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At the beginning of a new year, we always resolve ourselves to put more effort into things – going to the gym regularly, for instance, or quitting a bad habit. It takes a whole lot of willpower and time. Well here’s something you can finally spend less effort on – your hair. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you probably pay a fair amount of attention to styling your hair and looking sharp. But great hair doesn’t have to take half an hour of bathroom time (i.e. time taken away from getting extra ZZZs).
The bed head, rocked by everyone from Bob Dylan to Adam Levine, is the perfect “messy-but-dapper” look to rock on days when you want to go casual – or are simply limited on time.
Let’s simplify your hairstyling routine, shall we?
A few things before we get started:
- Generally the bed head hairstyle should only be attempted if you have straight hair; curly or wavy-haired guys might have a little too much volume to keep the look somewhat tamed.
- There’s no need to start with a “messy” haircut, but it helps. Go to the barber and ask for a choppy cut, and keep the sides longer or else you risk elongating your face.
- Bed head is personal – by this, we mean the result is dependent on your preference for level of messiness + your hair length (which we’ll cover below). Once product is in your hair, tousle your strands until you get the desired amount of unruliness. To further dishevel things, shake your head around.
- Tip: If your hair usually turns into an oil slick by the end of the day, remove oil while refreshing your style by sprinkling some hair powder, like Alder Natural Hair Powder, into roots. Hair powder will instantly mattify and texturize. See our complete blog post on hair powder and why you should be using it here.
How you style your bed head depends on hair length:
Short Hair
Add dimension to your hair with a paste that has a slight amount of shine to give individual pieces a separated, slightly choppy look.
Dapper Dan Matt Paste holds your charmingly disheveled look in place, but offers flexibility for reshaping and restyling. The low-shine formula keeps your strands looking as natural as possible. Apply minimal product for the most texture.
SHOP: Dapper Dan Matt Paste
Medium Hair
Medium-length hair produces a dapper, well-formed bed head because you have enough length to play around with. Clay is a nice balance between hold and pliability. And the natural, matte finish keeps your look understated.
Mr. Natty Clay Preparation offers pliable medium hold so your bed head stays in place while maintaining that ever-important texture.
SHOP: Mr. Natty Clay Hair Preparation
Long Hair
With long hair, you’ll want to focus on making whatever style you’re rocking look loose and casual rather than greased up and stiff. But you also don’t want too much disorder, since you might end up with a mop.
A water-based pomade like Virile Cream Pomade tames strays and mildly reigns in hair so your style looks effortless.
SHOP: Virile Cream Pomade
