Growing into Your Hair Style

Remember our resident male hair model, Tom? He was awesome enough to volunteer to go under the knife (err, scissors), one more time, this time at Ted Gibson Salon in New York City.

We sent Tom to Jeff Chastain, one of the star stylists at Ted Gibson. He’s from rock-centric Seattle, and known for red carpet styling, and some of his celebrity clientele includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Jane Fonda, Kathy Bates, Marcia Gay Harden and Emily Van Kamp.

What Jeff foresaw for Tom was something of an “evolutionary” style, where rather than have a new look all at once, he would grow into the style. As Tom was about to head out on some tour dates, this was perfect timing.

“Tom and I spoke about growing out the front and back of his hair out to have an edgier, shaggier look,” Jeff said. The initial cut (shown at left) needed another 3 to 4 weeks before it reached its definite look, but Jeff gave it a choppier texture, left the bang and the back longer, and minimized the volume on the sides so it would sit a little more flattering as it grew.

This was last month, and as you can see from this picture of Tom at a Joe’s Pub performance last month, the style is coming into its own! “It’s never been easy for me to explain what I want in a haircut,” Tom tells us. “It’s refreshing to have an experience where they just know what works, and I can just put my trust in them to make a good cut.”

Tom’s experience illustrates a very important tenet of hair styling – while many of us are looking for that instant “make over” the ideal experience is actually one creates a great look and also is cut in a way that it will maintain your desired style as it grows in (rather than grows OUT of the style, which is why so many of us get frequent hair cuts and are never happy).

If you are looking to go this route, some things to remember when growing your style in:

* Try to keep hair hydrated by using a moisturizing shampoo and a good conditioner daily – but a clarifying shampoo once a week in order to avoid product buildup.
* Avoid chemical processes. Double processing, especially with bleach makes your hair brittle; this can lead to breakage.
* Use products that complement your hair texture, rather than damage it or weigh it down. Remember, very often, less is more.
* If you have dyed hair, your hair is most likely a little dry. To protect your hair, wash your hair every other day.

Image: Richard Cervone/photo by Hollywood