A Men's Hair Care Routine in Four Simple Steps
A good men’s hair care routine has four steps: wash with a mild shampoo only as often as your scalp needs, condition the lengths, dry with a towel and a little heat in the direction you want the hair to sit, then style with a small amount of the right product. Done properly it takes about five minutes on a wash day and two on the others. Most problems we see in the chair - a flat crown, a flaky scalp, a cut that looks wrong by day four - come from one of those steps being skipped or overdone, not from a missing product.
Below is each step in the order you do it, with the details that actually change the result, and a note on how it fits around regular cuts.
Step 1: Wash the scalp, not the hair
Shampoo exists to clear oil, sweat, product and dead skin from the scalp. The hair itself rarely needs scrubbing. So put the shampoo where the oil is: a coin-sized amount, worked into the scalp with your fingertips for thirty seconds or so, then rinsed through. The lather running down the lengths is enough to clean them.
How often depends on your scalp and what you do in a day. A useful starting point:
- Oily scalp, or you train most days: shampoo daily or every other day, with a water-only rinse after the gym in between.
- Normal scalp, short hair: two or three times a week.
- Dry scalp, curly or coarse hair: once or twice a week, sometimes less.
If your scalp feels tight after washing, you are washing too often or too hot. If it is greasy by lunchtime, you may be going too long between washes or using a heavy, oil-based product that needs more to shift. We go into the detail by hair type in how often men should wash their hair.
Two habits worth changing: use warm rather than hot water, and stop using a combined shampoo and body wash on your head if your scalp is dry. Body washes are usually formulated for skin that has no hair on it.
Step 2: Condition the lengths
Conditioner is the step most men skip, and the one that makes the most visible difference once hair is longer than a couple of centimetres. Shampoo lifts the outer layer of the hair shaft slightly. Conditioner smooths it back down, which reduces frizz and static, makes hair easier to comb, and helps it hold a shape when you style it.
Apply it to the lengths and ends, not the roots, leave it for a minute while you do something else in the shower, and rinse well. If your hair is very short, a skin fade with a crop on top for example, you can skip it or use a dab on the top only. If your hair is long, curly or coarse, use it every time you shampoo. For more on when it is and is not worth it, see do men need conditioner.
Step 3: Dry it with intent
Hair sets the shape it dries in. This is why a cut can look perfect when you leave the barber and wrong the next morning: in the shop it was dried in a direction, and at home it was left to air-dry flat.
- Towel gently. Press and squeeze rather than rub. Rubbing roughs up the cuticle and causes frizz, especially on wavy and curly hair.
- Stop at damp, not wet. Product applied to soaking hair gets diluted and slides off.
- Use a little heat if you have volume to create. A hairdryer on medium heat, pointed in the direction you want the hair to go, for one or two minutes. Push the front up and back for a quiff, across for a side parting, forward for a crop. Finish on cool to set it.
- Leave it to air-dry if you want texture. Curly and wavy hair usually looks best with minimal handling: scrunch with a towel, apply product, and leave it alone.
The single best thing you can do on your next visit is ask your barber to talk you through how they are drying your hair. It takes a minute and you will copy it at home for the next six weeks.
Step 4: Style with less product than you think
Overuse is the most common styling mistake by a distance. Too much product makes hair heavy, separates it into clumps, and leaves the scalp needing a harder wash the next day. Start with an amount the size of a fingertip, warm it between your palms until it almost disappears, then work it in from the back of the head forwards, so the front gets what is left.
Choosing the right product
| Product | Hold | Finish | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Medium to strong | Matte | Textured crops, messy styles, fine hair needing body |
| Paste | Medium | Low shine | Most short to medium cuts; easy to restyle |
| Pomade | Medium to strong | Shiny | Side partings, slick backs, pompadours |
| Cream | Light | Natural | Longer hair, curls, controlling frizz |
| Sea salt spray | Light | Matte, gritty | Pre-styler for volume before blow-drying |
If you are unsure, a medium-hold paste covers more cuts than anything else. Our guide to men’s hair products goes product by product.
The weekly and monthly bits
Beyond the four daily steps, three things are worth doing on a slower rhythm:
- A clarifying wash every week or two if you use pomade, wax or heavy clay daily. A slightly stronger shampoo, or two rounds of your normal one, clears build-up that leaves hair flat and the scalp itchy.
- Clean your comb and brush every couple of weeks. Old product and oil transfer straight back onto clean hair.
- Change your pillowcase at least weekly. It sits against your scalp and face for eight hours a night.
How the routine fits around your haircut
A routine maintains a cut; it cannot rescue one that has grown out. Short styles lose their shape fastest. As a rough guide, fades and tight sides look sharp for two to three weeks, scissor cuts and classic short back and sides for four to six, and longer styles for six to eight before the weight starts sitting in the wrong places.
When you come in, tell the barber how long you spend on your hair in the morning and what product you use. Every visit to Highgate Cuts starts with an assessment: the barber looks at your hair, how it grows and what you need from it, then makes recommendations. A man who wants a two-minute morning should get a different cut from one who is happy to blow-dry, and the barber can only cut for your routine if they know what it is.
Common mistakes we see
- Washing daily with hot water and then wondering why the scalp flakes.
- Styling soaking wet hair, which dries flat and loses the hold.
- Using one product for every occasion when a matte paste for weekdays and a pomade for evenings would suit the cut better.
- Applying product to the front first, which leaves the fringe heavy and the crown untouched.
- Waiting too long between cuts and trying to style around the extra weight.
Questions we get asked
Is two-in-one shampoo and conditioner good enough?
For very short hair, usually yes. Once hair is long enough to style, separate products do each job better, because the conditioner in a two-in-one is mostly rinsed away with the shampoo.
Should I use product every day?
Only if your cut needs it. Many crops and fades look fine with nothing. If you use product daily, rinse well each evening or the next day’s styling starts on top of yesterday’s.
Does cold water make hair shinier?
A cool final rinse can help the hair lie flatter and feel smoother. It is a small effect, not a treatment, but it costs nothing.
Can my barber recommend products for my hair?
Yes. Ask during the assessment at the start of the appointment and the barber will suggest what suits your hair type and cut. You can read more about our barber services on Archway Road before you book.
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.
