BLACK MEN HAIRCUTS & HAIR CARE
Whether you style it or shave it, your hair deserves your attention!
Below is a comprehensive guide to black men haircuts & hair care, along with blog posts + videos about the topic.
Types of Hair
Cuts & Styles
Hair Care
Hair + Grooming Products
Black men haircuts, hair care, styles, upkeep...
It’s a big topic in the black male community. From grooming, to hair care, to black men haircuts.
Whatever the focus might be, there’s plenty to break down here. After all… hair is an important element of your personal style!
So whether you shave bald, or grow your hair out, every hair style is unique and puts a certain spin on your look.
If you’re black, of course, your hair is different than men of other races and demographics. It forces us to go the extra mile when it comes to grooming.
Call it what it is...black men are particularly hair-conscious. Looking sloppy and unkempt makes for the worst kind of persona statement.
If your hair isn’t kept edged up and well-groomed (unless you’re going for a more unique hairstyle, like dreadlocks) it says a lot about you. As you can imagine proper hair care, and black men haircuts, are an enormous topic in our community today. whether you’re bald or growing it out, upkeep is essential.
Now, that we’ve established the importance of proper grooming and hair care - there’s one BIG question to answer:
What’s the best resource for black male hair care on the web today?
We’re talking all topics...ranging from black men haircuts, to hair care products, to different hairstyles to try, to hair types and so on.
Well take a guess what this page is!
Here at WDB, we’ve set up to compile the best black men hair management resource on the internet today. If it’s a topic related to black men hair, rest assured we’ve covered it below.
Everything from hair care, to black men haircuts, hairstyles etc. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
1. THE TYPES OF HAIR
Let’s start with this basic and important topic - the different hair types black men have.
Essentially every decision you make in hair care, grooming, and hair style ties back to this in some way.
What’s your hair type? (Bald men need not spend time on figuring this out :-D)
To be clear, we’re not talking about black men haircuts or hair styles in this section so much as we’re talking about hair itself. Your natural hair can grow in any one of these fashions.
Based on this, you can make a smart pick on what direction to go in with hair care.
Black men are typically born with any one of the types below. From the Andre Walker Hair Type Chart:
Type 1: Straight
This type we basically include in the list to say, very few black men if any have this hair style. Straight hair is not typical of the black / African community.
The only way to style your hair straight is to use a hair relaxer.
Type 2: Wavy
Soft to deep waves - and medium waves as well, with few to no curls involved.
This hair type is a bit on the coarse side and doesn’t grow too long. S shaped curves throughout your hair...natural waves.
These are signs of the wavy hair type.
Type 3: Curly
Unique, soft and fine, curls are evident early on in life.
This hair is on the straight side when wet, but curly when it dries.
Curly hair is “Q” shaped and has a bit more body / length than wavy hair, although it has much less sheen / shine to it.
Type 4: Coiled / Kinky
Finally, you have coiled and kinky hair - this hair style is the most textured of all and very tightly curled.
It’s more wiry and dry than other hair types and is a bit fragile as well.
Some men have tight coils shaped like a “Z”, while others will have looser coils with spiral shared strands.
Most black men fall under types 3 and 4, with a sizable minority being type 2.
Bear in mind that knowing your hair type will help you make several smart choices, including the black hair care products to invest in, the black men haircuts to choose and so on.
Keep in mind that your hair type is pretty much permanent… it’s genetic and something that you’re born with.
If you read the characteristics of the different hair types above, you should get a sense of the hair type you have.
All products aside, if you know the natural style that your hair grows in, you’re ahead of the game when it comes to hair care and looking good.
2. CUTS & STYLES
Let’s start with this basic and important topic - the different hair types black men have.
Posts in This Category
So, now that you’ve picked out your hair type… if you’re looking for inspiration and something new to try, we can help with that as well.
The next step is to look over the below list of black men haircuts.
The Fade
These days, fade haircuts are about as common as it gets. Fades are really popular and no matter where you go, you can't help but run into a few dudes rocking them.
These black men haircuts range in a wide variety of styles, with each being unique and distinct.
These can range from temple fades, to high and tight fades, and everything in between. There's seriously such a wide variety of different fade haircuts, there's not enough space to go into them all.
No matter what fade you choose (from low fade cuts, to medium, to high) just remember this:
It's all about keeping your hairline, and the different levels of the fade, as clean as possible.
This is especially important if you've got a fade that takes your hair from long to short. A good fade is gradual and smooth, not clunky and forced.
These types of black men haircuts, in other words, take a bit of work. Make sure you have a barber you trust.
Waves
Let's hop into waves for a second. Man, it feels like these have been around forever, doesn't it? These types of black men haircuts, require a bit of maintenance.
You've got to have the right set up, including having a wave brush a do-rag, the proper hair oil, and so on.
In other words, you need both the products and the routine necessary to maintain the waves, get them to 360 status around your head, and keep them looking fresh.
No matter how you do things, waves are definitely a time investment.
Talk with your barber to determine whether you have the necessary hair flow for waves like these.
The Afro
Let’s talk about the fro for a second. There's no denying that the afro is one of the most iconic black men haircuts out there.
Yeah, you guys probably know all about afros. They’ve been around for decades, rocked back in the 60’s - 80’s along with thick iconic sideburns.
The afro, in particular, works well with curly hair that doesn't mind being teased out with an afro pick.
So, if you don't mind having hair on the long side, why not go through the afro phase?
Other hairstyles like dreads and cornrows will be available to you once your hair is long enough. Give the fro a shot if you have your sights set on a longer hairstyle.
Dreadlocks
Let's talk about dreads for a moment as well. By far, these are one of the most iconic black men haircuts out there.
Dreadlocks are unique, special, and designed to catch the eye. And they’re suited to black men like no other race else.
Dreadlocks say more about you than words can., They've been around for years, decades even, but it still makes people do a double take when they see a fresh pair of dreads in the street.
From long to short, from thick to thin, and everything in between…You can go in all sorts of different directions when it comes to dreadlocks.
Buzz Cut
If you're looking for something more conservative, workplace safe, or just plain simple, you can opt for a buzz cut instead. These are also called military haircuts & cropped haircuts.
It's pretty simple to maintain, doesn't require much effort, and is the lowest maintenance of all black men haircuts.
Remember, the shorter you keep your hair, the less work is required outside of shaving – and lining your hairline up when needed.
The buzz cut is one of the simplest looks, but is masculine, especially when paired with a beard.
If you have clippers, trimmers, and the ability to keep edges lined up, this might just be the look for you.
Short, cropped hair works well with any style of outfit and face shape, but seems to do particularly well when coupled with a beard.
Cornrows & Braids
Getting into cornrows and braids, keep in mind that this hairstyle was particularly big back in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Some folks are still rocking them today, especially the big braids look.
Braids are some of the most distinctive black men haircuts out there. If you like your hair on the long side, this just might be the hairstyle for you.
Since a lot of black hair types or naturally curly, if it's perfectly to cornrow Style.
Are designed to get rid of some of the most annoying aspects of long hair management, and there's a variety of depending on what your hair length is.
Shaving Bald
No one pulls off the bald look like black men.
Whether shaved with clippers or with a razor, the bald look is one that suits us well.
One of the many benefits of having dark skin is making a bald scalp look completely natural, even great!
This isn't so much one of the black men haircuts as the others on this list, as it is simply a universal option for your scalp.
While balding is a circumstance, shaving bald is a choice.
Often shaving clean bald makes for a great look.
High Top
The high top is one of the most classic black men haircuts there is.
Made popular in the early 90s, this is sometimes also referred to as a box haircut or flat top.
It's pretty much a vintage icon, and like all vintage items, is guaranteed to get you a couple of second looks in the street.
Many modern fades came about as a spin off from the high-top look.
With an experienced barber, the high-top fade haircut will look outstanding on you. Give it a shot!
3. HAIR CARE
It’s simple, you get out of your hair what you put in. Proper hair care is essential.
Posts in This Category
Now that doesn’t mean you need to spend upwards of a half-hour every day on hair maintenance!
You can blend the essentials down into a time-saving, relaxing routine that doesn't take too much effort to complete start-to-finish.
On the other hand, we definitely want to save you long trips down store aisles, looking for the tiny “ethnic” hair care selection in the store until you find it…
Then coming across the products that actually suit your hair.
In the age of the Internet, it's never been easier to order and ship hair care products straight to your door.
Here are some of the most critical things to keep in mind when focusing on maintaining and caring for your hair, as well as the various black men haircuts styles you like to try out.
MOISTURIZE FREQUENTLY
Long story short, the number one thing you can do to keep your hair healthy is moisturize.
Most men simply aren’t moisturizing enough.
As the day goes on, your hair has a tendency to dry out from weather, elements, hot temperatures and so on.
Every day presents a new set of challenges for your scalp and hair.
Moisturizing your hair is critical. There isn’t a single scalp out there that wouldn’t benefit from frequent moisturizing, up to once a day.
Make sure you’re moisturizing the roots, not tips, of your hair. Consider applying a rinse out conditioner to your hair locks as well – especially after you shampoo.
Again, hair oils can go a long way here. Coconut and almond based oils in particular are great for your scalp.
Keep a sense of how dry your scalp is throughout the day and make adjustments as needed.
SHAMPOO LESS
Plenty of fellas out there overdo it when it comes to shampoo. Yes, you want to shampoo your hair, but not that frequently.
You don’t want to overload your hair with the incorrect chemicals, and several shampoos out there contain one of the worst chemicals of all, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
Stay vigilant. And keep an eye on that ingredient label.
Shampooing a couple of times per week is plenty.
If you over expose your scalp to SLS, it will dry your hair and have adverse effects.
That includes stripping your hair of the oils they need to say protected. Don’t overdo things.
USE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS
It almost goes without saying, but still.
You want to choose the hair care products that are specifically designed for men of your ethnic background.
We’re talking black men of course.
Choosing hair care products specifically made for black hair, results in healthier and better-looking hair.
Most hair care products in the store today are meant for hair belonging to men of other backgrounds.
By incorporating some of the recommended products on this page, you’re in good shape.
CHOOSE A LOW MAINTENANCE HAIRCUT
Choose a style that you’re willing to maintain.
In other words, if you’re a busy guy who’s on the go all the time, why not pick a low maintenance style that’s right for you?
Taking care of your hair ensures that you’ll have it for longer, so don’t make the task too difficult and follow an involved, time-consuming regiment.
Simply follow the tips laid out here and you’re well on your way.
4. HAIR & GROOMING PRODUCTS
So, what are the hair care products you need?
Going to the hair care product aisle at your local pharmacy isn't going to cut it.
Avoid products with harsh chemicals such as petroleum, mineral oil and alcohol. Products like these will only dry your hair out.
We need hair care products formulated for our hair type. Pick up some of the recommended hair products from the below list. Have at least one of these per category and you're good...
SHAMPOO
You don’t want to shampoo too frequently.
Black hair can dry out quite a bit more quickly than other hair types. shampooing too frequently will end up causing damage.
On top of that, you want to avoid anything with chemicals, such as cream and oil-based products.
Narrowing your focus to shampoos made of natural-based products is the smart way to go.
Look for a quality shampoo that can do it all. Pairing the right shampoo with your hair makes for a healthier scalp.
STYLING PRODUCT
No matter what styling products you choose for your hair, whether it’s pomade, wax or something else…you don’t want to overdo it.
The worst-case scenario is all these products end up flaking / caking in your hair, blocking pores and producing excess oil as result.
Again, avoid anything alcohol based, petroleum based, or overly packed with harsh chemicals.
Consider dryer styling oils, or more natural alcohol-free products instead.
HAIR OIL
In addition to oils naturally produced by your scalp, there are a variety of hair oils that provide the necessary vitamins, ingredients, and minerals for healthy hair.
Hair oil keeps your hair and scalp moisturized, which is the most important element of hair care.
However, you don’t want to overdo it and potentially clog the pores across your scalp. Make sure your hair oils are applied somewhat sparingly.
Avoid applying hair oil directly to hair. Instead, wet your fingertips and rub the oil evenly across your scalp. This helps distribute your hair most evenly.
Black men haircuts of all kinds are based upon a foundation of healthy hair.
Make sure you’re applying the proper oils necessary to keep your scalp producing hair in a healthy manner.
BRUSHES & COMBS
Everyone knows brushing and combing is essential. Two words…blood flow.
Brushing and combing keeps the scalp stimulated, leading to:
– Improved scalp blood circulation
– Smoother hair
– Less dandruff and blocked pores / grease
– More evenly distributed essential oils throughout your hairYou want to buy a high-quality brush + comb set to keep your hair untangled and healthy. We recommend wood over plastic.
Cheap plastic combs that have jagged edges at the microscopic level, even if they look smooth – avoid! You want to have a comb with smooth edges, not jagged, to prevent any damage.
Another tip…make sure to never brush or comb your hair when it’s wet, as it can lead to damage of hair follicles.
RAZORS
Shaving can be a somewhat painful task for black men, as using razors on skin like ours can sometimes lead to painful results.
We’re talking ingrown hairs, razor bumps, etc. Awful stuff.
For black men, shaving can be painful if you don’t do it right. It’s estimated between 60 to 80% of black men are susceptible to razor bumps and rashes.
When shaving, make sure to shave with the grain, instead of against it.
In other words, figure out the direction that your beard grows / flows in, and shave in that direction. NOT against the flow!
This simple concept goes a long way in preventing shaving complications.
Another simple solution is to cut down on the number of times you shave weekly. Less shaving leads to less stress on the skin.