The Guide on How to Style Long Hair for Men

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How to Take Care of Long Hair for Men

1. Use the right shampoo – prioritize scalp care and defensive ingredients

If you’re growing your hair long, then you need to make sure it’s consistently healthy as it grows. That means finding the right shampoo as well as targeting your scalp—the home of all your hair follicles—to ensure unencumbered, fully fortified hair growth. 

Holly recommends scalp-soothing, toning, and detoxifying formulas that keep the scalp balanced and calm. Better yet, if a recipe is rich in antioxidants, it can help promote blood flow to the hair shaft, too, and thus improve nutrient delivery to each hair. Antioxidants thwart cell-damaging toxins, and can be found in numerous ingredients. 

One particular shampoo ingredient that Holly recommends is sunflower seed extract. The defensiveness of sunflower seed is twofold: “It’s a natural thermal protectant and helps protect your scalp and hair against free radicals,” she says. Of course, you don’t want to cut corners on hydrating and smoothing ingredients either—but those are always a given. Add some defensive ingredients to the mix to really play a long game with your hair.

2. Condition regularly

Some men skip the conditioner altogether. But, when it comes to styling long hair on men, this is just as important as cleansing with a shampoo.

“You always want to condition your hair even if you do not shampoo,” Holly says, noting that your water system can be sprinkled with hair-compromising metals and hard minerals—not to mention any pollution and grease it accrued that day. “These metals in particular can cause your hair to be brittle and create tangles,” she warns. 

But since you really shouldn’t shampoo every day, you should still use a conditioner on the in-between days, in order to fortify your strands while flushing away any unwanted buildup. “The frequency [of shampooing vs. conditioning] depends on making sure your scalp and hair shaft are clean and hydrated. If you are dealing with scalp issues like flakesand or oily scalp, you would want to shampoo and condition more frequently,” Holly adds. If you’re concerned about oil buildup due to fewer shampoos, you can rest assured that the conditioner will help flush away excess grease. Or, for extra peace of mind, a dry shampoo powder can do wonders for oil absorption and volume maximization first thing in the morning.

3. Pay attention to signs of low pH levels

One thing Holly urges her clients to address is their hair and scalp pH levels. It’s a hard thing to measure exactly (it’s a 14-notch scale that measures the acidity or basicity of anything), but you can assume your pH levels are imbalanced if you’re experiencing any kind of dryness, excessive oil, or irritation. “Also, if your pH is low, you will notice that your hair is dull and has more tangle,” Holly adds. 

Haircare products like scalp masks and hair masks—and even conditioners—help “tone” the pH levels and bring them back to normal, while also loading strands with an abundance of vitamins and nutrients. If you’re growing your hair out, you should consider adding a scalp and hair mask to your routine, since you need to prevent breakage and fraying over time while keeping the shafts and scalp healthy. 

Holly recommends doing a hair mask before every shampoo until you notice that the hair has become more shiny and less tangled. By incorporating a mask into your regimen once a week—even when hair seems to be healthy in the first place—you ensure that it stays stronger and more cooperative for the growing out process.

4. Use a heat protectant for blow drying

If you’re going to get active about styling long hair, men – you need to know how to blow dry it without causing damage.

For all its fraying and frying, blow drying remains controversial in terms of daily hair care—but it shouldn’t be. “It’s good to blow dry your hair if you want more body and overall root control,” Holly says. However, as frequent blow drying is also associated with frizzing, split ends, breakage, and more, you need to add one product to your styling regimen before you dry: a heat protectant spray. This will protect the cuticle from the damaging impact of the hot blow dryer, preventing moisture loss from each shaft and, in turn, preventing the aforementioned side effects of frequent blow dries. Bonus points if you use an ionic or ceramic hair dryer –  both of which help dry the hair with significantly less damage to the cuticle and strand structure.

5. Use leave-in conditioner and oil

If you’re trying to keep things as low-maintenance as possible, sideline all other men’s hair products except leave-in conditioner and hair oil. (OK, you might want to keep a medium-hold hair gel  or dry shampoo on hand just in case.) 

Gone are the fibers, pastes, clays, putties, and everything in between. Instead, a leave-in conditioner is lightweight enough to make hair look effortless and unstyled, while actually keeping it from poofing, frizzing, and going rogue. Leave-in conditioner keeps hair hydrated but touchable while oil helps nourish the ends of your hair that may not enjoy any scalp sebum. Your natural scalp oil has to travel a great distance in order to condition each entire strand of hair from root to tip. But, a couple drops of oil each night (brushed through the ends of your hair), will fortify the ends and prevent breaking, splitting, and frizzing.

6. Avoid tight knots and ponytails

For man buns or any other style that keeps hair out of your face, avoid any tight pulling. Hair bands or even knots fashioned from your own hair can cause damage to each delicate strand, and some can even lead to traction alopecia at the front of your hair. With traction alopecia, you slowly pull out the hairs from the front of the hairline (or wherever the strain of a tight style is most felt) simply because they endured the tugging and tightness for too many days on end. Also, be cautious about how tightly your hair rests back when you wear a hat, too, and make sure hats account for the extra space demanded by your bulkier-than-usual hair. (Or else they might lead to breakage or pulling, one way or the other.)

7. Use a silk pillowcase

“A silk pillowcase?” you ask. Yep—and not just because you deserve it. But also because it cuts down on friction, tangles, and breakage while you sleep, Holly says. Plus, it’s oh-so comfy to fall asleep on. “You can also wear your hair in a low braid to help ensure that your hair shaft ‘goes’ in its natural direction, [and a uniform direction]” she adds. “This also helps prevent tangles and breakage.”

Styling long hair for men, in summary

If you’re wanting that effortless long hair look, you’re going to have to amp up your hair care routine a bit. It’s certainly manageable, but knowing how to maintain long hair for men will be essential to your success. You’ll need to wash your hair regularly and treat your strands with extra care, as there’s more of them. The adjustments you’ll need to make are likely small, but will result in a big pay off.