob with thick hair.
But don’t let the glitz deceive you: actors, social media influencers, and models all spend extensive time with haircare professionals and use expensive products to make their hair look good for the time they’re on screen–and then go back to normal after that.
The upshot is that those images do not reflect reality. The truth is that attractiveness has far more to do with confidence, cleanliness, and grooming than any inherent feature about you.
If you are worried that your thick hair is not attractive, you can look into washing it and styling it in such a way that accentuates your natural good looks.
It can feel intimidating to tame thick hair for men. However, the key tips should help you: recognize your hair’s unique needs, support it with the products that keep it healthy, and consult a professional when needed.
FAQs
Let’s take a look at some common questions regarding proven tips to manage unruly thick hair for men:
Although thick hair has a reputation for being mangy and unmanageable, the reality is that it is not hard to style per se. It all depends on the tools you have at your disposal.
If you get into a rhythm that uses the right haircare tools and methods for your hairstyle, you will find that styling thick hair is far easier than you think.
This question is a tad complicated to answer. In short, it depends on how you define “thick hair” and “healthy.”
If you measure hair size, thin hair can be sturdy than thick hair. For many people, breakability connotes unhealthiness, so in that way, thin hair could be healthier.
So, if you think of thickness as an aesthetic trait or stylistic category, then thick hair is not necessarily healthier than thin hair. All types and textures of hair can be healthy so long as they receive the proper nourishment.