Apart from Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary, name one time a cowlick has stolen the spotlight. No? Us neither. Cowlicks – small tufts that grow in a different direction than the rest of your hair – often get a bad rap, being dubbed unruly or incompatible with a fringe unless you want to do daily battle with your strands.
But that's all about to change. The Hair Bros – aka hairstylists Nick Latham and Sean Paul Nother – are encouraging us to take a leaf out of their book and make an '80s librarian our main character energy by embracing our cowlicks.
“There's a common myth that fringes and cowlicks can't work together – we've never believed in this,” say the pair, adding that at least a quarter of their clients have a cowlick.
A new Reel, posted by The Hair Bros, shows a brow-skimming ‘Cowlick Fringe’ being cut into long hair. Rather than weigh down the cowlick on the front hairline with a heavy fringe, the idea is to “embrace a cowlick's natural lift” and blend it into the rest of your hair.
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“In the past – when bangs were perfect, straight and very blunt – a cowlick would cause chaos," Nick and Sean tell GLAMOUR. “But these days, when everything is softer and hair moves more, a cowlick can actually work beautifully with your fringe if it’s cut in the right way.”
Anne Hathaway is a case in point, regularly giving us a masterclass in the many ways to work a fringe with a cowlick.
So what exactly should you ask for when you're at the hairdresser? “Depending on the desired length of the fringe, this can be tailored,” Nick and Sean explain. “But we like to keep the middle of the fringe slightly blunter than normal.” Think narrow sections with extra weight in the middle to give you more control for day-to-day styling at home.
“Often we will keep a little more length past the corners of the eyebrows, which adds an element of versatility, especially if you want to brush the fringe back into a more '80s vibe blow-dry,” they say.
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Nick and Sean admit they're “obsessed” with '80s year book pictures - hence the librarian reference. But, remember, this is retro in a very cool way. Better still, the librarian cut works with all hair types and lengths, provided you have that extra volume on your fringe or a natural bend.
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Styling it is a cinch, too. While you want your cowlick to have its day, it's worth bearing in mind “that the cowlick may rise throughout the day so don’t be too scared to go a little flatter earlier on,” say Nick and Sean. They recommend using a non dent hair clip to flatten the middle of the fringe in the morning and to “bevel the edges into a soft '60s shape” with your fingers.
“Remember also that fringes don't necessarily need to be parted in the middle and that some strands bending in slightly different directions is where the beauty of a cowlick fringe lies,” Nick and Sean note.
And lest you think the ‘80s librarian tag is dowdy, their other references for the 'Cowlick Fringe' include ‘80s bombshells Goldie Hawn and Brooke Shields in the movie Endless Love.
In fact, for a fuller blow-dry, they want you to channel Claudia Schiffer in her sexy '90s heyday. “Using a hairdryer and round brush (or a heated round brush), roll the fringe forward and under in three fairly small sections,” they instruct. Then brush the fringe up and over “using the cowlick for volume.”
Apart from its versatility, the librarian cut's real pull comes down to its individuality and making a feature of the heft a cowlick offers. “It won't lie flat – instead it has more volume, and more of a bend, which can really open up the eyes and complement the cheekbones," say Nick and Sean. "It's leaning into the subtle nuances that really makes it go from looking good to incredible.”
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
