Words: Jonathan Wells
Last year, when Harry Styles washed up on a beach with his first mainstream movie role and a fresh haircut, there was outcry. The young rocker’s rocking locks had been chopped clean off, giving way to a cut straight out of the 1940s. And no-one was sure what they thought.
‘We had to make the chop’, the young singer-turned-actor said of his haircut. ‘I felt very naked. But it was good! It’s very breezy.’
So, if you’ve been inspired by the critically-acclaimed Dunkirk, and are looking for a new cut, how should you go about getting Styles’ style? What should you be asking your barber for?
‘Ask for a ‘Short Scissor Over-comb’,’ says Sam Norsworthy, Manager and Barber at Ruffians Marylebone. ‘Or, alternatively, ask for a grade 3 or 4 back and sides. But be careful when selecting a length. Seek your barbers’ opinion if you’re unsure, as you don’t want it to become too transparent depending on your own thickness and hair type.
‘With the top, you’ll need to ask for a graduating length from the front getting shorter to the crown. Ask for texture through the top, as this will give it a more natural fall preventing it looking like a slick back.
‘If you tell your barber you’re going to be pushing it back,’ Norsworthy continues, ‘they’ll be able to determine a correct length based on your hair’s ability to move backwards and its density. I suggest no less that 3/4 inches. Style it like Styles by blow drying it backward, and applying a styling paste to wet hair to give you a matte look when it dries that’s easy to sweep back.’
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