Hairy Styles: Take care othose man tresses

Thinking of a getting a haircut? Or changing your look all together? This is what you need to know:

Option A: Go long 

I am noticing the high-and-tight side part losing some ground as the office dress code loosens up—and we're all for a longer hairstyle. Just know that letting it grow doesn't mean letting it go. A lot of men see a guy looking good in long hair and want the same but they have no idea what to do to get there. You need a plan.

1. Pick your long hair spirit animal

Do you want the Jared Leto/Abbas Jaffri, or something closer to the shag of the guy on the cover? Bring a photo to your barber. He will tell you if you can pull it off, then give you a trim that will help it grow in properly. It’s always good to have a fresh pair of eyes and a second opinion.

2. Stay regular

Make monthly visits to your barber; he'll tidy everything up to help it grow out smoothly. This is how you avoid returning to your old, boring 'do.

3. Keep an open head

Play with different styles: pompadour it out, slick it back, leave it a little messy. Test-drive looks and you might just find something better than what you first wanted.

Option B: Take it all off  

Too impatient to grow your own? Heartily endorse the all-business look of a low-hassle buzz. One piece of advice: Keep the sides a touch shorter than the top, thereby avoiding the tragedy known as ‘tennis-ball head’. I'd recommend letting a pro do it the first time—or every time, really. A fade is a terrible thing to make a mess of.

1. Say no to the man-bun: Don't get your hair in a bunch

Or the samurai. Or the topknot. Whatever you call it, the look has lost its mojo. Two years ago, rocking one would have made you a wild-eyed gender-bending iconoclast. Now you’d see those lover of dad jeans and cargo shorts, man-bunning during their beer-belly walkabout. My advice: If you're blessed with long hair, be proud. Let it hang.

2. Blonds (and greens and silvers) have more fun  

A little adventure might just be what you need which is why don’t rule out colouring your hair. This could go ways: Either you will find the right colour and love it, or it will fry your scalp, you’ll have to use a special shampoo to keep the colour from fading and after a few months, the dye job will make you desperately miss the regular hair that the follicle gods gave you. But whether you look like Halle Berry in X-Men or Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, the dye job will alleviate your hair boredom, make you feel pretty punk rock and over-all worth it.

Option C: Play with your gunk  

Sometimes the only thing standing between you and a new look is a change in the stuff you put in your hair. Let the experimentation begin.

1. Shine on, you crazy follicles: Pomade

Get it if you're ready to join the greaser look that's on the comeback trail.

2. Tame the mane: Cream

Get it if you are going long and you need a product with a little more weight to keep everything in check.

3. Matte's back: Clay

Get it if you want an easier, cleaner, more natural look that doesn't throw off blinding reflections.