Men’s Hair Care: 14 Tips for Mastering Your Mane

Your hair is one of the first things people notice about you, so it makes sense to want to invest time and effort into how it looks. Keeping up with the latest in men’s hair care can help you maintain a healthy head of hair and prevent hair loss — often without breaking the bank.

We dug into the research on hair care to bring you these men’s hair tips, from good-for-your-hair habits to healthy lifestyle tips that can benefit your scalp.

Our top men’s hair care tips include:

• Washing based on your hair type

• Keeping your scalp clean

• Using a gentle shampoo

• Using conditioner

• Letting your hair air-dry

• Avoiding over-brushing or excessive combing

• Being mindful of medications and health conditions

• Eating nutritious, hair-friendly foods

• Avoiding tight hairstyles

• Going to the barber regularly

• Protecting your hair from sun and chlorine

• Trying hair loss treatments

Incorporate these men’s hair tips, techniques and habits into your hair care routine to support healthy hair growth, avoid hair loss, prevent damage, minimize issues like scalp irritation and improve how your hair looks.

1. Wash Your Hair Based on Your Hair Type

Hair-washing advice runs the gamut. Lather up every day, wash twice a week, stop shampooing altogether and go no-poo (that’s cleansing without shampoo).

Here’s the thing: The best wash routine for you depends on your hair type. Those with oily scalps, thin hair, thick hair, dry hair or curly hair prone to frizz may need to wash more or less frequently.

For instance, if you have naturally oily hair, you may need to wash it more frequently to keep your mane looking, feeling and smelling fresh. By tailoring your hair care schedule to your hair type, you can avoid over washing, which can strip away naturally-occurring hair oils that help condition your strands.

Our guide to finding your hair type explains how to identify your hair type and tailor your shampoo schedule and hair product selection accordingly.

2. Keep Your Scalp Clean

Sebum — a natural oil produced by your sebaceous glands (the oil glands in each hair follicle) — is essential for maintaining your skin’s barrier function. However, when too much sebum builds up on your scalp, it can make you break out or leave your hair feeling and smelling unclean.

Shampoo is meant to remove scalp and hair buildup, including sebum. Since sebum is secreted from the scalp, focusing on your scalp when washing helps clear away excess oil and other buildup that may affect your hair’s appearance, scent and texture — without causing dryness-related issues like dandruff.

Another hair tip for the shower? Use lukewarm water instead of hot water to prevent moisture loss.

2. Use a Gentle, Non-Irritating Shampoo

Some shampoos contain harsh chemicals like parabens that can strip away moisture and irritate your skin.

But some claims about shampoo ingredients aren’t totally accurate. For instance, there’s no evidence that sulfates in shampoo cause cancer, but some research shows that certain sulfates may cause contact dermatitis (a rash or allergic reaction) and hair protein damage (when too much protein makes your strands dry or brittle).

If you have sensitive skin, a gentle formula might help prevent irritation. Sulfate-free shampoos, which usually don’t lather as much as those with sulfates, can be a good option — especially if you have a dry scalp or reactive skin.

4. Use Conditioner Every Time You Wash

Your hair craves moisture. The best conditioners for men’s hair enhance hair strength, protect against UV (ultraviolet) damage and limit static electricity.

All these benefits increase your hair’s resilience, helping you maintain a healthier mane and avoid bad hair days due to brittle or weakened strands.

A good-quality hair conditioner containing natural ingredients like coconut oil, tea tree oil, avocado oil and other essential oils can make your hair feel smoother, increase its shine and make it look thicker.

For best results, apply a hydrating conditioner to the ends of wet hair after fully rinsing your shampoo. You might also dry a hair mask, which is basically a deep conditioning treatment you leave on for a few minutes before rinsing.

5. If You Color Your Hair, Use Products for Color-Treated Hair

There’s nothing wrong with dying your hair, but color-treated hair requires additional care, starting with the products you use. Your best bet is a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for color-treated hair.

Chemically treated hair is often prone to dryness. Products formulated for color-treated hair can prevent brittle strands, fading and dullness while helping you maintain hair texture and strength.

6. After Washing, Let Your Hair Air-Dry

Drying your hair with a towel is quick and convenient, but it can irritate your scalp and pull on your hair, especially if you’re rough. Using a blow dryer can also expose your hair to excess heat that can weaken and damage strands.

A better hair-drying habit? Let your hair dry naturally. You can speed things along by gently patting your hair dry with a towel.

Sometimes, heat drying is the most convenient option. If you blow dry, use the lowest heat setting, and hold the hair dryer as far from your scalp as possible to limit damage and maintain a healthy scalp, hair follicles and hair shafts. You can apply heat-protectant hair care products before drying.

7. Avoid Excessive Brushing or Combing

You don’t need to brush or comb hundreds of times a day to achieve healthy, shiny hair.

Research suggests that brushing may cause damage that can increase breakage and lead to split ends. One study even found a link between hair brushing and hair loss. It concluded that reducing brushing frequency might help prevent shedding.

Brushing isn’t all bad, though — as long as you’re gentle. Here’s what the American Academy of Dermatology suggests:

• Brush gently using a wide-toothed comb to get rid of tangles.

• Avoid pulling or tugging on your hair when you brush it.

• Only brush or comb your hair when you need to style it.

8. Pay Attention to Medical Conditions and Medications

Although male pattern baldness is the most common form of hair loss in men, other conditions can cause excess shedding.

Chronic stress, nutritional deficiencies, injuries, illnesses and medications (like retinoids and beta-blockers) can lead to a type of temporary hair loss known as telogen effluvium. Unlike male pattern baldness, telogen effluvium hair loss typically isn’t permanent. However, it can make your hair look thinner for several months before things turn around.

If you’re experiencing sudden hair shedding, let a healthcare professional know. They can do a hair-pull test to see if you have telogen effluvium or another form of hair loss.

9. Eat a Balanced, Healthy and Hair-Friendly Diet

Like the rest of your body, your hair follicles need a consistent supply of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, biotin, zinc and iron.

You can usually get these nutrients by eating a balanced diet that includes fresh fruits, green vegetables, lean protein sources and complex carbohydrates.

Think you might not be getting enough vitamins to support optimal hair health? Our biotin gummies make it easy to hit the recommended daily intake by providing nutrients for optimal hair growth in a single supplement.

10. Avoid Pulling Your Hair Back Too Tightly

While pulling your hair back tightly might not seem like a big deal, your favorite man-bun hairstyle might contribute to a form of hair loss known as traction alopecia.

Unlike male pattern baldness, traction alopecia results from continuous pulling on hair roots. This can happen from tight hairstyles and extreme-hold styling products, like hair gel, hair wax, pomade and hairspray.

Read more about this form of hair loss and the steps you can take to prevent it in our guide to traction alopecia treatment.

11. Go to the Barber Regularly

Besides at-home grooming habits, going to the barber regularly can help keep your hair healthy. Whether it’s haircuts three times a year or monthly trims, snipping off dead ends can make your hair look and feel fuller while supporting growth.

12. Protect Your Hair From the Sun

Excess sunlight exposure can gradually damage the cuticle (the outermost layer of each strand). Over a long summer or sunny vacation, your hair may become dry, brittle or frizzy.

You can protect your hair from the sun in a few ways:

• Wear a hat on sunny days.

• Avoid spending too much time outside during the sunniest hours, between late morning and late afternoon.

• Consider using a leave-in conditioner with zinc oxide, a common sunscreen ingredient that provides UV protection.

13. When You Swim, Protect Your Hair to Avoid Damage

Many swimming pools contain chlorine and other ingredients that can be harsh on your hair. You can protect your hair from pool chemicals by:

• Wearing a swim cap

• Rinsing and washing your hair right after swimming

• Using a swimmer’s shampoo to remove chlorine buildup

• Applying conditioner to keep your hair soft, hydrated and healthy

We also rounded up helpful tips to prevent hair loss.

14. Starting to Lose Hair? Try Hair Loss Treatments

Few things can affect the appearance of your hair more than a noticeable receding hairline or bald patch.

If you’re experiencing excess shedding, you’re not alone. According to research published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery, more than half of men will have moderate to extensive hair loss by their late 40s.

Consider talking to a healthcare provider about FDA-approved, research-backed medications like finasteride and minoxidil.

• Finasteride. Finasteride is a prescription oral medication for male pattern baldness. It prevents your body from converting testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that can damage hair follicles and cause thinning.

• Minoxidil. Minoxidil is a topical medication available as a liquid or foam. It stimulates growth by moving hair follicles into the anagen (growth) phase of the hair growth cycle and boosting blood flow to the scalp.

Research suggests minoxidil and finasteride are particularly effective when used together. In one study, more than 94 percent of balding men who used both medications for 12 months showed improvements in hair thinning.

Meanwhile, 59 percent of men who only used minoxidil and 80.5 percent who used finasteride alone saw hair health improvements.

We offer finasteride online, following a consultation with a licensed healthcare provider who can determine if a prescription is appropriate. Hims also has minoxidil liquid solution and minoxidil foam (no prescription needed), with finasteride and minoxidil available together in our Hair Power Pack.

Taking care of your hair is like taking care of any other aspect of your health — in the long term, good habits produce good results.

These are the most critical components of men’s hair care:

• A few simple habits can have a major positive impact on the strength, feel and appearance of your hair.

• Good hair habits include choosing the right shampoo for your hair type, using conditioner, loosening overly tight hairstyles and protecting your hair from the sun.

• Hair loss treatments such as finasteride and minoxidil can protect your follicles against genetic hair loss and support regrowth.

Hims has a few thoughtfully formulated hair care products for men, including volumizing shampoo and conditioner, thickening shampoo with saw palmetto (a DHT blocker) and dandruff shampoo for a flake-free scalp.

Worried about hair loss? We offer a range of hair loss treatments online to cut down on hair shedding, thicken up thin patches and improve scalp coverage, density and overall appearance.

Start by scheduling an online hair loss consultation to find out more about your options.