Wondering how to take care of your hair? You’re in the right place to learn all about men’s hair care.
Wondering how to take care of your hair? You’re in the right place to learn all about men’s hair care. You may be pleasantly surprised by how simple some of these tips are — they don’t involve a whole arsenal of new products or a special attachment for your blow dryer (one tip is literally allowing your hair to air dry).
The men’s hair tips, techniques, and habits below teach you how to make your hair look nice, support healthy hair growth, avoid hair loss, prevent damage, and minimize issues like scalp irritation.
Before we can discuss hair care for men, it’s important to know there are several types of hair. Men’s hair types fall into four general categories: straight, wavy, curly, or coily.
Within those categories, you can also have fine hair or coarse hair. Fine hair feels wispy — you may not be able to feel it between your fingers, whereas coarse hair is wider and feels more like threads.
How you care for your hair and what products you buy will, in some cases, depend on its type. If you’re not sure what your hair type and texture is, ask your barber or hairstylist.
And if you have curly hair and want to learn more about the kind of curls you have, check out our guide to men’s curly hair types.
We recommend:
Using a gentle shampoo
Conditioning after every wash
Using products for color-treated hair
Choosing products based on your hair type and concerns
Using a leave-in treatment
Establishing a hair care routine that works for you
Here’s what to know.
Hair washing is the foundation of healthy hair. But some shampoos contain harsh chemicals like parabens, which can strip away moisture and irritate skin.
Some claims about shampoo ingredients aren’t totally accurate, though. For instance, there’s no evidence that sulfates in shampoo cause cancer. However, some research shows that certain sulfates may cause contact dermatitis — a type of rash or allergic reaction — and hair protein damage (when too much protein makes strands dry or brittle).
Though they usually don’t lather as much as those with sulfates, sulfate-free shampoos can be a good option — especially if you have a dry scalp or reactive skin. Our thickening shampoo and volumizing shampoo are both formulated without sulfates.
Your hair craves moisture, so you should always use conditioner. The best conditioners for men’s hair enhance hair strength and help make hair more manageable and less prone to breakage.
A good-quality hair conditioner containing natural ingredients like coconut oil, tea tree oil, avocado oil, shea butter, and other plant-based moisturizers can make your hair feel smoother, increase its shine, and make it look thicker.
Apply a hydrating conditioner to the ends of wet hair after thoroughly rinsing your shampoo for best results. You might also dry a hair mask, a deep conditioning treatment you leave on for a few minutes before rinsing.
If your hair is color-treated, you’ll need to protect the pigment and health of your strands, starting with the products you use. Finding a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for color-treated hair is a good step.
Chemically treated hair is often prone to dryness. Products formulated for color-treated hair can prevent brittle strands, fading, and dullness and help maintain your hair’s texture and strength.
When you’re staring at a drugstore wall or an online shop full of styling products, it’s hard to know what’s right for your hair. One easy way to approach this is to choose based on your hair type.
For example, fine or straight hair may benefit from dry shampoo to stretch the time between washes or a texturizing spray to add, well…texture. Super curly, coarse, or thick hair will need lots of moisture, so deep-conditioning treatments will be key. Hair that tends to get frizzy can benefit from light hair oil, and very straight hair may get a boost from mousse.
If your hair is thinning, choose shampoos and products with ingredients that help fight hair loss or make hair look more voluminous, like saw palmetto or caffeine. And if you’re dealing with dandruff, formulas containing ketoconazole or pyrithione zinc can really help. (Our dandruff shampoo has pyrithione zinc and salicylic acid to fight flakes).
Check out our styling tips and products for curly hair to learn more about hair care products for men.
A leave-in treatment can provide ongoing nourishment and protection for your hair throughout the day, which regular wash-out conditioners may not offer. This type of product may even deliver vitamins and antioxidants to help strengthen and protect your hair and boost its elasticity.
If you deal with frizz, cowlicks, or flyaways, a leave-in treatment may also help tame these.
The best hair care routine for men is one you’ll stick to. Ultimately, if you don’t like spending much time styling your hair, that’s probably not going to change just because you buy a bunch of high-quality products or tools.
Think about things like how often you like to shower, how much time you spend getting ready in the morning, and how comfortable you are using different products and tools.
A men’s hair care routine can be as simple as washing, conditioning, removing excess moisture with a cotton T-shirt or microfiber hair towel (to avoid friction), and letting your hair air-dry. Or it can be more involved with products like gel, pomade, and hot tools (when used on the lowest heat setting, of course).
Whether it’s adding your barbershop to your speed dial or adjusting your diet, there are easy tweaks you can make when it comes to hair care that’ll make a big difference.
Drying your hair with a towel is quick and convenient, but it can irritate your scalp and pull on your hair. Using a blow dryer can also expose your hair to excess heat that can weaken and damage strands, especially if you’re one to blast it on the highest heat setting.
A better hair-drying habit is to let your hair dry naturally. You can speed things along by gently patting your hair dry with a microfiber towel.
We know heat drying can be the most convenient option — and if you have somewhere to go, you may not have time for air-drying. If you blow dry your hair, use the lowest heat setting and hold the dryer about six inches from your head to limit damage. You should also apply heat-protectant hair care products before drying.
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 diet full of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and other lean proteins and healthy fat sources. For a deeper dive, check out our guide to the best foods for hair growth.
If you 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 that help hair grow.
Beyond your 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.
Find a barber within your budget so you can schedule recurring appointments if that makes it easier to keep up the habit. A trusted hairstylist can also give you hair care tips and recommend products based on your specific hair type and haircut.
Yoga, anyone? Learning simple ways to manage stress can make a big difference in your overall health, including the health of your hair.
Stress is normal, but when it’s a severe, ongoing presence, it can be problematic for many reasons, including how it impacts your hair.
High levels of stress can disrupt your normal hair growth cycle, leading to an increased amount of shedding, thinning, and even hair loss. This happens because stress triggers hormonal changes like increased cortisol, which can affect hair follicles.
Stress can also constrict blood flow to the scalp, reducing the nutrients and oxygen that reach your hair follicles. If you have stress-related habits like pulling or twisting your hair when you’re upset, this can cause further physical damage.
Wondering how to have healthy hair for men? It varies by person, but if there’s one universal truth, it’s that healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Basically, you want your scalp to be neither too dry nor too oily, but instead in that balanced sweet spot.
If your hair tends to get greasy by the evening, you likely have an oily scalp. If your scalp is itchy and feels tight, it’s probably dry. The tricky thing is that both oily and dry scalps can lead to flaking.
Here are some tips for men’s scalp care.
Sebum is a natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands (the oil glands in each hair follicle). It’s essential for maintaining skin 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 buildup, including sebum. Focusing on your scalp when washing helps clear away excess oil and product buildup that may affect your hair’s appearance, scent, and texture. It also helps you avoid dryness-related issues like dandruff and itchy skin.
Another scalp tip? Use lukewarm water instead of hot water when cleansing your hair to prevent moisture loss.
This one is tough for those used to washing their hair daily, but skipping wash days can actually help your overall hair and scalp health. When you wash your hair daily (or multiple times a day), you risk overwashing, which strips the scalp of its natural oils.
This can cause dry hair and make the scalp overcompensate and produce more oil. That’s why you may have squeaky-clean hair in the morning, only to find it’s greasy by dinner time.
Exfoliation helps clear your scalp of dead skin cells and other debris. You can do this by massaging a gritty scrub onto your scalp, then rinsing or using your fingers. We’ll cover scalp massage next.
Besides promoting relaxation and relieving tension, scalp massages stimulate blood circulation. This helps oxygen and nutrients get to hair follicles, promoting hair growth and strength.
Massaging the scalp can also help distribute its natural oils, prevent dryness, and even increase hair thickness.
While it feels 100 times better when someone else massages your scalp, you can totally do it yourself. Plenty of inexpensive gadgets can do the trick if you don’t want to use your fingers and nails.
The most steadfast hair care for men won’t matter much if you’re accidentally damaging your hair at the same time. Here are some tips for avoiding damage — because it’s not always obvious.
Swimming pools contain chlorine and other ingredients that can be harsh on hair. To protect your hair from pool chemicals:
Wear a swim cap
Rinse and wash your hair right after swimming
Use a swimmer’s shampoo to remove chlorine buildup
Apply conditioner to keep your hair soft, hydrated, and healthy
If you don’t swim in pools often, this may not be a big deal. But if you like taking a dip for fun or exercise, it’s good to be proactive.
Excess sunlight exposure can cause color changes and hair protein degradation (meaning the shafts get weak and dehydrated). Over a long summer or extended 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.
Excessive heat from hot styling tools like hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons can damage the hair shaft, leading to dryness, brittle strands, and breakage. They can also weaken hair’s protein structure, making it more prone to dullness.
Opt for gentler styling methods most days, or use a heat-protectant product when reaching for high-heat tools to help safeguard your hair’s shine and strength.
While you sleep, friction between your hair and the pillowcase can cause breakage, frizz, tangles, and split ends — especially if you move around a lot or have longer or curly hair.
Protecting your hair while you doze can help minimize the damage done overnight.
Consider replacing cotton pillowcases with satin or silk ones to help reduce friction. Tying long hair back with a gentle elastic or using a soft hair cap can also offer protection.
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. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) suggests brushing gently using a wide-toothed comb to remove tangles. If you have longer hair, start at the ends and carefully remove tangles as you work your way up.
If you’re experiencing hair loss, male pattern baldness, or excess shedding, you’re not alone. According to some research, 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, which we’ll break down below.
Few things can affect the appearance of hair more than a noticeable receding hairline or bald patch.
Finasteride. Finasteride (generic Propecia®) is a prescription oral medication for male pattern baldness. It prevents the body from converting testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that can damage hair follicles and cause thinning.
Minoxidil. Minoxidil (the active ingredient in Rogaine®) 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.
You can get oral finasteride and topical minoxidil online through Hims. In some cases, we also offer access to oral minoxidil. Oral minoxidil isn’t FDA-approved for hair loss, but it can be prescribed off-label and may be a good option for those who struggle to keep up with a daily topical application.
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.
Hims also has finasteride and minoxidil available together in our Hair Power Pack.
While pulling your hair back tightly might seem harmless, a man-bun, cornrows, or tight braids could contribute to a form of hair loss known as traction alopecia.
Traction alopecia results from continuous pulling on hair roots. This can happen from tight hairstyles and extreme-hold styling products, like hair gel, 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.
Although male pattern baldness (aka androgenic alopecia) 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.
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 big impact on the strength, feel, and appearance of your hair.
Good hair habits include choosing the right products and 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.
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.
To explore your options for how to take care of men’s hair, start with a quick online hair loss consultation.
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