How To Style Around A Cowlick?

As if many of us didn’t deal with enough issues surrounding styling our hair, right?

And then, almost as a joke played on our manes, enters the cowlick. A hair cowlick happens when the hair grows in a spiral pattern from the scalp, which cause the hair not to lie as the rest of the strands do. The hair will, often times, stand up, or produce a “bump” as the lay of the hair is different than the rest.

The first thing to do when controlling a cowlick, is to make the decision to keep the hair long or short. If changing your hairstyle isn’t included in your plans, then all you must do is decide what product you prefer and grab a blow dryer. The best products to control a cowlick (as you can’t completely rid yourself of one) are pomades, pastes, hairsprays, and gels. Apply the product to the hair in the area of the cowlick, and start by drying the hair in one direction. Once the hair is about halfway dry, switch the hair to the opposite direction and continue to blow dry. Stylists call this “confusing” the hair.

For very short hair, it’s best to cut the cowlick shorter than the rest of the hair. This is pretty much the only way to come close to “getting rid of” the cowlick. For medium to long hair, having weight in the hair will weigh the hair down. Adding layers is not advised since this removes weight and can actually make the cowlick worse. Sometimes the weight of the hair does not completely remove the cowlick, so using a pomade or paste will help weigh it down. If you do not want to use a heavy product, using a flat iron and pulling the hair in the direction you want it, will temporarily style the cowlick and hide its intrusive appearance.

Content Provided By: Alexia Hites