Text by: Tanya Munshi
What do Johnny Depp, Hrithik Roshan, Antonio Banderas, John Abraham and Keanu Reeves have in common? They all sport, or have sported at some point in time, long hair.
Some guys do it to make a style statement; others just dig the long-haired look.
Ranjeet Pathak, 27, a producer with MTV, was inspired by model-actor Milind Soman's long locks. Ranjeet followed suit and grew his tresses.
Prachi Chaturvedi, a 22-year-old associate project manager, finds long hair attractive on a man.
It seems long hair is the way to go, so here are some grooming tips to keep your mane looking shiny, healthy and new.
Note: These grooming tips can be used for short hair too.
Hot styles
Though sporting long hair is a personal choice, longer locks suit men with a lean face and a muscular body. The latest trend for men is hair is worn slightly longer than the normal length.
"It's the outgrown style that can be gelled up and tied back. Use a styling product like a gel to get the right look. Massage the gel into your hair after towel drying it. Gel can be bought at any salon, supermarket or beauty store," says Anahita, professional hairstylist at The Gazelle, Pune.
"A textured, choppy, unkempt style also very in these days," Nitasha Shukur a professional hairstylist at Under The Tree at Thams Salon, Mumbai.
Check out Hrithik Roshan's new look in the John Players campaign. To get this look, just towel dry your hair and leave it to set naturally.
Cool colours
"Never colour hair at the front of the head. It should be more at the back not toward the forehead. If the colours are toward the forehead, it tends to make the person look old and garish," says Anuh Shiroor, a professional hairstylist at Salon Headlines, Pune.
Light highlights and warmer, richer tones such as mahogany, chestnut and honey suit dusky, wheatish complexions. Nitasha, in fact, vouches for shades of brown and mahogany.
Since colours and hairstyles vary from person to person, it's best to get a professional to check your hair and advise you as to what will look best on you.
"Platinum from L'Oreal is the latest in hair colour. This will suit men with fairer complexions," says Anuh.
"A lot depends on how you emphasise your long, coloured hair in the way you dress," she adds.
Grooming for your hair
Wash your hair with lukewarm water, followed by a cold-water wash; the latter shuts the pores thereby preventing hair fall. Men tend to wash their hair more often, leading to greater hair loss. It would be a good idea for them to use a salon shampoo.
"Salon shampoos are more moisturising and have a lower detergent content, " says Anuh.
"Usually any salon product is prepared after a lot of research and study. These products are just right in their properties. Also, hairstylists undergo a lot of training before they can style your hair or recommend which shampoo will suit you," says Anahita.
If you are in need of a good salon shampoo, just walk into a good salon, let a hairstylist check your hair type and recommend a shampoo which suits your hair. Salon shampoos range from Rs 250 upwards.
"When getting your hair cut from a professional stylist, s/ he can check the type of hair and scalp that you have and recommend the correct kind of shampoo and conditioner to be used," says Nitasha.
Leave-in conditioners, a good option
Leave-in conditioners, as the name suggests, is a product you can apply and leave in your hair; you don't need to wash it off! It is generally used after the hair has been shampooed, conditioned and towel dried or anytime during the day.
It is best used on dry hair and it works just as well for any hair type.
Anahita adds, "Some people may have hair that is dry at the ends but oily at the roots. In such cases, it is better to apply leave-in conditioners only in places where the hair is dry. This can be done after every hair wash."
Leave-in conditioners are not harmful to your hair so you can use them after your bath, when you are going out on a date or whenever you feel your hair is looking dry.
A valuable tip from Anahita, "You can massage it into your hair just before a swim. This prevents the chlorine in the pool water from harming your hair."
Choose from L'Oreal Liss Extreme Leave-in Conditioner (Rs 895 for 150ml), Clairol Herbal Essences Leave-In Conditioner (Rs 180 for 290 ml) and Sunsilk Naturals 9 to 9 (Rs 48 for 100 ml) combing lotion for both wet and dry hair.
Just take a bit of it in your palms after shower or any time during the day, massage into your hair, comb and the hair gets set.
Healthy hair habits
How often you wash your hair would depend on your lifestyle. If you are an outdoors person, you need to shampoo almost daily as compared to someone who spends more time indoors and may shampoo twice or thrice a week.
Sometimes, hair fall can also be a sign of a vitamin deficiency (Vitamin B) in your body. If you feel this is the case, get a blood test done and consult your doctor. S/he might suggest doctor you take B-complex tablets as a daily supplement as this can help prevent hair fall.
~ Get into the habit of wearing caps while biking, as too much wind is not good for the hair.
~ Don't tie your hair too tight as it can lead to traction alopecia or loss of hair on the head.
An invaluable tip: "Try to avoid using blue coloured shampoos as they are highly detergent based. Instead, use salon shampoos as they also condition and are not detergent based," says Anuh.
Published in Rediff.com, Oct 24, 2005.
Link: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2005/oct/24sd.htm
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