How to Style Cowlicks
and Double Crowns
That patch that won't lie flat or sticks up no matter what — here's how to work with a cowlick or double crown instead of fighting it every morning.
By Jessica Hamilton — Master Stylist & Creative Director
A cowlick is a spot where hair grows in a different direction to the rest — a spiral or a tuft that won't lie flat. A double crown is two of those spirals at the back, which is why some men can never get the crown to sit down. You can't remove them, but the whole battle changes once you cut and style with the growth, not against it.
Why They Happen
Cowlicks and crowns are just your natural hair growth pattern — set before birth and completely normal. A single crown is universal (it's the spiral at the back everyone has); a double crown means two spirals, often side by side, which fight each other and create a stubborn ridge or a persistent stick-up. Front cowlicks show up at the hairline and push a fringe apart. None of it is a defect — it's just direction.
The Cuts That Work With Them
- Textured, short cuts: the number-one answer. Short textured hair is meant to look irregular, so a cowlick just reads as texture.
- Buzz cut or crew cut: too short for a cowlick to stand up — problem gone.
- French crop / caesar: worn forward, which suits many front cowlicks.
- Avoid blunt, flat, precise styles that depend on every hair lying the same way — a cowlick will break them every time.
- Avoid leaving the crown too long on a double crown — length exaggerates the ridge.
Styling Tricks
- Dry it into submission while damp. Blow-dry the cowlick flat in the direction you want, against its natural spiral, using your fingers or a brush. Damp hair sets where you dry it.
- Use a stronger hold product on the cowlick area specifically — matte clay or paste works into the root.
- Work product into the roots, not just the surface, so you're redirecting the base of the hair.
- For a double crown, either keep it short enough to ignore, or embrace a slightly textured, tousled top rather than a flat one.
- Don't cut the cowlick shorter than the rest hoping it'll behave — that often makes it stick up more.
What to Tell Your Barber
Point it out at the start — "I've got a cowlick here" or "a double crown at the back." A good barber will cut with the growth direction and choose a length that works with it, rather than against it. If a previous cut made it worse, say so. The barber can also show you which way to dry it at home, which is half the battle.