Virgil – The Man's Guide

Hair is power. From the dawn of human time, hair has always been seen as a man’s power. The story of Samson — spiritually in religion and visually in culture tells us that. Hair is the all-powerful symbol of who you are and what you are all about. It can tell someone everything they need to know about you, or at least give them massive clues. From where you come from, to what music you like, to deeper hints about how you present yourself or see yourself in the mirror. In an instant, you can distinguish whether a man takes pride in his appearance and has confidence in himself, just by the top of his head.

Hopefully anyone who isn’t follically gifted is still with me, because baldness and hair loss are extremely important — if not the most important point I’m going to mention.

I am fortunate to have a family line of good-haired men. I don’t take it for granted and I understand the struggle men with hair loss face. We are in an age of hair transplants, hair systems, black powders, pills and poisons. I will back anyone completely who wants to try all of the above to have a full head of hair or even just a hairline — who am I to tell them otherwise? But I will give my opinion.

Shave it.

A man with the confidence and self-awareness to embrace his hair loss is someone you can admire and respect. I hate sitting in a bar and looking at a group of lads with one guy desperately trying to hold on to that combover, when he would look perfect with a good shave. What annoys me more is that his mates won’t have the chat with him.

What you do on the top of your head speaks to the world — what are you telling us? You’re telling us what you want. If you’re someone who doesn’t get a haircut every week or style it, then you probably don’t overly care about your day-to-day appearance. Not that you’re lacking self-respect, just that other things are a priority to you. On the other hand, if you are the guy getting a skin fade every day, maybe you are screaming insecure and lacking confidence all in the one trim.

Finding a balance is the most difficult part. I grew my hair out recently for the first time and felt I had to explain it to anyone I spoke to. I felt the need to reassure them that I knew what I looked like and that it was just the awkward stage. Why? Because normally I hit the “just enough effort to not seem vain” level of hair care. But again, that’s deliberate. I am vain about my hair and my overall looks, but only to myself — and that’s what we want. Take pride in your style, your hair and your personality, but don’t be a dick. Self-validation is important. Love yourself. Hold the mirror up, inward and out.

If hair is something you worry about, or something you just aren’t sure about, speak to people who have a style you like. Leave the ego at the door and ask them:
What do you call that?
What barber do you go to?
What product do you use?

People with good hair know they have it and will enjoy telling you every single detail, because they are vain in private too. Someone who only needs validation from themselves will appreciate a compliment from someone else — and you should too.

We are in a more modern time of men being open to new products, styles and ideas. But most of them have been around for decades. Pomade was apparently first made in the 17th century, and now we have sea salt spray. I know plenty of guys who still use the same wet-look gel or Brylcreem from the 1920s. Open your mind, your search engine, or speak with your barber. If you think you have shit hair or it’s boring you, then change it — not for anyone else, but for yourself.