When growing your hair out, you would know the struggle as an Asian dude: your hair is sticking out of the side of your head. It just makes your head look, strange…
Asian hair typically grows rather straight. So, to see an Asian guy with poofy sides is like seeing a someone with two heads. Sadly, your hair is going to be like that for a while before it finally falls down. You’ll have to wait before your hair gets the fierce flow.
It’s also really embarrassing though, since it makes your head look really round. But don’t worry: This stage is very common when the hair gets to at least medium length. You’re not alone!
Of course, there are great solutions to fix awkward stage hair. One of the simplest methods is very clear, which is a haircut.
But no. We cannot do that; after all, we’re trying to grow out our hair right? So that choice is already out the window.
The awkward stage in Asian hair growth can be very easily “controlled” into something that you do not need to put in a lot of effort to worry about. Here are some solutions that you might want to use to manage your side hair:
1. Thinning Shears
Disclaimer: YOU CAN USE THESE EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO CUT HAIR. THIS IS THE EASIEST WAY TO FIX AWKWARD STAGE HAIR.
These don’t make your hair longer (because they’re shears, duh!) but they keep your hair manageable and not uncomfortable from the sides and back.
We also recommend using the cheaper brands because they work just as fine as the high-end ones.
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You don’t have to be a professional barber or have known how to cut your own hair in order to use thinning shears. We’re not giving ourselves a makeover with these scissors. The goal here is really to just thin out the sides so that they’re less thick and so the overall weight would fall vertically instead of stick out.
If you don’t know how to use them, I highly recommend reading through our article on how to cut puffy side hair for Asian men.
In short, you just weave through your sideburns with the scissors and cut the hair with the blades facing parallel to the head.
That means the flat side faces your head and is not pointing at you. (unless you are using regular barber scissors, in which case you do cut your hair with the point facing your head)
Also be sure that the scissors are not cutting too close to the head. A general rule of thumb is to weave the thinning shears through the hair, but not so deep that the scalp meets cold steel.
2. Headwear
Personally, I don’t use headwear anymore because I already thinned out my sides with shears so it doesn’t get puffy. If you’re still not confident enough to cut your own hair, use headwear instead.
Hats and headbands and the likes work just fine. They used to be pretty annoying though because I felt like I was wearing a helmet 24/7. My head wasn’t free flowing because I had to put on the headwear even during bed to tame the awkward stage.
The secret is to use a soft and light beanie. The magic of a good beanie is that… well… okay there’s no magic. But it’s great if you’re lazy and want to actually get some sleep!
Imagine: Beanies can be worn outside and is very versatile for most men’s wardrobes. Even better, they’re comfortable on your head and you can sleep with them just fine.
You can get through the awkward stage without having to feel like you’re wearing a helmet the whole way.
When wearing a beanie, I recommend something simple and versatile. You don’t really want to have something too loud lest you look like a circus show. Just something neat and basic. It’ll keep you from looking like a pothead who doesn’t shower (no hate for potheads, bless them), or from one of those guys whose glory days were in high school.
I would say that a black, gray, or maroon beanie would work perfectly. Based on my research and experience, the best option for beanies is this one right here. It’s versatile with other outfits and it doesn’t break your wallet. You also get more copies so you don’t wear the same beanie every single day like a slob!
Recommended beanie. https://amzn.to/3bxZrXQ
Sometimes, it also depends on what phase of the awkward stage you’re in. Hats are fine for the first few phases of the awkward hair stage, but beanies work for all stages whether long or short.
Okay, so what about spring/summer. You can’t just wear beanies during the summer unless you’re at home and ready for bed. Well, that’s where hair product works.
3. Hair product
Another simple tool to help fix awkward stage hair is using hair products like gel or pomade.
I’d actually say that you shouldn’t NEED hair product in order to tame your awkward phase hair. Usually headwear for a certain amount of time and hair trimming solves the problem quickly anyway.
The only exception would be if your awkward phase gets… well, awkward, too quickly. Then you’d need to have something stronger.
After some scouring and review comparisons, This one was the most reasonable.
Recommended Down perm: https://amzn.to/2S2P2vo
Generally, you’d just want to stick with anything that helps you keep a heavy hold. If you need an alternative, Lockhart’s Hair Pomade also works just fine. The strong hold tends to be convenient too since you don’t have to reapply it the rest of the day.
Word of warning when using strong hold waxes and pomades. They tend to feel like steel helmets after a bit. Remember: they’re high hold, so it’ll be quite heavy too.
At the end of the day, I’d still recommend just using thinning shears by yourself (because some barbers tend not to take enough weight off your hair), or using a beanie to weigh it down.
4. Grow Hair Properly
Fixing the awkward stage for hair in men isn’t possible in one day, you have to wait until it gets long. You should still use best practices while you wait though.
For those with undercuts (I’m looking at you Asian dudes in high school and college), your hair will grow out longer than you sides. This is helpful yet annoying.
You can cover up your sides with the top of your hair as it gets longer. Once you reach a certain length though, this strategy will not be useful since you will need to use products and bobby pins or ties to keep your hair in place.
Be prepared and patient. Your hair growth will last from half a year to even a whole year depending on how quickly it grows.
As an Asian male, our hairs can either be stiff and poofy. That’s why it’s hard to fix awkward stage hair, so you’re going to have to consider how to manage such a hair type during that time. Do you need to trim the sides and back so you can sleep comfortably? Maybe you’re still not confident you can trim parts of your own hair and you want to stick to jut beanies and pomades.
Above all else, remember to be patient. The end result is worth it!
If you still feel like you’re not sure how to treat your awkward stage in your hair, consider sending us a few photos of what your hair looks like! You can do that by simply keeping in touch with us. We’ll take a look at them and make an analysis of what steps to take based on what you’ve sent! You got this!
