Hair That Sticks Up: Making Flat, Straight Hair Sit Down

Straight hair usually sticks up for one of three reasons: it is cut to a length that is too short to lie down but too long to stand neatly, it grows in a direction that fights the style (a crown swirl or cowlick), or it dries in the wrong direction. The fix is rarely more product. It is a cut that works with your growth pattern, either long enough to have weight or short enough not to lift, plus drying the roots in the direction you want them to sit. Most men can solve the problem with one conversation with their barber and a change to the first two minutes after a shower.

Why straight hair stands up

It seems backwards. Straight hair should lie flat. But straight, coarse or thick hair is often stiff, and each hair leaves the scalp at an angle. When a hair is short, it does not have enough length and weight to bend down under gravity. It simply follows the angle it grows at. This is why hair often sticks up worst at around 2 to 4 cm, the awkward middle stage.

Fine, straight hair has a different problem. It is light and soft, so it tends to lie flat when you want volume, but sticks up in odd tufts at the crown or the parting where the growth changes direction.

Where it sticks up, and what that tells you

Where	Likely cause	Usual fix
The crown	Hair grows in a swirl, sometimes two	Leave more length there, or go short enough to lie flat
Sides, above the ears	Sides left at an awkward length; hair grows outwards	Shorter sides, or weight removed so they lie close
Front hairline	A cowlick that pushes hair up or sideways	Style the fringe in the direction of the cowlick
Along a parting	Parting placed against the natural fall	Move the parting to where hair naturally splits
Everywhere, first thing	Slept on damp hair	Dry fully before bed, or re-wet the roots in the morning

The crown: the most common culprit

Almost everyone has a crown, the point at the back of the head where hair grows outward in a spiral. On short straight hair, the swirl can make a patch stand straight up. Cut it too short and the swirl looks like a hole. Leave it at an awkward length and it sticks up like a tuft.

The barber’s approach is usually one of two things: keep enough length over the crown that the hair has weight to lie down, or take it short enough that it lies flat with the scalp. The worst option is somewhere in between. If you have two crowns, which is common, the planning matters even more. Our guide to the double crown haircut covers the options.

Cowlicks at the front

A cowlick is a section of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest. At the front hairline, it can push a fringe up or to one side however you comb it. Fighting a cowlick is a losing game. A good cut either works with it, by sending the fringe in the direction it already wants to go, or leaves enough length that the weight holds it down. See our guide to the best haircuts for a cowlick.

What to ask your barber for

Every visit at Highgate Cuts starts with an assessment, where the barber looks at how your hair grows before cutting. Mention that it sticks up, and where - it is exactly what a cut at Highgate Cuts is planned around. Useful requests:

• “Check where my crown is and leave length there.” This alone solves a lot of crown tufts.
• “Take the sides short enough not to stick out.” Sides that stand out above the ears usually need to go one or two guards shorter, or be thinned.
• “Take weight out on top, but not too much length.” Thick straight hair often lifts because it is bulky. Texturising reduces bulk without making it so short that it stands up.
• “Put my parting where it naturally falls.” Your barber can find it by combing wet hair back and pushing it gently forward. It will split at its natural line.
• “Cut it for no product,” if you want a low-maintenance style. A different shape may be needed.

Our barbers in Highgate do this every day, and you can see the full range of cuts on our barber page.

The drying routine that keeps it down

Where your hair sits for the day is set while it dries. Hair that air-dries in random directions will sit in random directions.

1. Towel-dry by pressing, not rubbing. Rubbing lifts the roots in every direction.
2. Comb the hair into place while damp, in the direction you want it to sit.
3. Blow-dry on medium heat with the nozzle pointing down the hair, from root to tip. This flattens the cuticle and sets the root direction. To keep the crown down, dry it downward and outward from the centre of the swirl.
4. Finish with a blast of cool air. It helps the shape hold.
5. Apply a small amount of product only after the hair is dry or nearly dry.

If you prefer not to use a hairdryer, comb it into place while damp and leave it alone until it dries. Touching it while wet undoes the shape. Our guide to whether men should blow-dry goes into heat and technique.

Products that help, and ones that make it worse

• Helps: a cream or light pomade, which adds weight and holds hair flat with a natural finish. For crowns, a small amount pressed onto the swirl after drying.
• Helps on the sides: a little pomade or wax smoothed down with the palms.
• Can make it worse: volumising sprays, sea salt spray and matte clays. These add lift and texture, the opposite of what you want here.
• Can make it worse: too much of anything. Heavy product on stiff hair makes it clump and stand in spikes.

Common mistakes

• Asking for “just a little off” every time, which keeps the hair permanently at the awkward length.
• Going to bed with damp hair and expecting it to behave in the morning.
• Pressing a tuft down with gel, which looks fine for an hour and then lifts again.
• Changing the parting every few weeks, so hair never settles in one direction.

Questions we get asked

Why does my hair stick up after a haircut?

Usually because it has been cut to a length that is now too short to lie down at the crown or sides. Ask the barber to leave more length at the crown next time, or go shorter on the sides.

Will my hair learn to lie flat if I keep combing it?

Consistently drying it in one direction does help it settle, but you cannot permanently change the direction hair grows from the scalp.

Is it better to grow it out or cut it shorter?

It depends on where it sticks up. Crowns often do better with more length; sides often do better shorter. Your barber can tell you on the day.

---

Book with The Highgate House

Ready for a proper cut? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.

Visit The Highgate House · The barbers

The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.