If you’ve never tried to grow your hair out, you might assume that all it takes is time and a bad attitude. The whole point is to let your mane rage, right? To throw a middle finger to the proverbial man and his sculpted business buzz (or, more likely nowadays, his clean menswear fade). But it’s a perilous path to hair nirvana—that golden zone of effortless cool where your unruly locks take on a personality of their own. I’ve been traveling it for nearly two years now, and have picked up a few hard-earned lessons along the way. For instance: You have to strike the right balance between patiently letting your hair grow (read: ignoring it), and paying enough attention that it grows out the right way (which means going for the occasional trim). For the summer issue of GQ Style, we got seven of the world’s coolest models to show off how they rock the long cut, so I set to figuring out how these guys nail it in their own ways—and also picked up a few key tips from one very influential hairstylist.
What do I know about hair? Well, I have it. And Didier Malige, the legendary hairstylist who worked on this shoot, told me not once but twice that it is “nice hair.” I met Didier (who styled the hair for Bruce Weber’s iconic Calvin Klein ads in the ’80s, not to mention countless Vogue shoots with his partner Grace Coddington) on set as he was tousling a few heads of perfect model flow. Didier’s school of thought is you want long hair to look as natural as possible. “Don't try to change the quality of your hair,” he said. “Work with what's there and don't use a lot of product.” Making the world’s most beautiful people look like they rolled right out of bed and onto set is Didier’s specialty. By going easy on the pomade, spacing out shampoo sessions, and not fighting your hair’s natural features (like curls), your hair will look effortless. Know thy hair and know thyself, basically.
But how do you get to the length you see here in the first place? In general, it’s fairly evident: “You have to stay away from the barbershop,” says Didier. There’s no better way to start going long than by skipping your monthly appointment. But know this: Once it gets to be two or three inches longer than ever before, it’ll start acting weird—and that means it’s time to sheepishly drop by your barber again. When I started skipping cuts I thought I was on my way to lustrous ’90s Brad Pitt hair, with a quick stop at Morrissey along the way. But the in-between stages were, frankly, horrifying. There weren’t enough dad hats in the world to hide the fact that after a few months my head was encased in a Lego hair helmet several sizes too big. Model Thomas Castro went through the weeds, too, in what he called a “homeless stage,” though he added that it increased his self-confidence ’cause he could still meet plenty of girls. Models, man.
Having no such luck during my hair tween phases, I sought help from Mr. Natty at Freemans Barbershop, who forgave me for avoiding him for so long as he chopped out thick tufts from subterranean layers somewhere behind my neck. As he explained, good scissor cuts involve layering, and the more the bottom layers grow back the more volume you’ll get. Basically, leave it untamed and it’s going to start to puff, fro, and mullet—you might as well pull on your skates and join a hockey team. Long hair needs direction and a vision. Every time you get it cut, which should be about half or one-third as often as normal, you should also get the length slightly trimmed. Your hair might even grow faster than normal as a result. All the guys you see here tend to get regular, free touch-ups whenever they’re on set for a reason. Read on for specifics on how they got their trademark ’dos, and trust us—the long look is the thing right now. It’ll be worth the wait.
1. Dyed Hard
Worn by: Michael Lockley, model and street-style wave-maker
How to get the look: Skip the CVS dye kit—go to a salon and get it done right.
Michael says: “Designers want to play with my hair and trim it up. I'm not mentioning no names, but this is my look and my brand. I'm not going to change that for your show.”
2. Full Flow
Worn by: Michael Bailey-Gates, model, artist, and photographer
Keep it simple: “I use the conditioner from Whole Foods,” Michael says. “I don't really do much to it. When I need a trim, I'll get a friend to do it, or I'll use my Crayola scissors and do a little hack job.”
3. The Morrissey
Worn by: Francisco Lachowski, model and father of two with model Jessiann Gravel
How to get the look: Short on the sides, long on top, styled with a blow-dryer if you want it to stay up
Didier says: “This is a guy who has very good hair. It's pretty much up to him to blow-dry it in the morning or leave it wavy.”
4. The Willie
Worn by: Phil Sullivan, model and co-founder of a homeless-outreach project in N.Y.C.
We say: More men should wear braids. Why let Willie Nelson and Robert from Metallica have sole dominion? Also: A good, long beard can make your long-hair vibe even stronger.
5. The Medusa
Worn by: Naleye Junior, cool-kid model from the Netherlands (who's part Dutch, Somali, and Vietnamese)
We say: Get trims along the way to give it shape. And always bring inspiration: “I went to my barber two weeks ago, and I showed him the Johnny Depp picture when he was dating Kate Moss, like, I want that,” Naleye says. “He was like, Yo, you gotta grow your bangs, bro. The '90s haircuts were so sick.”
6. Long & Loud
Worn by: Nicola Wincenc, model and frontman of the psych-rock band Caverns
We say: Grow your hair for the job you want, like rock ’n’ roll singer. (It's also a good way to get fired from a job you hate.)
Nicola says: “When I was 10, a lot of the kids I grew up with had long hair. So I grew mine out. I wanted to know what it was like to chew on it.”
7. Power Locks
Worn by: Thomas Castro, model and one of the best-dressed skateboarders in N.Y.C.
How to get the look: Stop cutting your hair. Stop combing your hair. And have patience. “I did have to go through a bad transition stage,” Tom says. “But it was good for my self-esteem. I had to get more comfortable with who I am as a person.”
We talked to the downtown skate legend and artist on how he mentally prepares for success, why comedy is high art, and why life is way better without a phone.
