Men’s Hair Style: The Quiff & How To Style It

The Quiff…The Daddy Of All Male Hairstyles

With the popularity of the QUIFF and many new men’s hair styles that look like they may need a little more than a quick towel dry, the time has come to hone your hair styling skills. After getting the cut, keeping the style looking right at home is crucial for this particular attention seeking hair style – and don’t worry because with practice it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Firstly you we need to kit yourself out with some electrical equipment. I’m not suggesting you rush out a buy the new iPad 2; I’m talking hair dryer, straighteners and in addition, a styling brush or two (see recommended products below).

How to get the perfect quiff

The quiff is still with us for 2011 – and as with anything that’s retro – the key is to not make it look like you’re an extra for the remake of the movie Grease. By using the right styling products and trying the step by step guide below you should look more rock and roll than old rocker.

• With your hair shampooed and towel dried, apply a wet styling product (see my recommended products). Comb it through the hair to get an even coverage, and make sure you comb the hair (mainly the top), towards the front of your head.
• Set your dryer to the highest temperature setting and the lowest speed – you can always increase the speed when you feel more confident. Using a vented brush sweep the hair on the top part of your head (roughly 2cm above your temples) across to one side. At the same time with your dryer follow the brush and direct the airflow through the vents in the brush and onto the hair, keeping the dryer approximately 3cm from the brush to avoid over baking your hair. When your hair is 50% dry repeat the method on the other side, working in opposite direction.
• Your hair should now be almost dry, and at this point use the dryer and the brush in the same way as before except this time brush the hair upwards and slightly back away from your face and sides (above the temples) until completely dry. If your hair becomes flyaway at this point you have probably over dried it, so re-damp slightly and re-dry, reducing the time spent and stopping to check how dry the hair is at short intervals.
• When you have finished drying you need perfect and personalise the look. So define your hair with a finishing product; if you use a putty, clay or hard wax, apply by rubbing a thumbnail sized amount into the palms of your hands and underside of your fingers. Start by running your palms over the hair mainly the on the top of your head. At the same time gently run your fingers through your hair – three or four times should be enough – from side to side similar to the drying method above. Finish off by sweeping your hair away from your face with your fingers or a vented brush to create the quiff.

You will need to play around with the look a bit to get it right, as unfortunately hair texture and the direction that it grows from the head is not uniform. Practice is definitely important, and just like you experiment with your clothing and “look” on a daily basis, your hair styling should not be neglected. Try practising when you are not just about to go out or hit the clubs – instead take time out of your daily schedule to find a free 20 minutes so there is not as much pressure. If your hair is thick and unruly you may need to use some straightening irons – see my tips below.

Top Tips

• Try standing instead of sitting in front of a mirror (using the largest mirror you can accommodate) when drying your hair, as this will enable you to move more freely.
• Don’t just keep your head upright – tilt your head in the direction that you are sweeping your hair with the brush to make it easier to control.
• This may sound obvious but when styling in front of a mirror, focus on your hair not the hairdryer and brush. This will take some practice, but believe me it works.
• Finally, make sure you stand an arm’s length or more away from the mirror.

Using Ceramic Straighteners

If your hair, like mine, happens to be very thick and unruly – or you want the Mark Ronson quiff – you may want to invest in some ceramic straightening irons to smooth and straighten your quiff. These seem costly but will help you get the look and many other styles we will be breaking down. Read the tried and tested method of straightening your hair below:

1. After you have dried your hair apply a strong hold hairspray to your hair and then brush through in an upwards direction as the spray is setting. Repeat this 3-5 times to achieve a light build-up of hairspray (this works perfectly on finer hair).
2. Using a comb, divide the hair into small sections across the top of the head from side to side. Comb through your hair moving it up and away from your head. Hold the sectioned hair at the end of its length between the thumb and index finger and clamp the straighteners over the hair approximately 1cm from the roots. Slowly move the straighteners up to the ends of the hair and release them. Apply a small amount of hairspray to the finished hair and continue to next section of hair working the same method all the way to the crown.
3. When you have completed the top brush through and finish with putty or clay.

The Quiff Look Book

Quiff Look Book – The looks below show how you can vary the texture and shape of your quiff:

Recommended Products

The right tools for the job… I’ve recommended mini straighteners which are ideal for short-medium hair styles.

• The Cloud Nine Micro Iron Mini
• Denman Large Tunnel Vent
• Wahl Max Pro Hairdryer
• Babyliss Pro Max Dryer – Silver

Maintenance and Finishing
Try Redken moisture shampoo and conditioner to control thick unruly hair and Matrix Amplifying Shampoo and Matrix Essentials Amplify Volumizing Conditioner on fine-medium hair textures.

For finishing your style try Bed Head for Men Pure Texture Moulding Paste which will keep the quiff upwards. Alternatively Lock Stock and Barrel Ruck Matte Putty will work on fine or thicker texture hair. Stay away from heat protectors, normally used with ceramic straighteners, as they don’t work and will make your hair too soft to style.

• Redken Clear Moisture Shampoo 300ml
• Matrix Essentials Amplify Volumizing Shampoo 250ml
• Tigi B For Men Pure Texture Molding Paste 100ml
• Lock Stock & Barrel Ruck Matte Putty 100g

Jargon breaker

• Thick, fine or medium texture describes the thickness of each individual hair.
• Density describes how much hair you have on your head – surprisingly true blondes usually have more hair.