Keep Your Hair (Game) On

The eyes might be the windows to one’s soul, but first impressions are largely shaped by the hair on one’s head. How one wears his hair communicates a multitude of messages, so be sure to send out the right ones.

- Wilson Lim

In the fashion pages, we stress the importance of shoes because they are one of the first points of reference when others make snap judgments on one’s style. But at Men’s Folio, we always advocate the total package of style, and that is not limited to fashion. Grooming forms part of that equation, and the “shoes” equivalent is hair. I believe the example to stake this claim is the classic case study of David Beckham, whose fans are more intrigued by his hairstyles on the field than his dribbling. Or during makeovers programmes, the hair is always the game changer.

Before any further discussion, one thing needs ascertaining – there is certainly no such thing as a “fuss-free” hairstyle. Did somebody whisper man bun? The man bun is not a hairstyle of convenience, and because it is so easy to pull references from the web and social media these days, one may go for the seemingly easiest-to-maintain hairstyle on the trendiest stars. The elusive hairstyle requires a large volume of hair with thick follicles which Asian men tend to lack.

Are you then guilty of Googling “men’s hairstyle 2018”? There is nothing wrong in that, and I actually applaud that man (men tend to be creatures of habit) for venturing into new territories. However, the situation gets out of control when one dictates his hairstylist to give him the style of his choice. Such men can be easily spotted on the streets – the boy with the overbleached white and blue hair whose bangs seem to envelop the roundness of his face or the guy with the piss-yellow hair with a sleek side part that covers one eye, creating the vision of a drug-abusing anime character rather than a K-pop star. Has he considered if the hairstyle is in line with his head shape, hair type, personal style, and lifestyle?

So where exactly does one start?

FINDING THE HAIRSTYLIST