When Kevin Brendan walks into a room, the first thing people notice is his shock of thick black hair. Though the 24-year-old receives compliments for the luxuriance of his mane, he suspects people are merely being kind, and that they actually find it more alarming than charming.
“My hair is always in a mess because it’s so thick and bushy,” the full-time national serviceman and occasional performer laments. “When I finally manage to get my hair to sit right, it still goes haywire soon after. I’ve been told it’s the humidity that makes my hair frizz up. It’s frustrating, because it’s a lot of time wasted just to keep my mane from looking unkempt,” he adds.
The Barber Says
We take Kevin to Ana Nguyen at Sultans of Shave in search of solutions. In stark contrast, she thinks Kevin’s dense hair is a blessing because it can hold any shape. Ana confesses she actually enjoys working with voluminous hair because it is more satisfying to cut. It’s obvious from the way she snips through Kevin’s mane. It’s as though she’s creating a hair sculpture.
Making The Cut
Both Ana and Kevin agree that regular trims are the key to taming such hair. But first, you still need to find the right cut.
“Truthfully, those with thick hair can get away with many hair styles if they’re properly cut. The easiest way is to crop the sides and layer the crown. This helps to accentuate one’s bone structure, while also giving room for experimentation with various styles, depending on the length you choose to keep,” Ana explains as she gave Kevin a French crop.
“To enhance control, those with thick hair should try a texturising product,” Ana suggests. “Just use it on dry hair and then blow it out to shape the hair.”
To deal with frizziness on humid days, Ana recommends products with some oil content, to help nourish hair strands, protect the hair shaft from drying out, and lend some holding power.
“Just avoid using too much. It can leave your hair looking sloppy,” she cautions.
Red Carpet Inspiration
Nick Jonas at the MET Gala 2018
Product Picks
Barber’s Pick: 151 Proof Premium Pomade, Blind Barber
Review: For a product that is rich in emollients, this is surprisingly lightweight and provides a good and lasting hold. It’s also great that the frizz-fighting formula contains hops extract to prevent dandruff and reduce scalp inflammation.
Key Ingredient: Hops extract
Styling Tip: Build the product up as you go
Available at Sultans of Shave for $35
Our Pick: Matte Wax, Suavesmith
Review: We were impressed by how this wax helped to both enhance waves and maintain our hairstyle in this humid climate. We also believe that the kaolin clay in the formula helped the product to do its job in imparting a natural matte look and absorb excess sebum that can weigh the hair down.
Key Ingredients: Kaolin clay, sweet almond oil, beeswax
Styling Tip: Use a wide-toothed comb to incorporate more volume
Available at Suavesmith for $19.99
Credits
Photography: Cher Him
Photographic Assistance: Zhan Hong
Words: Syed Zulfadhli
Sittings Editor: Chia Wei Choong
Hair: Ana Nguyen/Sultans of Shave
Makeup: Eunice Wong
Special thanks to: Kevin Brendan