Thinking Hard About Their Hair
The New York Times
An elaborate style, made popular by young men on TikTok, has ancient roots.
Many mornings, in Los Angeles, Darrell Jones’s girlfriend helps him curl his hair. Running a flat iron over small sections that have been sprayed with heat protectant, she creates small ringlets, pinning them to his head to set. For a brief moment, he looks like he’s gearing up to be the envy of the 1930s. After the tendrils cool, Mr. Jones, 21, sets them with hair spray and runs his fingers through his locks.
Across the country in Wilmington, N.C., Tristan Harrell, 17, creates a similar look with a somewhat modified routine. Mr. Harrell starts with wet hair and uses sea salt spray in lieu of heat protectant (although his mother, a salon owner, begs him to choose protectant) before blow drying his tresses forward. Depending on the day, he’ll either create flipped-up curls with a brush and blow dryer, or use a mini flat iron instead. He too sets the shaggy look with hair spray. The routine takes him about 10 to 15 minutes.
Joshua Rich VII, 19, in Easton, Pa., wears the same hairstyle but is luckier when it comes to maintenance. He merely towel dries his hair, and leaves the rest to evaporation, sometimes adding a little sea salt spray for added hold.