The Right Length of Hair for a Cowlick

As described earlier, cowlicks can present a problem when cutting and styling hair. We will look at 2 main problem areas: the double cowlick and the low cowlick.

Double Cowlick
Double cowlicks are found on less than 10% of the population. The 2 cowlicks create a hairgrain clash in the area right between the 2 cowlicks. Usually 10 - 15% of double cowlicks need longer hair to keep the hair from standing up. In those cases, the hair is usually quite coarse (it doesn't bend easily) and the cowlicks are fairly close (about 1 1/2 inches apart).

When cutting hair in this situation, leave the hair on the top of the head 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. This allows the hair to be long enough to have the weight to bend it so that the cowlick hair lies down with the other hair. This length may leave the hair a bit too long in the bang area, so you'll have to adjust it there accordingly.

Low Cowlick
Low cowlicks are found on 5% of the population. This is where the cowlick sits just a bit lower down the back of the head than the average person. The hair that wants to lie towards the front of the head often sticks up (or bends over backwards) because it is fighting gravity.

You want to cut hair with this type of cowlick 1/2 inch shorter so that it will not bend and will not be effected by gravity.
Therefore, if you would normally opt for a 2 inch length for the type of haircut you would usually give, go with a 1 1/2 inch length if there is a low cowlick.

Therefore, the "cures" for these 2 types of cowlicks are exactly the opposite. With the double cowlick, you want gravity to help bend the coarse hairs into position and with the low cowlick, you want to keep the hair a bit shorter so that gravity won't bend it. You will need to keep the hair that has a low cowlick trimmed every 4 weeks since hair grows 1/2 inch every month. Within 4 weeks time, the hair in a low cowlick could be long enough to be sticking up and bending backwards or sideways again.

Why Does Cowlick Hair Stand Up?

In the previous article, we learned how that everyone has a cowlick even though sometimes it can be camouflaged by either longer hair or wavy/curly hair. However, there are some people that have a cowlicks that are very easy to see, especially when the hair sticks straight up! Why is this? We'll look at 4 different reasons.

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  1 - Fighting the hair grain by combing it the wrong direction. Remember that the cowlick determines the direction that the hair wants to lie. When you comb hair straight back off the face, that goes against what it naturally wants to do you are going directly against the hair grain This will cause the hair that you've combed to stand up, especially in the cowlick area.


• 2 - Double cowlicks are found on 10% or the population. The hair that sits directly between the 2 cowlicks often stands up if the hair is cut too short. The 2 cowlicks create a hair grain clash in this area. The closer the 2 cowlicks are to each other, the more the hair between them will want to stick up. This means you should leave the hair a bit longer in this area so that the hair has enough length to bend over and lie in place with the other hairs around it.


• 3 - A low cowlick will have the hair standing up more readily than a higher cowlick. If the cowlick is a bit lower down the back of the head, the hair that wants to grow and lie forward toward the front of the head has to fight against gravity. Because it's fighting gravity, it's not lying the way it wants to. When hair doesn't lie the way it wants to, it will stick up.


• 4 - A cowlick could have hair sticking straight up if the hair is cut too short. Actually only about 5% of people have a single (not a double) cowlick that needs to be left on the longer side. With these people you find that you make your calculations for how long the hair needs to be to get it lying nicely on the top, you cut it, and then you end up with some hair standing straight up at the cowlick. It doesn't happen often but it does happen. Just remember to leave it a bit longer in the crown area the next time you cut.

When you cut someone's hair, you want to do a good job. Not only because you want your client to come back to you for repeat business, but because you want to feel good about the job that you did. So when dealing with cowlicks, remember to comb the hair in the direction of the hair grain (not against it) and to leave the hair the appropriate length in the cowlick area.

Look for more information to follow on determining the right length for a cowlick.