Men Of Substance – Grooming With Sam Overton

Hello again and thanks for coming back and continuing the Men Of Substance Series If you haven’t caught up on my first blog post about Men’s Mental Health then check it out (HERE) Men’s Grooming has come so far over the past couple of years from crazy hair styles (I know I went through a few myself) to hair colours and many more.

This week I thought who better to catch up with and have a chat too then the man him self Sam Overton! First time I met Sam was working with him with Lynx at his old Salon in Paddington, we became very good mates staying in contact till this day, Sam’s portfolio is amazing from his years in the industry and the brands he has worked with, so I thought I would try and get as much knowledge as I could from him for you guys to get to know a little more about hair, styling, products and more…

Introducing Sam Overton

I’m Sam Overton, I’ve been hairdressing for around 18/19 years. I’ve worked across the globe for some of the world top hairdressing brands. I started my career in barbering and then moved into hairdressing. I was the Creative Director for TONI&GUY, I worked for T&G for around 11/12 years roughly. After that I was the creative director for TIGI, I did that for a few years and then I went out on my own and went freelance. Im that time I was given the title of Creative Director for Unilever hair care portfolio, this role changed drastically over the years I worked with Unilever and morphed into more of a creative consultancy role. I’ve created many brand from scratch for companies which have gone on to be very successful, also I have worked with appliance brands and helped create styling tools, hair dryers and curling wands. In August 2017 I launched my own haircare brand UEW Haircare. I worked on UEW behind the scenes for many years creating the brands personality, creating my product formulations from scratch, teaching myself chemistry and then on to learning photography so I could capture the brands personality in all the images used to promote it.

What is the best product to use for certain types of hair.

Product is the key to making sure your hair stays and looks great all day long. Product is the foundation of hair styling. I always advise people to apply the foundation products into damp/towel dried hair. This is to give you initial hold, shape and start to build the texture in your hair. Apply products to damp hair, the moisture in the hair dilutes the product so you get a softer/lighter hold. It’s important to use the right product at the right time and the right product for what you need (if that makes sense haha) If your after volume, use a volume spray like BIG from UEW or volume mousse or even a salt spray like BEACH from UEW, apply to you hair when damp and blow-dry in or let dry naturally (it’s easier and your style will last longer if you use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process) If you’re after a smoother, flatter style I would recommend using a styling cream, like TAME from UEW. Apply 1-2 pumps again in damp hair and then style. Next you’d want to think about which finishing product you need, do you want a strong hold or light/soft hold, shine or matte. If you’re looking for a strong hold and you aren’t into shine, I’d suggest using a clay, Clays mostly have a no shine, matte finish and a strong hold these are great for styles that include a lot of texture and style which are spiky/standing up. MATTE from UEW would be great for this, it’s a strong hold, matte finish and had add volcanic ash for texture and hold. If on the other hand you prefer a softer hold with some shine, I would suggest using SHAPE from UEW. Its more of a styling gum, designed to maintain and hold your style all day long, yet have a softer fish/hold and add shine to your hair. If you hate washing your hair because it ends up limp and fly away, you can added dust or dry shampoo to dry hair, these products can be used to add some gritty to your hair and give it a foundation to ‘dirty’ it up so it’s not as limp/fly away as fresh washed hair. UEW has FAT and CLEAN which as both non aerosol and would be great for this.

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What do you think of the men’s grooming culture and how it has changed from what it was till now?

Finally men can care about how they look and not worry about being judged or having to do it in secret. Its become socially acceptable for men to take pride in their appearance. Guys now use face oils, masks, get manicures etc. In the last 5 years male grooming as exploded on to the scene! High end barbers are opening, mens grooming stores and more guys are going to see a hairdresser and invest good money into a style that suits them. No more $10 barber cut hung over on a Saturday morning from the old guys show been cutting your hair since you where 6 years old. I feel the mens grooming scene will carry on growing and more product specifically created/targeted at men will continue to be produced. It’s an exciting time for guys in grooming and fashion.

How should men style their hair accordingly to the shape of their face?

Face shape and hair type are really important when it comes to choosing the right style for you. Don’t chose styles that have fringes if you have a receding hairline, If you have fine hair and want it to look thicker, cut it shorter. Thick hair needs to be cut properly, if you want a textured style, you’ll need to get your hair thinned out, have the weight removed so you can style it easier. It’s important to also look at your head shape, when choosing the right style too. Personally I think if you have rounder shape jaw, its best to go with stronger styles, more geometric maintaining a more square shape, I find the contradiction in soft and strong works really well and compliments the shape/style well. When you go to the barber/hairdresser, take picture with you of styles you like, chat with them and explain what you’re looking for and ask as many questions as possible to amen sure you are both on the same page and both have the same expectations from the appointment, 90% of the time a bad haircut isn’t a bad haircut, it’s a bad consolation.

What’s the best way to look after your facial hair? Grooming & Growing.

Facial hair is huge right now, I’ve pretty much had a beard since I was 14 haha. Facial hair can either make you or break you. Don’t just grow a beard because everyone else is, think about it… would stubble be better, should it be a full beard. Its your facial hair thick or is it patchy. Basically some people just really should attempt to grow a beard. When choosing you style of facial amor think about what you do for work, how you’ll look after it and will it actually suit you. Some people look better with facial hair than with out. Again its a good idea to take picture along with you of facial hair you like and get to tips and pointer from your barber/hairdresser. Even a bog bushy beard can be made to look neat, just trim up the edges (hairs on your cheeks) and trim up and stragglers which stick out past your beard shape. If you’re looking after your beard yourself, invest in a good pair of clippers. Don’t buy beard trimmers, buy actual clippers. Clippers come with guards which are different lengths and make trimmer you beard much easier. If you have facial hair or a full beard, use a bear or face oil, this will make sure your bear stays healthy and also that you done end ups with flaky dry skin in your beard that looks like face dandruff (not attractive at all)

What would suggest to anyone wanting to get into the industry?

Hairdressing is an amazing and fun career, but make sure you do it because you want to and not because you think its easy. You ahem to have a good eye for details and make sure that you can work on your feet every day all day at least 5 days a week. If you’re going to get into hairdressing, make sure you chose a good salon to start in or a great barbers to start your training/apprenticeship in. Hairdressing is such a rewarding career that can take you any where in the world, I traveled around the world anytime due to my hairdressing and met so many amazing people.