How To Manage Your Hair During Lockdown - Hint: It Doesn't Involve A Scissor

Since we have been ordered to stay at home I have seen countless news channels, Instagram accounts and YouTube videos cover how to cut your hair at home. No one has done a story on the alternative- what you guys can do at home to NOT cut your hair but gain some additional control over it, manage the longer length easier and feel and look your best without taking a dusty clipper you found at the bottom of a bathroom drawer to it which every time will end in disaster. A bad haircut will kill your confidence and take weeks if not months- long after we get out of quarantine- to get to a place where you can even have it reshaped and fixed by a professional. Hair grows, yes, but it grows surprisingly slow when you butcher it yourself.

My mantra has always been- but especially during this global health crisis- a grown out version of your current haircut is almost always going to be a much better option than rolling the dice with a shitty scissor or clipper at home. We know we make giving a haircut look easy, but remember that’s the sign of a true professional. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.

In my 20+ years as a men’s hair stylist, I have experience with what I would consider a comparable version of quarantine hair. Often my clients are travelling for work over long periods of time and can’t get back in to see me regularly. They panic about their hair getting a little longer than they are used to when they have important meetings to attend and business to conduct. I always remind them that a grown out version of my haircut will be so much more professional looking than some butcher job from a rando they get on the road. There is nothing worse than getting a bad cleanup or haircut- kills your confidence, feeds insecurities and causes major feelings of regret. Same holds true during this quarantine, except instead of a rando barber it’s you doing it to yourself.

While hastags like #covidcut and #conronahaircut are trending, I’m out here trying to get guys to #letitgrowletitflow. Never have there been two opposite theories and I’ll defend mine til my dying day. This is a time to embrace whatever hair you do have and make the most of the situation.

For my Fleischman Salon guys reading this- you certainly can leave your hair alone and maybe just add a little more product to keep it up off your face, controlled and give it hold and manageabilty. We have always stood behind the idea that our haircuts can stand the test of time. Our haircuts have longevity and that is because of the thoughtful approach we take to our process. A blended haircut that takes into the consideration the natural flow of the hair and it’s texture is always going to last well beyond a few weeks. I asked our clients to send us pictures of their grown out flow to prove my point and boy did they.

None of our clients need to cut their hair at home and know that these grown out versions are better than at home attempts and in many cases even more impressive now that they have additional length.

And to all the other guys out there who are used to getting their haircut often and keeping it very short (maybe because it starts sticking up or out after a couple weeks and rather than figuring out what the problem is and solving it, you go back and have the problem areas just cut out again, ps. I refer to this as the vicious cycle of bad haircut after bad haircut) now is an opportunity to reset clock and break the vicious cycle by letting it grow in. I get it, the middle stage is never fun but this quarantine is a forced time to push past the awkward stage into something you never even knew your hair would or could be or do. Now is the time to see if longer hair (not necessarily long, but longer) than you are used to can work for you. You can thank me later because it will. Embrace the length, don’t be so quick to cut it off #letitgrowletitflow

So to recap:

– A grown out version of your current haircut will always be better than a self cut.

– Embrace your longer hair

– Use a blowdryer and product to control your longer hair. It’s amazing what a little paste or cream can do in dry hair

– Focus on something else other than your hair because remember everyone is in the same boat

-A bad at home haircut can result in a grow out process of months before it can even be truly fixed

My tried and true tricks for controlling your longer flow:

1) Use a blowdryer out of the shower and dry your hair back off your face. The blowdryer will give you the ability to control the end result, smooth out or lay down your hair and quickly get it dry which is the foundation for great styling

2) Let it fall into natural position when blowdrying, let the texture and direction fall naturally and don’t force anything

3) Product is your BFF in this time of crisis. Use some product throughout- don’t forget about the sides and back- to give you control, hold, take away friss or flyaways and make your hair overall more manageable

4) Don’t be afraid to use a little more product as your hair gets longer, its the difference between a good hair day and a bad one for some at this point

5) Let it flow, let it grow.

At the end of this you will be singing my praises while all your friends are having major regret about the cuts they did on themselves at home. I promise I won’t say I told you so, I’ll just be happy you listened.