Fashion went through a revamp when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Gone are the days of formal office wear, with only casual Fridays. Now, it is casual Friday everyday, or actually maybe it is PJ weekdays. When the era of Zoom meetings began, memes of people wearing a formal shirt on top with their shorts or even underwear started populating the Internet. Online dating became literal. Now, people only need to make sure that their top half — hopefully the half that appears on the webcam — looks good. For men, it is back to the basics of grooming. With the lockdowns, people are letting their hair grow out naturally and keeping low maintenance hairstyles. It’s a good thing — life got simpler. The legendary James Brown once said: “Hair is the first thing. And teeth are the second. Hair and teeth. A man got those two things he’s got it all”. Simple needs for complex times, can’t get better than that.

Crowning Glory

On the webcam and in person, hair is one of the most noticeable parts of a face. Hairstyle is something that men and women have always obsessed about in history. A face is made up of the eyes, the ears, the nose and the mouth. Hair, like it was for Samson, is literally the crowning glory of a face. It’s an important part of your appearance and sets the tone for your entire look. It can make or break your look and enhance your personality. It can make you look like a professional or a bum. Your hairstyle is your message to the world. It tells people what you think of yourself and how you take care of yourself. Hair serves as an important symbol of sexuality, virility and fertility. Hair is also used as a social signifier to indicate group identity. You see a buzz cut and you think Marine. You see dreadlocks and you think Rasta.

If you’re dressed to impress but your hair doesn’t match your clothes it can ruin your entire look. You don’t need to look like a model walking down the street, but a hairstyle that complements your looks would make a huge difference. Picking the right hairstyle that matches the shape of your face and suits your skin color and features can make a person go from normal to wow! Consider the signature looks of James Bond or Superman. These are iconic figures who have gone through various changes in the history of their runs on film, but their hairstyles, regardless who was the actor portraying the role, have remained relatively unchanged. Baldness traditionally is a hairstyle (if one can call it that) worn by villains. Think Dr. Evil, Lex Luthor and dare I say it, Jeff Bezos.

Help From Science

In the past, people used wigs when they started losing their hair, but in the 21st century, we have science and chemistry. Hair regrowth for men ( https://www.forhims.com/hair-loss ) is no longer science fiction or cowboy town quackery. Hair has always been the primary indication of confidence for most men. When you consider that more than 60 percent of men see hair thinning by the age of 35, and men’s hair restoration is a $1.5 billion industry, you begin to understand how much importance is attributed to a man’s hair. These days, there is a solution for every hair problem you can encounter — thinning hair, hair loss, damaged hair, dandruff, greasy scalp, dry scalp, scalp psoriasis, and more. There is hope and a style for every hair type.

Companies invest much more in research and development these days and science is applied to the products, such as creating antioxidants in products that fight free radicals. Simply look for FDA-approved products that are easy to use. Many of the companies that sell these products also offer a lot of advice and help on maintenance. While many of the issues with men’s hair are genetic, there are other factors including changes in hormone levels, stress, diet, and side effects to medications. These are all biological effects that can be mitigated and remedied, with appropriate changes in lifestyle, diet and the correct products.

The common stereotype that women care more about their hair than men is not true. Men’s hair today receives as much attention as women’s, and it is now acceptable and normal for men to pay attention to these things. Men typically stick with what they know, but as we age, we change, and as the pandemic has taught us, some changes are good. There are a myriad of articles giving advice on grooming for men. Looking good builds confidence and makes you feel good about yourself — when you look in the mirror, when you have that Zoom date and when you walk out your front door — and in these times, we all need a pick-me-up.