You just stood up out of the chair, took one last look in the mirror, and liked what you saw. Good. Now here’s the part nobody tells you at the register: the haircut is maybe half the result. The other half happens in your bathroom over the next three or four weeks. So consider this a letter from the chair — the barber hair care tips for clients at home that I’d give you myself if we had another ten minutes and the next guy wasn’t already waiting.
None of this is complicated. It’s a short routine, broken down by how often you do each thing: every day, every week, every month, and every time you come back to see us. Do most of it most of the time and your cut will grow out cleanly instead of falling apart around day ten.
First, the honest part about hair care for men
Most guys fall into one of two camps. Camp one uses whatever shampoo is in the shower, scrubs like he’s sanding a deck, and towels his head until it squeaks. Camp two has read a lot online and now owns six products he doesn’t really know how to use. Both camps end up in my chair with the same complaints: hair that won’t sit right, a scalp that itches or flakes, and a style that only looks good the day of the cut.
Good hair care for men is mostly about doing less, more consistently. Wash correctly, treat your scalp like skin, use one or two products that fit your hair, and come in before things get shaggy. The rest of this letter is details.
One more thing before the routine: I’m a barber, not a dermatologist. When I talk about scalp care for men below, I’m talking about everyday maintenance. If something is painful, spreading or just won’t quit, that’s a doctor’s visit, not a barbershop question.
Every day: the small stuff that adds up
You probably don’t need to shampoo every day
This is the one that surprises people. If your hair is short to medium and your scalp isn’t especially oily, shampooing every single day can strip the natural oils that keep your hair from looking dry and frizzy. A lot of guys do better washing with shampoo two to four times a week and just rinsing with water on the days in between. If you work out hard, sweat through a hat all day, or have a naturally oily scalp, you may need it more often — and that’s fine. The American Academy of Dermatology has a good, plain-language page on tips for healthy hair that makes the same point: how often you wash should depend on how oily your scalp gets.
How to shampoo properly, men’s edition
Since we’re on the subject, here’s how to shampoo properly. Men get this wrong more than anything else on this list.
- Wet your hair all the way through. Not a quick pass under the showerhead. Give it a solid thirty seconds so the water reaches the scalp.
- Use less than you think. For short hair, a dime-sized amount is plenty. Rub it between your palms first so it spreads evenly.
- Wash the scalp, not the ends. Work the shampoo into your scalp with your fingertips — pads, not nails — in small circles. The suds that run down will clean the lengths on their own.
- Rinse longer than you washed. Leftover shampoo is a common reason for an itchy, flaky scalp. Rinse until your hair stops feeling slippery.
- Condition the lengths if your hair is longer than a couple of inches. Keep conditioner mostly off the scalp, leave it a minute, rinse.
Lukewarm water, not scalding. Hot water feels great in January, but it dries out your scalp.
Towel gently, then style
Pat and squeeze; don’t scrub. Rough toweling roughs up the hair cuticle and is the fastest way to get frizz. If you use a product, apply it to hair that is damp or dry depending on the product — more on that below. If you use a blow dryer, keep it moving and keep it on medium heat.
Every week: scalp care for men
Your scalp is skin. It sheds, it gets oily, it gets dry, it reacts to the weather and to whatever you put on it. Once a week, give it a little more attention than the daily wash.
- Take a slower wash. One shower a week, spend an extra minute massaging your scalp with your fingertips while you shampoo. It helps lift buildup and dead skin.
- Clear out buildup if you use product daily. Pomades, clays, waxes and powders all leave residue. If your hair feels heavy, dull or waxy even after washing, a clarifying shampoo once a week (or every other week) resets things. Don’t use it every day — it’s stronger than a regular shampoo.
- Check in on your scalp. Look in the mirror. A few flakes in a dry winter is common. Flakes that are greasy and yellowish, redness, or itching that keeps you up are signs to look a little closer.
For ordinary dandruff, the Mayo Clinic’s page on dandruff symptoms and causes is a solid, calm read. Many guys do well with a medicated dandruff shampoo — the labels will list an ingredient like zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, coal tar or salicylic acid. Follow the directions on the bottle, which usually means letting it sit on the scalp for a few minutes before you rinse. If you’ve got flakes in your beard too, I wrote a whole piece on beard dandruff that walks through it. And if a scalp problem hurts, spreads or doesn’t improve after a few weeks of trying, see a dermatologist.
The Buffalo winter problem
Here in Tonawanda, November through March is hard on scalps. You go from cold, dry air outside to dry forced heat inside, and then you pull a knit hat on and off all day. Expect a little more dryness. Lean toward fewer full shampoos, rinse with lukewarm water, and keep your hat clean — wash it every couple of weeks, because it’s sitting on your scalp all day collecting oil and product.
Hair care products for men: what I’d actually use
Barber advice on hair products and scalp care is one of the most common things people ask for, so here it is, straight. I’m not going to name brands. I’d rather you understand the types so you can read any label and figure out whether it fits your hair. When in doubt, ask your barber which one suits your hair — we see it up close every few weeks.
- Shampoo. The everyday cleanser. If your hair is dry or curly, look for one labeled gentle or moisturizing. If your scalp gets oily fast, a basic or balancing shampoo usually does the job.
- Conditioner. Optional for very short hair, worth it once your hair gets past two or three inches or if it’s curly, coarse or dry.
- Clarifying shampoo. The weekly or biweekly reset for anyone who uses styling product.
- Medicated dandruff shampoo. Only if you need it, and used as directed.
- One styling product. Pick it by the finish you want. Pomade for shine and a slicker look (I’ve got a guide on how to use pomade). Clay or paste for a matte, textured finish. Texture powder for volume on fine hair. Sea salt spray for loose, beachy movement on longer hair. For a side-by-side of all of them, see how to style short hair.
- Beard oil or balm, if you’ve got a beard. The difference is laid out in beard oil vs. beard balm.
A couple of label notes. Cosmetics like shampoo and styling products don’t go through the same approval process as drugs, and the FDA’s page on hair products explains what’s regulated and what isn’t. If you have sensitive skin, try a new product on a small patch of skin first; the FDA also has a short explainer on allergens in cosmetics, and fragrance is a frequent culprit.
How much product to use
Start with a pea-sized amount for short hair. Warm it between your palms until it almost disappears, then work it in from the back to the front so you don’t end up with a clump at the hairline. You can always add more.
Every month: keep the shape between cuts
Somewhere around week two or three, your cut starts to soften. That’s normal; hair grows roughly half an inch a month. Here’s how to buy yourself a little time without wrecking anything.
- Leave the clippers alone. Seriously. I have fixed a lot of home touch-ups. Cleaning up a few stray neck hairs with a trimmer is fine if you’re careful. Trying to redo your own fade or line up your hairline usually ends with a much shorter haircut than you wanted. If you already went too far, read how to fix a bad haircut before you do anything else.
- Get an edge up between full cuts. If you like your lines sharp, an edge up is a quick appointment — edging and a neck shave, 10 to 15 minutes, from $12 — and it makes a three-week-old cut look a week old.
- Clean your tools. Wash your combs and brushes once a month. They collect oil, product and dead skin, and then you put all of that right back on your head.
Every visit: how to get the most out of your appointment
This is the part of the routine that happens in our chair, but you control a lot of it.
Come in on schedule
How often depends on the cut. Tight fades and short tapers look best when you come back every two to three weeks. Longer, scissor-cut styles can usually go four to six. There’s more detail in how often should you get a haircut. The easiest trick: book the next appointment before you leave, so the decision is already made.
Tell us what’s been going on
Did the top get too heavy by week two? Does a cowlick at the crown keep popping up? Is your scalp itchy lately? Say so. Those are exactly the things a barber can work around with the cut itself. And ask questions — which product would suit your hair, how much to use, whether you should be washing more or less. That’s part of the service, and we like being asked.
Think about the extras
A Classic & Beard keeps your beard line and your haircut on the same schedule. A hot towel shave is about as good as it gets for your skin if you shave. You can see everything on the services page, and you can read up on the folks cutting at each shop on our barbers page.
A quick cheat sheet of barber hair care tips
If you only remember a handful of these barber hair care tips, make it these:
- Shampoo two to four times a week; rinse with water in between.
- Wash the scalp, rinse longer than you lathered, use lukewarm water.
- Pat dry, don’t scrub.
- One styling product that fits your hair, starting with a pea-sized amount.
- Clarify once a week or so if you use product daily.
- Leave the clippers alone; book an edge up instead.
- Come back on schedule and tell your barber what’s been happening.
Coming from Isle View Park? Here’s how to find us
Isle View Park, at 796 Niagara St., is a park on the Niagara River here in Tonawanda. If you’re out there for a walk along the water and decide it’s time to get cleaned up, the shop is about 10 minutes away — roughly 2.9 miles.
- Leave the park heading toward Tonawanda (0.6 mi).
- Turn left onto Niagara St (0.8 mi).
- Turn right onto Wheeler St (1.1 mi).
- Turn right onto Main St / Great Lakes Seaway Trail (about 450 ft).
- Turn left onto Delton St (0.3 mi).
- Turn left onto Delaware St (0.1 mi).
- Turn left into 578 Delaware St.
Open these directions in Google Maps
See you in a few weeks
Our Tonawanda shop is at 578 Delaware St., open Tuesday through Friday 7AM to 7PM and Saturday 8AM to 1PM, closed Sunday and Monday. Dorian, Sam and Zaid are cutting there, and we see a lot of folks from Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, Kenmore and North Buffalo. If you want the longer story on the shop itself, there’s a piece on our barber shop in Tonawanda, NY, and if you’d rather go out to Williamsville, both shops are on the locations page.
A Classic cut is 30 minutes, from $25, and you’ll see each barber’s exact rate before you confirm. Book online or call 716-389-0192. Walk-ins are welcome when there is an open chair — appointments are encouraged, so call 716-389-0192 to confirm someone is free.
Take care of it between now and then. You’ll be able to tell the difference, and so will I.
— Jonny
