Hair Apparent

Untangling a Washout from a crowning achievement in hair care is getting tougher. Capitalizing on men's growing interest in health, fashion and finishing touches, the industry is pumping an avalanche of new gels, thickeners, mousses and conditioners onto the market, coupled with unprecedented scientific discoveries regarding hair regrowth. There's never been such a need for sorting out the facts and fallacies about follicles. Here's a quick primer.

The Style's the Thing

The hair industry has finally become sensible and straightforward about men. Although hairdressing aids, from new nonalcohol (and less drying) mousses and fine-misting nonaerosol pump sprays to neutral or natural-color gels, are more popular than ever, the look is decidedly unfussy and masculine. Use dressings to add sheen, hold and volume to the basic, unpretentious cut. Bizarre colors and spikes are out, and harsh cuts are giving way to softer, more organic styles. That's great news for young lawyers, businessmen and other professionals who want to be up to date without feeling ridiculous.

With this ground-swell emphasis on the natural as opposed to the severe contrivances of recent years, the trick is to keep a cleaner look compelling. That calls for well-defined lines with some texture for a romantic touch. Soften a short executive haircut with length on top to give an impression of depth, variation and character to the hair. "It's Clark Gable and the Forties look all over again," says WarrenMikal Wrian of Hollywood's Hairloft, which caters to a substantial male clientele. "Anything contrived is a waste of time; neat, classic looks are the way to go. Aim for clean lines tempered by a hint of romance."

Michael Gordon, owner of New York's renowned Bumble + Bumble salon, agrees on the return of the Forties look and adds that youthfulness comes from what's natural rather than what's stylized. "Men want to achieve a look that doesn't require fussing, not have a head that seems etched in crayon," he says.

This freer, more romantic edge has lent itself to a two-way split about length. If your job permits some daring and your hair is luxuriant, grow it out. If it's thinning or you want it short, thank such stars as Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis for their unabashed proof that short or thin hair is sexy. The key to success is to forget about middle-of-the-road compromise; emphasize what you have and don't bother to compensate for what you lack.

"Watch for very long and very short styles and not much in the middle ground," says Allen Edwards, stylist to Dustin Hoffman and Ed Marinaro. "The banker may not be able to go for long hair, but you'll see admen and actors with it. And shorter looks will stay fashionable."

Wrian offers these general styling keys:

• Balance is your goal. Determine your basic face shape and then play up your assets and downplay your weak points. For example, if you have a very round face, an asymmetrical cut may best break up that unrelenting line. A wide face should have height on top for a sense of upsweep, and a weak chin would benefit from a short-cropped beard. Long faces and long noses need a cut that bevels out and away from the ears to add fullness to the sides, and a mustache may add a desirable horizontal line to the excessively vertical face.

• Stick to a faux part, or off-center line. Avoid severe (continued on page 166) Hair Apparent (continued from page 116) demarcations or center parts.

• Sideburns can be aging. Keep them short--but not too short.

• Don't be afraid of shorter styles if your ears stick out. Instead of keeping hair long enough to cover them, opt for a cut that adds texture and volume above them.

• Check out styles in magazines and then consult your stylist on how those looks might fit your face shape, occupation and personality.

Hair Care

Shampoos are basically some combination of water, detergent and fatty material; they often come in formulations for normal, oily or dry hair. Keep these pointers in mind:

• Herbal, lemon and egg shampoos smell nice, but they don't have any particular degreasing benefits.

• Some men use beer in the final rinse because it gives hair a springiness or coarseness that adds body. There's no benefit from mixing it with the shampoo.

• Shampoos advertised as containing proteins that mend split ends don't really hold much water. Even though hair is a protein, topically applied protein won't build it up.

• If you suffer from dry hair, hair loss or a scalp condition, don't use baby shampoo in the mistaken belief that if it's mild enough for babies, it's the best thing for you. Babies often have cradle cap, or stubborn scaling, and most shampoos for them are filled with detergents to combat this problem.

• If you're bothered by dandruff, use a natural-bristle brush and plenty of conditioner. (If you're going to the beach, rubbing conditioner through your hair and leaving it on can lessen damage from sun and water.) Bring persistent itching or inflammation to a doctor's attention.

To understand the importance of following shampooing with conditioning, consider the hair itself: When glimpsed under a microscope, the cuticle, or outer layer, looks as though it's made up of overlapping fish scales. Conditioners close these scales up to make your hair softer and smoother. Ideally, your final rinse washes the greasy conditioner off the hair surface, but some of it stays sealed inside the cuticle to "glue" the scales together.

Even if you have oily hair, don't be tempted to skip conditioning, which can save enormous wear and tear and lessen breakage from combing or brushing.

Chemistry Lesson

According to Michael Gordon, approximately one quarter of the men who frequent his salon go in for chemical treatments. These include permanent waving and color work, which are gaining widespread acceptance for men. If you want to add waviness and fullness to your hair, discuss the possibility of a body perm or wave with your stylist. Caution: Any hair treated with chemicals is considered damaged and requires extra conditioning care.

While men generally want to avoid artificial highlights--the frosted look--some are using low-lighting for anti-aging cosmetic effects. The best candidates for this treatment are light-haired men, with slightly darker colors used to add depth or to play up hair that otherwise might be invisible in a thinning area. The hair stylist weaves patches of color directly onto the hair, using foil. Color should last from a few weeks to a few months, depending upon the formula used and your hair's absorbency.

Forget about over-all tinting as a way to cover gray. It's unflattering and unnecessary. A more sophisticated method is to have your stylist weave your natural color through the hair, allowing some gray to remain as a highlight. The result is subtle and organic while giving depth and texture.

Other Hirsute Matters

Beards and mustaches: Spiraling sales in mustache wax and some newly released beard-care products (see sidebar) are signs that the rule of clean and classic also applies to facial hair. Here are some guidelines.

1. Wash and condition your beard as often as you shampoo, and rinse thoroughly to avoid irritation.

2. Take the time to shave your neck carefully to keep the beard even.

3. Trim mustache hairs evenly so that they stay off the lip line.

4. Clip nose hairs carefully. (The nose area is too sensitive for tweezing, which invites broken capillaries or bleeding.)

5. Unless you're particularly sold on a longer style--and some stylists insist that handle bars are about to make a big comeback--don't let your mustache extend beyond the corners of your mouth. Otherwise, the force of gravity will pull your mouth into a frown.

6. Keep close to the face with your scissors or clippers if you wish to emphasize a strong jaw and chin; let your beard grow a bit if you wish to camouflage a weak chin.

Eyebrows: Waxing for men, available in many hair and skin-care salons, is one of the most rapidly growing services in the cosmetics industry. You can get rid of the monobrow look in a few seconds. Warm wax is dabbed on the unwanted hair, a cloth is placed over the area and pulled off before the wax hardens to remove the hairs and their roots. It's painless, efficient and reasonably inexpensive. Remember that the inside edge of your eyebrow should not fall short of the inside corner of your eye.

Although regrowth may slow after a while, you'll probably need a waxing every few weeks for some time. Remove errant hairs with tweezers, but never shave regrowth away. That leaves the hair bulb visible and reduces the efficiency of your next waxing.

Through Thick and Thin

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, 37 percent of all males begin losing their hair by the age of 35. Genetics and male hormones determine baldness (hair recedes in an M shape at the forehead, while hair is lost at the crown), but hair loss may also be triggered by high fever, hyperthyroidism or shock.

Now for the good news. While testing Loniten (tablets in which minoxidil was the active ingredient) for the treatment of hypertension, the Upjohn Company realized that many of the subjects who ingested it were growing hair all over their bodies. It didn't take long before Upjohn tried topical applications of minoxidil as a treatment for baldness, with varying results.

According to spokesperson T. R. Reid, the company undertook a 12-month minoxidil effectiveness study on 619 men, aged 18 to 49, with male-pattern baldness. Scientists counted individual hairs in a one-inch radius on each man s head and classified them as vellus, or fine, wispy, peach-fuzz-type hair; terminal, or hair of normal length and width; and indeterminate, a category in between. They concluded that after a year, 76 percent showed "more substantial" nonvellus growth in the designated areas. In a second, more subjective study, the participants themselves rated their appearance. Forty percent felt that regrowth was "moderate," eight percent "dense" and 52 percent "low growth."

"Minoxidil isn't a miracle drug, but it's the first that isn't snake oil," says Dr. Arthur Bertolino, clinical hair researcher and assistant professor of dermatology at New York University. Although no one knows exactly why it works, and no studies exist on its long-range effects, the only problems thus far linked with minoxidil are cases of minor scalp irritation. Upjohn, the FDA and hair researchers continue to investigate the possibility of more serious complications.

Although an independent Federal advisory panel has recommended that the FDA approve minoxidil as a treatment for baldness, both Upjohn and the FDA adamantly refuse to speculate on when full approval will be given.

Here's the catch: Since doctors are permitted to dispense any approved drug--as minoxidil is for hypertension--for whatever they deem necessary, many dermatologists are already writing perfectly legal prescriptions for Loniten. Pharmacists then grind the tablets and mix the pulverized product in a solution for external use. Until Upjohn can release its product Rogaine, however, these prescriptions will vary slightly from pharmacist to pharmacist.

According to Dr. Rhonda Rand, a Beverly Hills dermatologist, the men who respond best generally fit three categories: (A) They've been bald only a few years and are in their 20s or 30s; (B) the bald area at the back of the head is less than four inches in circumference; (C) some indeterminate hairs are present there.

Dr. Rand reports that one third to one half of her minoxidil patients show decent terminal-hair regrowth, a very high success percentage that she maintains by sticking only to men who fit the optimum profile. "Less selective screening results in far fewer success stories," she cautions. (The over-all success rate for men in general is much lower.)

Here's a minoxidil fact list.

• Minoxidil is a vasodilator, increasing blood flow. According to current studies, taking this powerful drug internally, whether by pill or by injection, will not facilitate or accelerate hair growth and could lead to very severe side effects. When the drug is applied topically in a solution, only a very small amount of it is absorbed into the blood stream.

• Hair's waviness or color has no bearing on minoxidil's effectiveness.

• Use of minoxidil is a lifetime commitment. As soon as you stop once- or twice-daily applications, the results reverse.

• If Upjohn's Rogaine is approved, cost will run about $60 per month.

• Although a very few men may notice small changes within a few months, doctors recommend a full year of twice-daily treatments before minoxidil's effectiveness can be ascertained.

• Since there are no follicles in your hands, you won't grow hair on them from applying the product to your scalp. But don't apply minoxidil before exercising, since it may mix with the sweat to induce unwanted facial-hair growth.

• Be realistic. "Only ten to 15 percent of men with early to moderate balding have significant improvement. The majority just hold on to the hair they do have," says Dr. Bertolino.

• Recent scientific studies suggest that Retin-A, a vitamin-A derivative, may increase absorption of minoxidil. The jury is still out.

• Watch for reports on other drugs currently in development: Viprostol, Cyclosporin-A and Omexin.

Hair Replacement

It's difficult to find a hairpiece that isn't embarrassing or uncomfortable, but tremendous advances are taking place. At the forefront is Edward Katz International Hair Design in Los Angeles. Katz's clients include some of Hollywood's top stars (he guards everyone's reputation scrupulously). He uses a porous transparent-base system, nonsurgical and nonweave, that is custom-designed, strand by strand, to suit the wearer. You can swim, enjoy sports and wash your hair. Initial cost is $1000 to $1500, with $35 approximately every three weeks for cleaning.

Surgical methods of hair replacement include punch-graft transplantation, which involves transferring small plugs of hair-producing scalp to nonproducing areas; the Juri flap, in which long, tongueshaped flaps of hair-bearing scalp are rotated over bald areas; and the short flap, a less extensive version of the Juri. Although these sound grim, take heart: Trichology (the study of hair) is a growing science, and hair-replacement techniques and results are better than ever. Talk with a reputable specialist.

Hair Thickeners

Department-store men's counters now sport products designed to thicken hair. Manufacturers word their package claims carefully to assure consumers that these are hair treatments, not restoratives, since nothing that alters the structure or function of hair or skin can be sold over the counter. These cosmetics generally add luster and a coating effect that leaves hair minimally thicker. They may also aid in unclogging scalp sebum that could cause hair breakage, but they won't inhibit or replace hair loss. No scientific studies exist on their effectiveness.

Major products include Foltène, from Minnetonka Corporation; Nutriplexx, by Aramis; Recapture Scalp Treatment, by French Transit, Ltd. (Burlingame, California); and Flowlin, by Shiseido. Ten treatments of Foltène, for example, retail for $45.

The Final Touch

A new generation of hairdressing products for men (see sidebar) has replaced the too-stiff, too-sticky mousses and gels whose high alcohol content used to dry out hair. Choose light-misting nonaerosol pump sprays for invisible hold and a more natural look. If you want more hold and volume, select a styling mousse (non-alcohol if you have dry hair). Mousses are also available in colors to complement your natural shade. For more of a wet look, stick with gels.

Remember that too much of any kind of dressing can cause brittleness or build-up on the hair, which requires extra care in shampooing and conditioning. Keep your regimen basic and healthful and your finishing touches simple; no one wants to run her fingers through hair that feels like cotton candy. A look that's clean, elegant and self-assured is the most inviting of all.

Playboy's Guide to Hair-Care Products

Check your department store, hair-care salon or pharmacy for:

Package Deals

Gruene: Natural formulas and bright packaging make Gruene's Natural Revitalizing Shampoo, Conditioner and Revitalizing Nutrient Complex a perfect one-two-three hair-care set for men.

Jan Stuart: Another natural one-two-three kit: Shampoo, Conditioner and Styling Gel.

Vidal Sassoon: A new Shampoo, Remoisturizer and Finishing Rinse designed to combat build-up from today's heavy gels and sprays.

Sebastian: Team up Systema's Moisture Shampoos, in normal-to-dry and normal-to-oily formulas, with Systema Formulating Creme Nutritive Treatment.

Gillette: Combine White Rain shampoo and Silkience Self-Adjusting Conditioner for a budget-wise treatment.

Chanel: Luxuriate with Antaeus Pour Homme, a masculine-scent conditioning shampoo, or Chanel for Men Conditioning Shampoo.

Special Shampooing Needs

Therapy Shampoo, by Clinique, controls scalp itching while leaving hair manageable.

TCB products, by Alberto-Culver, from Non-Alkaline Super Detanglmg Shampoo to Oil Sheen & Conditioner Spray, offer black men and those with very curly hair special consideration.

Head & Shoulders, by Procter & Gamble, controls dandruff and keeps hair conditioned.

The Hair Fixer, a conditioner by L'Oréal, repairs hair damaged by sun and blow-drying.

The Australian 3-Minute Miracle, a conditioning hair reconstructor from Redmond Products, complements The Aussie Mega Shampoo and Australian Hair Salad, a remoisturizer for baby-fine hair.

Mousses, Gels and Sprays

L'Oréal's Studio Line Sculpting Mousse offers maximum support and volume; also try L'Oréal's Firm-Control Gel or Directional Styling Spray.

Non-Fragranced Hairspray, by Clinique, provides long-lasting, invisible control for men who complain about too-dry, too-thin or too-coarse hair.

Consort, by Alberto-Culver, offers a complete line of hair spray, fine-mist spray in a nonaerosol pump and styling mousse.

Vidal Sassoon Grooming Gel for Men, a clear formula, improves upon yesteryear's too-sticky gels. Companion items include Grooming Mousse and nonaerosol Natural Control Hair Spray.

Murray's Superior Hair Dressing Pomade is designed as a styling aid for black hair.

The Dry Look Collection for men, by Gillette, includes mousse, styling gel and sprays in regular, extra and maximum hold; it comes in sleek black packaging.

Top-Control Hair Groom and Mustache Wax round out the list of English Leather's special offerings.

Silver Glitter Styling Gel, by Jheri Redding, subtly plays up gray, with Lemon Gel offering hold and styling for blonds and Chocolate Gel for brunets. Or stick to Neutral (in superhold formula). Also try Redding's Thermal Styling Lotion.

Special Products

Pour Le Barbe, by Roy Face Care for Men in Beverly Hills, is a for-the-beard-only shampoo that combines conditioners and moisturizers.

The Shaper, by Conair, trims beard and mustache hairs neady and accurately for today's clean-look styles.