How To Grow Out Hair To Slick Back

When it comes to slick dorsum hairstyles, for every Eric Trump (shudder), there's a David Beckham, smugly smouldering into the camera with the single greatest loose pompadour known to man.

This proves two things. 1, its impossible for any of David Beckham's hairstyles to wait bad. And two, the devil here is virtually certainly in the detail – a partial misstep and y'all're in slick back hell with hair greasier than a strippers pole.

And so, if you're looking to add together the slick back look to your grooming armory, here'southward everything yous demand to know to go it right.

Where Slick Dorsum Hairstyles Came From

The slick back was arguably the most popular hairstyle in the first one-half of the 20th century (think Jay Gatsby and Clark Gable) as men lacquered their locks with hair products in the pursuit of a smart, controlled look.

After waning in popularity in favour of shorter armed services haircuts, the slick back returned at the start of the current decade with the more contemporary undercut in tow before briefly dipping again when flowing locks fabricated an advent on the catwalks.

Despite the flux, a archetype slick dorsum will always be absurd, and it'south remarkably easy to exercise. The reason for this is that information technology's less to practise with the way your hair is cut, and more than about what you do with it – all yous actually need is enough pilus on meridian to successfully push it all back. "It's a slap-up style of varying up your look when some gents hairstyles tin seem i dimensional," says Denis Robinson, creative director at UK-wide barbers Ruffians. "The addition of production and slicking it back adds variation and a scrap of a change to your everyday look."

Will It Piece of work For Me?

Archetype slick dorsum hair is relatively easy to style, so it's a sensible option for men who have to become up and get in the mornings. Joe Mills, owner of Soho barbers Joe & Co, says that the best haircuts tend to take into consideration the lifestyles of those wearing them. "Almost guys haven't got 45 minutes every twenty-four hours to sit down in forepart of the mirror blow drying their hair, or they might come out the gym and don't desire to be seen standing there with their straightening irons and hair products."

The ease of styling rests solely on your pilus blazon. The slick back wait works best with naturally straight hair, not so much curly types. "Very curly hair tends to spring back to blazon, just leaving you with hair that is heavy with product," says Robinson, who also warns against the look for those with fine hair likewise. "It will usually end up looking transparent and see-through with all the gel in it."

Besides recollect near how you play with your pilus during the day. A classic slick back volition be crispy to touch and you won't be able to run your fingers through it. A pompadour volition be easier to mess nigh with, but might start to expect messy later on daily weather condition have dilapidated information technology to within an inch of its life.

According to Mills, other questions you lot should ask include "does it suit what you wearable, how yous wearable it, what y'all do for a job and what your social scene is like?"

As far every bit whether your face shape will adapt the style, a slick back is versatile enough to adapt most. "The but shape I would say doesn't lend itself to the style then well is a round face – I wouldn't go for the hard undercut slicked back because it will only follow around the shape of your head."

5 Means To Clothing A Slicked Back Hairstyle

Classic Slick Back

The classic slick back is the easiest to style and maintain, although it does require you to wash (or at least rinse) your hair regularly, as the amount of product needed volition start to dry and flake if kept in for too long.

Ask your barber for a grade 2 or three on the sides to differentiate it from the undercut, and for it to be kept equally long as possible on the peak. When styling, apply some strong concord pomade directly out of the shower then push button it back before assuasive it to dry out naturally. You tin can use a softer production similar a paste or gel, simply yous run the gamble of stray hairs flying virtually the place at the end of the day.

Classic Slicked Back

Slick Back Pompadour

Earlier David Beckham fabricated the world swoon at the Purple Wedding with a brusk textured crop, he had been more well-known pilus wise for his slick back pompadour.

Though information technology'due south piece of cake to inquire for (you desire four to 6 inches left on meridian and a taper on the sides), it's not a look that comes like shooting fish in a barrel. "The styling aspects of this is key," says Mills. "For Becks to have a quiff like that, it has been blowdried, then a mousse or texture spray added, before a lite pomade or a paste in it and and then hairspray. So that's at to the lowest degree three dissimilar products and 4 different stages."

Pompadour

Slick Dorsum Undercut

Not for the faint-hearted, a slick back undercut requires dedication, mainly because of the time information technology would take to grow out once more in one case the sides have been clipped short. "Reaching, say, homo-bun-level would be equally difficult equally growing it out from the skinhead phase," warns Mills.

If committed, aim to create contrast by first growing a minimum of four to six inches on superlative before sitting in the chair. Once there, your barber needs to section the hair away from the back and sides, and you need to go as brusque as you're comfortable with. "If you keep it skin tight around the edges, you'll be going back to the barbers every 10 days. However, one time the top is cut and shaped, information technology probably only needs ane haircut in three to tidy it upward."

Undercut

Slick Back Human being Bun

If you lot take what information technology takes to survive the horrendous growing-out phase needed for a slick back undercut, why not go on going until yous reach the length required for a human bun? "To get information technology to that length you are literally not going to get a haircut for a year," says Mills. "You take to stick information technology under a beanie or a baseball cap and simply live with it."

One time in that location, the payoff is a style that doesn't crave much attending. You don't accept to wear a lot of production, so if someone wanted to tie their hair dorsum I'd advise you wash it and towel dry it, but leave a scrap of leave-in conditioner on so literally necktie it back with a band that's not too tight, so information technology doesn't dig in and damage the hair. The length of the hair should literally concur it back itself."

Man Bun

Slick Back With Fade

Like to the slick back undercut, but softer, the slick dorsum with fade is a go-to cut for men who after a modernistic way that volition terminal for several years. "The advantage of it is that it looks smart," says Mills. "If yous have a brusque back and sides and your hair is pushed back on meridian, it tends to look very presentable and like you take a direction with your prototype."

Way it exactly as yous would the undercut by working a pomade into the hair that allows yous to push to back. You may also need to apply hairspray to go on it in place, and if you are after volume, the styling aspects up acme are very similar to a pompadour.

Fade