Local Barbers Share Male Hair Trends and Grooming Tips

Photos courtesy of Ryan Ament and U.S. Male Modern Barbershop.

Listen up ladies: Men are spending a little more time on their hair lately, and it’s not such a bad thing. Two local barbers share tips to make sure the man of the hour doesn’t fade into the background.

By Danielle Bouchat-Friedman

Most women would be lying if they said a picture of soccer stars David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t make them a little weak in the knees. Believe it or not, men are swooning over their pictures, too—because of their fantastic hair. Marc Goldyn, vice president of U.S. Male Modern Barbershop, says it’s not unlikely for men nowadays to come in with pictures of cuts they envy.

“A big part of what we do is communication—we ask our clients what they like about the cut,” says Goldyn.

Many times, the clients just like the style. Today’s modern man wants something short on the sides with plenty of length on top. “We are using scissors on top to keep the length,” says Goldyn.

Ryan Ament, a barber at Bad Hair Day? in Rehoboth Beach, agrees. “Men are asking for cuts that are tight on the sides and longer on top,” says Ament, who graduated from Miami’s Florida Barber Academy in 2009.

Ament says combover hairstyles are also popular—“these are not your grandfather’s combover,” he says. They are longer on top and are either parted to the side or slicked back. The sides are often buzzed. “A lot of guys ask for a hard part or a razor in the part to show off the cut,” says Ament.

Goldyn says men should come in at least a few months before their wedding if they are considering switching up their look. He recommends a cut the day of the wedding if you have a style with sharp lines. “If you’re looking to show off the length, come in a few days before,” says Goldyn.

Both men recommend product to keep the style looking sharp. Putties and pomades are becoming more popular than gel they don’t dry out your hair and leave hair shiny. “Always add some product to your hair to give it some thickness and texture,” says Ament.