For formal occasions like a wedding anniversary it is important that you have a good hairstyle that suits your clothes. A rock singer hairstyle doesn’t fit on every occasion. Styling your hair in a formal way for significant events completes the package and shows others your polished side, whether you’ve known them for years or you’re meeting them for the first time. To help you look your best, we break down formal hairstyles for men according to hair length and type, and let you in on how to successfully master each one, including which hair products you’ll need.
Short hair
Short hairstyle like Hugh Jackman is perfect and goes well with formal occasions. To achieve this formal hairstyle, visit your barber up to a week before the big day and have the sides and back of your hair cut short and close to the head using clippers. Ask to have your top layers snipped more jaggedly, however, to balance out the neatness of the rest of the cut.
On the day itself, apply a little gel (a pea-size amount) all over your head. You don’t have to get fancy — any drugstore brand should do the trick, but try Aveda Men Pure-Formance Firm Hold Gel for a lightweight product that nourishes while it styles. Then, using a fine tooth comb, brush the sides of your hair down and back. Add a slight lift to your front to keep your style from being too controlled and don’t get hung up on flyaways.
Hair product: Aveda Men Pure-Formance Firm Hold Gel
Where to buy: Aveda.com
Naturally groomed
George Clooney’s style who was best seen in the movie Oceans Eleven series, requires a cut that’s fairly uniform in length. Next, in addition to a light mousse, you’ll need a brush, preferably one with boar bristles, rather than a comb. Frederic Fekkai’s MORE All-Day Density Styling Whip lifts and plumps each strand of your hair from root to tip. Plus, with a patented nutrient system that feeds your scalp to give you fuller, thicker hair with regular use, this mousse is a great product for men with thinning hair.
Just remember to be extra careful to avoid overdosing on hair products when you’re aiming to attain a naturally groomed style. Work only a small squirt of mousse through your entire head, then lightly run your brush over your mane to keep everything in place. The end result shouldn’t be sticky or piecey looking at all.
Hair product: Frederic Fekkai MORE All-Day Density Styling Whip
Where to buy: Fekkai.com
medium-length hair
If you wish to have hairs a little bigger the George Clooney you should go for medium length hair like John Hamm. The swept back look, as recently worn by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, is a little more time-consuming and involved than most of the styles mentioned here. To recreate this formal hairstyle for men, you’ll need styling cream, a paddle brush, hairspray, and a blow-dryer with two temperature settings. Comb a styling cream like Ojon’s Animated Styling Cream through wet hair, then blow-dry on high heat using a paddle brush to lift your hair from the root toward the back of your head, creating volume in the front. Finish off this style by holding a can of hairspray six inches from your head, applying a fine mist, and then blasting your hair quickly with your blow dryer on cold to keep everything in place.
Hair product: Ojon’s Animated Styling Cream
Where to buy: Ojon.com
Side part
Leonardo DiCaprio’s hair style from the movies like Titanic and Beach certain went famous among men. Best on short- to medium-length hair, the side part is a great choice for dressy nights out as well as important business meetings. It’s also an almost universally flattering style, although you should avoid it if you have a high forehead.
What’s more, it’s incredibly simple to achieve, requiring only two tools: a fine- to medium-toothed comb and pomade. To nail the ’50s feel of this style, try Murray’s Original Pomade for a firm hold and a wet-look finish. Begin by working a dime-size amount of the product though your hair, then use the pick end of your comb to make the sharpest part you can. Note that your part should fall somewhere in line with the inner corner of your eye socket. Finally, slick your hair down on both sides using your comb and create a slight lift in the front.
Hair product: Murray’s Original Pomade
Where to buy: MurraysPomade.com
Curly hair
Though it is thought that certain people are born with curly hairs, but one can achieve such hair style. It is hard to maintain and requires care. Particularly in hot, humid weather, curly hair can quickly become unruly, and because a messy, frizzy mane isn’t exactly formal-event-friendly, it’s crucial you use the best hairstyling products to avoid this calamity.
Ask your barber for a cut that’s short all over like the one Justin Timberlake has recently been favoring. On the big night in question, evenly distribute a lightweight gel like Anthony Logistics For Men Hair Gel through your strands. Shape your curls into place using your fingers and let the product air-dry to reproduce Timberlake’s slightly wet-looking but still healthy do.
Hair product: Anthony Logistics For Men Hair Gel
Where to buy: Anthony.com
Black hair
Always an example in the grooming and style department, LeBron James continues to impress in 2010 with a slightly longer hairstyle. To replicate James’ look, ask your hairdresser to shape your mane so that it stands up slightly but still follows the contours of your head as you’re aiming for a natural, not contrived or overly styled appearance. While you won’t really need much in the way of styling products to recreate James’ formal hairstyle, you will require products that encourage a healthy scalp and strong strands, so try Dr. Hauschka’s Neem Hair Oil, an all-natural serum specifically formulated to treat pesky skin problems and condition dry hair.
Hair product: Dr. Hauschka’s Neem Hair Oil
Where to buy: DrHauschka.com