Men's Hair Trends in 2020

Published on 20th October '20

Restyling mens hair in 2020

Have you had the same hair style for a while now and want to change? Maybe you feel your current style needs a bit of updating. You might see a friend, sports star or celebrity that has a style you like. Do you need a more proffesional look for work? This article will help to direct you with current trends in men's hair.

Fades of all sorts are still very popular, and there are so many different types of fades to choose from.  Variations include, low fade, mid fade, high fade, drop fade, burst fade, classic tapering, skin fade, zero fade and many more.  

This trend has been so popular in mens hair due to the clean finish and low maintenance side that comes with these types of cuts.  When done well it can dramatically enhance a persons appearance.

The decline of shine

What happens on top is important when understanding changing styles.  Over the last few years, skin fades were polished off with high shine pomade and styled regularly into a version of what is known as a pompadour style.  What is a pompadour? well it is a clean quiffed style that is extremely easy for anyone to style, mainly styled using pomade, wax or horrendous gel.

Whilst still an excellent look the popularity of the ‘pomp’ has declined and pomade has gone with it.  The demise of pomade has been remarkably quick.  In place of high shine has come the dry look finish.  With products like Salt Spray, Matt Clay and Powder/Dust which produce drier and more textured looks.  

What do hair proffessionals say?

A recent survey of 70 Barber Shops showed that not one barber shop lists Gel as a product they use.  While only 9% still consider pomade a popular product. Unsurprisingly 62% claim that dust/powder is the most popular product they use and sell with Clay and Salt Spray not far behind.  This confirms a shift in men’s hair trends to drier products and looks.

How to update your style

Whilst fades are still as popular as ever 2019 seems to have brought in an era of texture and arid finishes.  Do you wonder if these kinds of looks will suit you? Or have you been thinking of changing your style for a while now?  There are some great ways to find a new style to suit your hair type for instance searching instagram with hashtags like #gentshair or getting on youtube and looking up styling videos (the great british barber bash being an excellent chanel for mens hair).  The absolute best way however is to speak to your barber. If your in the barber shop then your with the person who knows your hair best.  this is a great time to ask questions about what you could do with your hair. Remember your barber is a professional and will be able to offer the best advice for numerous factors such as hair type, density, thickness, condition, length.  All of which play a roll in the way you style your hair.

Suitability

Suitability should also be considered.  For instance what is your hairstyle for?  It might be that you work in a sector like sales where you are meeting clients all day.  Someone selling surfboards for instance might have the latest beach look while someone meeting older clients and selling wealth management may need a more conservative, polished look.  

Don’t despair however if your not walking around with the style you want.  Products can dramatically change the same head of hair. Often gents hair can be styled in several ways just by swapping products without any cutting.  The best thing to do is simply experiment with a handful of different types.

The hairdryer

The hairdryer is a tool which can completely transform the way hair stands on the head.  If you've ever walked on a windy day then you now understand this.  A great way for anyone to learn about using the hairdryer is to wet your hair and then proceed to dry it in a direction you wouldn't normally style it.  What will occur may surprise you.  To further hold hair in position turn the hairdryer to cold and cool the hair in position.  We won't bore you with the science but this is what your barber is doing when styling your hair in the shop and is also the reason there is a cold shot button on the dryer.

 

Conclusion

From Chop’s perspective we would recommend a dry look right now, it is contemporary, easy to style and there is a product for most hair types.  Products we use are Osmo Matt Clay, Osmo Salt spray and Affinage Wonder Dust.  All these products have been chosen by us for use in the shop after lots of trial and error as well as investigation to ensure they are ethically produced. To achieve a new style it may mean some cutting is required but your barber can advise you on this. There is no doubt that 2019 has seen a huge shift towards dry looking styles, so it may be time to ditch the pomade/wax (or horrendous gel if your guilty of owning any) And reaching for the salt spray or powder.

Article written by Michael Holm