Thick hair is one of those blessings that too often feels like a curse. Yes, as your barber (and mother) will often tell you, you’ve got a lovely head of thick locks and probably won’t go bald, but thick hair does come with its own set of hairdo dilemmas.

Does it give you more or fewer options when it comes to styling? And is it harder to wrestle into a solid style than thin hair? What the hell do you do when it’s humid? Even among the barbers, opinion seems to be split – some say it’s harder to manage, with fewer styles available; others say the sheer volume means there’s more you can do with it. But one thing is generally agreed – it’s all about picking the right hairstyle.

“Thick hair comes in many guises,” says TJ Hunt from top London barbers Ruffians. “It could be wavy and thick or poker straight and thick. It’s all about getting the right style to complement your own hair type and lifestyle.”

Let’s start with the good news. If you have thick hair, you’ll enjoy much fuller quiffs and pompadours, and find it easier to style beachy or textured hair, too. It also looks better faded than thin hair. But there are downsides, and we’re not just talking frizz.

“Having thick hair can be a bit of a nightmare as typically it can be harder to style and often difficult to keep in place,” counters Dexter Johnson from Toni & Guy. “Thick hair is harder to manipulate, whereas thin hair you can build up with products. It’s a lot more difficult to remove the density of hair in terms of a haircutting technique.”

Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, here are some of the best styles to turn to for all types of thick hair.

Hairstyles For Short Thick Hair

Short Crop

“If you’ve got short thick hair sometimes the product matts the texture and it becomes sticky,” says Johnson. “So a short crop with a nice fade to reduce weight and texture on top will work well.” Think any variation on the iconic, fuss-free French crop.