3 Ways to Cut Your Hair This Summer

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Meet the Shaved Head, the Grown Out Hipster and the Rocker — the three hairstyles of summer ’16. We visited NYC stylist Joey Silvestera, owner of Blackstones, with long, untrimmed manes and asked him to do his work to clean up our look. The cuts he offered allowed for short, medium and long lengths of hair, and they work against the classic barber styles that have been in style for the past few years, instead, presenting a different, unfussy take on men’s hairstyles — perfect for the easy, laid-back summer days.

About Our Expert

Joey Silvestera: In 2007, Silvestera launched Blackstones in New York City. He built a clientele of artists, musicians and designers. He focuses on a personalized “narrative” look for each client, preferring to do things that are different and push the trends, as opposed to following them. Blackstones has two locations in New York: a taxidermy filled Lower East Side location, and a marble and brass outpost in Tribeca.

The Shaved Head

Nothing Beats the Heat Better

Henry Phillips

If you’ve got a classic barber haircut, you can always take the top down and end up here.

1. Decide if you want an all-around buzz or a modified buzz (with more length on top).

2. For the modified cut, ask for a finger-length cut on top that’s textured with scissors.

3. To maintain length and gradient, get another haircut within 20 days.

The Grown Out Hipster

Buck the Trend with a Little Length

Grow out that hipster cut — clean on the sides and longer on top — and then have your stylist reel in the top a bit.

1. On the sides, ask for a men’s square layer, tapering down toward the bottom. You want enough hair to pull back behind your ears.

2. Ask to keep the top slightly longer, but not too disconnected. It should be able to be pulled back easily.

3. If you have particularly thick hair, ask to take weight out so it feels lighter.

The Rocker

Long Hair Reigns Supreme

It’s undone, quiet and masculine. It’s a rounded-style that appears like it has grown out, over two years, straight from a buzz cut.

1. Articulate that you want the feeling of length, something that feels easy, undone and not haircut-y.

2. You need to be judicious with how much gets cut, so the feeling of length says consistent, but it doesn’t look like a bob or overly feminine.

3. When growing you hair out, it’s all about strategic neglect. When planning a haircut: wait until you hate your hair, then wait until you hate it again, then get a small trim.

Stylists: Maura Burns (The Shaved Head), Molly Weinreb (The Grown Out Hipster), Lexi Salkin (The Rocker)

Three Common Grooming Mistakes
1. Over-washing: Men who have good hair sometimes over-wash, especially after working out. Instead of shampooing to get the sweat out of your hair after your next gym session, just rinse and use a light conditioning creme. “You’ll get rid of the sweat but leave all the good oils from your scalp,” says Silvestera.

2. Misused product: Many men use too much product, and distribute it in the wrong way. “A lot of guys will take the product, like pomade, and put a boatload of it in their hand. They won’t break it up or emulsify it properly, where it’s actually dispersed through your hand evenly, and they’ll go straight away to the focal point of the haircut, which is the front top. You should actually end up in that spot last,” says Silvestera. Start in the back bottom of your hair and work your way to the front, so by the time you’re at the front, you have a light amount of product to work with.

3. Growing out hair at the wrong time: “The right time to grow it out is generally the winter,” says Silvestera. You’re able to wear knit hats through those awkward growing phases that would only be made worse by the summer’s heat and humidity.

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