Men’s Guide On Styling Natural Swept Back Long Hair

Swept-back long hair on men is one of the most effective and minimalist styles available. Nevertheless, with what appears a simple gesture, you can reveal the richness and complex layers of your mane. It’s a simple yet elegant look, which denotes tradition and Renaissance vibes.

Arguably, it’s one of the oldest styles around given that unstyled long hair has been with us throughout history. Furthermore, the wearer can manipulate the hair throughout the day to slightly adjust its appearance according to their needs.

Long swept-back hair is rather romantic and has a particular allure when worn well with a carefully-curated wardrobe. It can be presented as a laid back, laissez-faire look or something much more refined.

Look After Long Swept-Back Hair

However, swept-back hair doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to skip on haircuts and save money! On the contrary, this hairstyle requires a lot of maintenance if you want to look good.

Firstly, you’ll want to invest in quality shampoo and conditioner as well as find the right balance in washing it. Men are often used to washing their hair every day but if you ask women how often they wash their hair, you’ll find that it’s a lot less!

This reduced amount of washing is important. Your scalp produces sebum, which is a natural oil that nourishes the hair. No matter its length, it produces the same amount, which is why short hair needs to be washed frequently to avoid looking greasy. Longer hair needs time between each wash so that the oils can naturally replenish the follicles.

Therefore, if you wash too often, you’ll risk developing dry and brittle hair.

Secondly, don’t skip on going to a stylist. Swept-back hair still needs to sculpted so that it’s not too long on the sides or too messy. Similarly, dead ends can make a beautiful mane look untidy so it’s worth getting them removed every now and then.

Finally, a long mane requires a lot of patience to grow out it would be a shame for it not to be worth the effort. After all, a man with long hair is a noble and distinguished gentleman.

How To Keep Long Hair Out Of Your Face

Although some may argue that swept-back hair is a lazy option, maintaining a long mane is far from easy. To stay in place, the weight of the hair will do much of the work with gravity.

However, hair product is recommended to keep it from getting unruly. Celebrities such as Shia LaBeouf Jared Leto often favour a dollop of gel. However, others like Kit Harrington will be more rationed in the use of product to emphasise its natural qualities. We recommend something like TIGI Bed Head wax, which produces a light hold and a natural, healthy shine.

Nevertheless, we suggest that you refrain from using too much hair product as it can quickly make the hair appear greasy rather than healthy.

Alternatively, cream and oils in small amounts offer the best balance between hold and free-flowing hair. Furthermore, these options provide a natural shine that improves volume and nourishes the hair. These are best massaged into your hair, which you brush to evenly distribute it.

Remember, as we highlight on our long hair page, it is absolutely vital to keep long hair not only clean but healthy. The use of conditioner is a must to retain volume and shine. Otherwise, the hair risks drying out, becoming brittle. Moreover, unhealthy hair is much more difficult to manage as the dryness causes unruly hair to become loose.

Finally, consider also blow-drying your hair after a shower while you brush it. This process will certainly help in directing the hair to sit in the desired direction.

Will Swept-Back Hair Suit My Face Shape?

Long swept-back hair can be styled differently according to the needs and limitations of different face shapes. 7 unique face shapes have been listed on Bespoke Unit to help you discover the best hairstyles for your own. If you don’t yet know your face shape, we suggest that you follow our identifying guide before you continue.

Ideal Matches

The following face shapes should have no issues in wearing long hair that’s swept back.

Heart Face Shapes

Heart shape faces can certainly benefit from long hair. For instance, long swept back hair will conceal their larger foreheads and provide volume down the sides.

Oval Face Shapes

There are few pitfalls for Oval face shapes when wearing this style. Just be sure that the texture isn’t too soft to avoid rounding off your features.

Triangle Face Shapes

Triangle face shapes can also use the volume of long hair to provide bulk on top and balance the proportions with their jawline.

Acceptable Matches

The following face shapes may certainly be able to wear long, swept-back hair. However, we have a few styling tips that are worth reading beforehand.

Diamond Face Shapes

Swept-back long hair could certainly compliment a Diamond face shape’s proportions. Nonetheless, even in providing a soft contrast to their angular features, their structure may be too angular for such a stark difference.

Oblong Face Shapes

whilst an Oblong face shape can benefit from volume and length on the sides, it needs to be very careful to avoid any height. This can be sidestepped by brushing the hair back and styling naturally. However, care should be taken to avoid a flat finish.

Square Face Shapes

Square face shapes do all right with long hair. However, you may suffer when the hair is still growing. At jawline-level, the hair may widen your features. Nevertheless, if you keep it swept back, you can overcome this illusion.

Incompatible Face Shapes

The following face shape may struggle to wear long, swept-back hair. See our comments below to learn why.

Round Face Shape

However, despite the options available, dealing with the sheer volume and length of swept-back long hair can prove to be problematic. For instance, Round shape faces best steer clear of long hair styled this way. Its light textures and volume risk softening the faces features and rendering it even rounder.