Mistake 5: Product Overload

How not to OD on the sticky stuff: For fine hair: Thick pomade can be too heavy, but a styling cream adds shine and control, says hairstylist Luigi Murenu. “It helps define all those jagged points.” (Try Fekkai Coiff Contrôle Ironless Straightening Balm.)

For Medium or Thick Hair: A little bit of paste, wax, or pomade (such as Bumble and Bumble SumoTech or Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Sculpte Nacre) can help prevent helmet head. It also keeps wavy or frizz-prone locks from looking poufy. The key is to use an eensy, weensy bit: a pea-size smear rubbed between your palms to make it more malleable. Then glide your hands through—but not all over—your hair. “You don’t necessarily want it on every piece,” says New York City hairstylist Warren Tricomi.

Mistake 6: Using No Products—and Having the Bad Hair to Prove It

“Even a good short haircut can make you look bad if it’s not smoothed down with a little something,” says Lloyd. “I find that even just putting in a little hand cream makes it look more polished, more groomed.” For those who hate the feeling of anything in their hair, Lloyd recommends Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue. “It makes hair nice and shiny and is heavy enough to subdue a puffball, but it feels weightless,” he says.

Short Hair Mistakes 7 & 8 (Lack of Layers & No Keeping Up With The Cut)