The weather is starting to warm up, ish, and so we are able to cast off those warm winter layers we use to protect ourselves from the elements over the cold harsh months, of course this includes our Winter hair styles. No longer do we need to resemble extras for Night’s Watch, we can start using our razors again and rebuild that relationship with our barbers. With this in mind we sort the expert opinion of the Creative Director of men-ü, Lloyd Hughes. men-ü offer ultra-concentrate products for skin, body and hair, including styling, conveniently packaged for the modern man with handy 100ml pucks, tubes and bottles with locking pumps to provide accurate dosage. Ideal to fit neatly in the hand and into a man’s lifestyle, bathroom, sports or travel bag. men-ü is stocked in quality salons and barbers across the UK. men-ü have a salon academy for men-ü professional training, which is where we caught up with him to ask what are the key trends and hair styles for Spring/Summer 2017.
For men with hair shorter in length, styles with short back and sides remain dominant. Most men are employing this style, with a varying difference in length on top.
Be ahead of the trend
This is about thinking smart and listening to your stylist. Right now, we are seeing the trend of dismantling the large heavy blocked quiffs that have dominated the industry for the past 5 years. This is showing itself in two ways. Firstly, guys have a lot of length on the top, versus what they have on the sides, we are seeing a lot of elastic band type haircuts (You know who you are!).
Men are also asking to add more texture to the hair by deconstructing the top into manageable but quirky haircuts with movement. Couple this with the removal of the big beard and it looks like a trend for a very stylish look with a shorter and more balanced haircut.
Choppy & layered
Styling on top is very much focussed around thick, textured cuts – really choppy and layered. These are the kinds of words and phrases you can use with your stylist to give them a clear idea of what it is you’re looking for.
Make it Square
Building weight up along the upper sides where the head begins to round off to allow the hair to sit square and full. Add to this increased length around the sides and back and an extra inch or two on the top and we can create strong masculine looking shapes that look fuller and thicker without the need for temporary scaffolding or super strong super glue type product to achieve lift and height. We let the hair and the right product do it for us. men-ü has developed a revolutionary new styling product LIQUIFFLEX that is great for almost all modern styles. Because the product is so well dispersed through the hair, hands are left dry to the touch and because of the flexi-hold, the hair is not stiff or sticky.
Product
Products for these styles are key – lots of traditional pomades will weigh the hair down and flatten it to your head, exposing more scalp, as well as losing that strong masculine shape that is so popular. Invest time in finding a professional product range, this is as important as researching a good qualified stylist. Non-professional products on the lower end of the scale can have a one size fits all approach. But also beware of overpriced miracle cures which often lead to disappointment.
Longer styles
For those wearing their hair in longer styles, we are seeing lots of slicked back looks, where the hair is combed backwards. How well this works and how you’d go about styling depends on hair type. Comb the hair back when damp and apply light product in phases, it may take a little practice to get it looking exactly how you’d like.
