Our hair tells a story about who we are. Sometimes, it can be short and cropped. Other times, it can be long and flowing. But either way, it tells people something about us. If you think back to the 80s and 90s, you can probably think of a handful of villains in movies that rocked the slicked-back hair look. As a matter of fact, if you ever needed to try and figure out who the villain was versus who the hero was, looking at their hair was a good indicator. Whether it was Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, or Agent Smith in The Matrix, part of their villainous look involved pulling off the helmet-hard, wet, slick back hair look.
Nowadays, there are better ways to make this look work for you, and you don’t even have to enter your villain era. You can slick back your hair and make it look put-together and classic without making people cross the street because you look like you’re part of the simulation. Here is how to slick back hair without embodying the villainy of Wall Street.
Get the type right
What kind of styles does the slicked-back look have? How many different slicked-back styles could there be? Well, there are definitely more than you think. It mostly comes down to the length you have on top and on the sides. You can look at Brad Pitt in Fury, where he sported long, slick back hair on top and shaved the side and the back in an undercut. Then you can look at Leonardo DiCaprio in a movie like Inception or Bradley Cooper in Limitless to get examples of long hair all around that is then styled straight back to keep it out of their face and off their ears. Finally, you can meet them in the middle with a look like Colin Ferrell rocked in Fantastic Beasts.
Finding the one that is right for you is vital to looking put-together and classic without being the villain of your own story. Then again, all of the guys above may not have been the villains (Ferrell notwithstanding), but they weren’t exactly good guys. So maybe the trope has something to it.
How to style a slicked-back look
No matter what hairstyle you decide to go with, there is always the vital point of styling it. If you style it the right way, you can look like Charlie Hunnam in The Gentlemen or Chris Evans in The Avengers: Infinity War (who doesn’t want to look like Captain America?). But if you do it wrong or get sick of the work and just do it quickly by skipping steps, you will transport yourself back to the 80s and 90s and find yourself being treated like Hannibal Lecter. Here are some tips to help you.
- Take your time – This isn’t a quick process, so on top of being patient and learning as you go, wake up earlier to allow yourself time in the morning.
- Wash your hair – It needs to be clean. If you have the leftover product in your hair or you are fresh out of the pool, it won’t work, and the product won’t stick the way it should.
- Choose the right product – Pun not intended; this is where it gets sticky. If you use gel, you will likely get the wet look, which is how you enter the era of villainy. We suggest a paste that will give you a dry look.
- Towel dry – It seems counterintuitive, but dry hair won’t work here. The product will stick better to wet hair, and your hair needs to stay hydrated, so gently towel dry it and forgo the hair dryer.
- Style forward first – Speaking of counterintuitive, put the product into your hair going forward first. This will get product underneath the hair and help lift it for that ever-important volume.
- Start at the ends – when you comb the hair back, make sure you start at the ends and not at the scalp. Not only does this keep you from pulling hairs out at the roots, but it will help maintain the volume a little better.
- Hairspray if needed – Some of us need a little extra hold, and that is okay. A light spray (and I mean light) is good to keep the hair in place. Too much, though, and you know the direction it is headed: right into the office of Gordon Gecko.
- Don’t touch – We know your partner loves to lovingly touch your hair, just have them wait until you get home. The more you touch it, the more you lose the look. Keep your hands off as much as possible.
Own the look
Finally, much like any look in today’s world, owning the look with confidence is the best way to make even the inexpertly crafted slicked-back hair look stand out. If you are looking to elevate your hair game in a suit and tie, consider the middle ground, the Collin Ferrell look. If you want to rock a beard and add some ruggedness to your appearance, the longer looks of Hunnam and Cooper will accomplish the goal. But if you want to go the undercut route, add some fierceness to your look in the form of the Pitt look in Fury. Either way, you go, the point is to own your look. And who knows, maybe this is the time to enter your villain era…they are extremely motivated, and we could all use a little bit of motivation, right?
