Deciding What Length to Cut Hair

A general rule that can apply to cutting men's or boys' hair is to cut off any unnecessary length and leave it long enough to lie in its place. This rule mainly applies to the hair on the top of the head where extra length can make it heavy looking with the extra bulk.

There are exceptions to this rule. Hairtype is a factor that determines length. Wavy, kinky, and curly hair types give you more options when choosing length and cover up haircutting slip ups too ;o) The shorter you cut the hair, the straighter it lies and the longer you leave it, the curlier it is.

Just slightly wavy or straight hair is less forgiving. If you cut it too short, it will stick straight up and if you leave it too long, it becomes floppy and doesn't hold its shape. With this hairtype, you tend to have more low cowlicks, double cowlicks, ducktail necklines, and cowlicks in the front hair line.

Since every head of hair has its own unique combination of hairgrain, hairtype, density, and texture, you need to take all these factors into account when deciding how long to cut the hair.

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.