Grooming for Older Men: Haircuts, Silver Hair, and Detail Work

Hair and skin change with age. Gray hair behaves differently, the scalp gets thinner and more sensitive, and hair often grows thicker in the ears, nose, and eyebrows while thinning on top. Here is what works.

Haircuts

Classic side part

A scissor cut with softly tapered sides. It looks neat with gray hair and grows out well. A soft taper around the ears and neck is gentler than a skin fade.

Ivy League

A short scissor crop, with about an inch on top combed slightly forward. Because it’s short and neat, fine hair on the crown doesn’t separate and show the scalp.

Clipper cut with a soft taper

For no daily styling, a #3 or #4 guard on top with a gentle #2 taper at the neck is clean and easy.

Caring for gray hair

Gray hair has lost its pigment, and it’s often coarser and drier. In Arizona, sun and mineral-heavy water can give it a yellow tint.

• Use a purple (violet) shampoo about once a week to tone the yellow.
• Add a light leave-in conditioner or cream, rather than a sticky gel.

The small details

Stray hairs make a bigger difference than people expect.

• Eyebrows: individual hairs grow long and curl out. We trim them to an even length or clean them up with threading ($20) or a razor ($5).
• Ears and nose: we can wax them ($15) or trim them.

Scalp comfort

Older scalp skin is thinner and can be irritated by rough clippers. Tell your barber if your scalp is sensitive. Every haircut ends with a shoulder massage.