How To Get Rid Of A Stubborn Cowlick

By Stephen J. Praetorius for GQ.

When it comes to having great hair, some guys get all the luck. Blessed with incredible manes — or at least a killer stylist — they walk with their heads held high. It’s unfair, really. Because for the rest of us, things aren’t always that easy.

Take, for example, the cowlick. Standing on end at the most inopportune moments, these troublesome, gravity-defying follicles have a way of taking a winning ‘do and tweaking it just so. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there are concrete ways that you can manage your unruly locks. Here’s a handful of them, in order of how much effort you’re willing to put in.

1. Embrace the Mess

Before we get to legitimate fixes, there’s one option you should always consider first when trying to hide a cowlick: camouflage. That is, by making the rest of your head look equally as disheveled, you can easily make your wandering strands look intentional as part of the whole picture. Now sure, it doesn’t fix the issue of the follicles themselves, but unless you need to look seriously buttoned-up, then this is the path of least resistance. Which, if you’re already rushing to get out the door, may be your best bet.

2. Go With the Grain

Now, onto actual remedies. To start, let’s talk about how exactly cowlicks come to be. The hairs on your head all grow in a general pattern focused around a central spiral. This allows the hair in the front of your crown to grow pointing forwards and the hair on the nape of the neck to grow backwards.

Every once in awhile, though, a patch of hairs will decide to go against the grain, growing in a direction contrary to the predominant trend. Then, when it comes time to add product, guys will forget to compensate for this deviation, leading it to stand on end in opposition. So, in the least severe cases, the easiest way to get rid of a cowlick is to find the direction the hair grows in that area and account for it accordingly.

3. Use Stronger Tools

Not all cowlicks can be treated with kid hands, however; sometimes, it takes bringing out the big guns to properly attend to finicky follicles. The best weapon in your arsenal: a blow dryer. If properly handled, a bit of hot air can go along way when it comes to unruly hair management, since it can effectively change the direction a hair points (at least until your next shower). Also, it may be time to invest in a heavy-duty pomade, like Blind Barber 90 Proof Hair Pomade, to add a little extra extra hold to the area so it doesn’t come undone as the day progresses. Just apply it when the hair’s dry for best results.

4. Weight It Down

This can be done a couple of ways. One, you can simply grow your hair out; in time, the mass of the follicle itself will drag it down, effectively treating your errant tuft. However,if you don’t want to change hairstyles entirely, then the simple act of decreasing your shampooing frequency — while increasing conditioner — will allow the hair to increase in weight by building up natural oils, helping to remedy the issue. Besides, you’re probably shampooing too much already.

5. Consult a Professional

Want to do real, permanent damage against a cowlick? Then get yourself to a barber, stat. Now, this is at the high-effort end of the spectrum because a) you’re going to have to shell out some cash, and b) you’re going to have to communicate your issue to the guy with the scissors. But if you suck it up and make both of those things happen, then you’re going to see some real results. That’s because your barber will be able to assess what’s causing it, cut accordingly and give you tailored advice on how to manage it going forward.

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