How to Cut Around a Cowlick

A cowlick is a section of hair where the growth direction diverges sharply from the surrounding area, creating a natural lift, swirl, or resistance to lying flat. They are extremely common. Most clients have at least one, and many have two or three. Ignoring them during a cut produces an inconsistent finish that is obvious after the client washes and dries their hair at home.

Where Cowlicks Appear Most Often

Crown: The most common cowlick location. At the top of the head, hair often grows outward from a central spiral point (the whorl). On many clients, this spiral creates a cowlick that makes hair at the crown lift or refuse to lay in a single direction.

Hairline (front): Some clients have a cowlick at the front hairline where hair grows backward or sideways instead of forward. This affects how the fringe or front section lays and can create a persistent part or a section that resists styling.

Nape: At the back of the neck, hair sometimes grows upward toward the hairline instead of downward. This creates a swirl or rosette at the nape that makes the neckline hard to keep flat.

Temple: Less common but present on some clients. A temple cowlick causes hair to grow away from the face in that area, affecting how the sides lay after a fade or taper.

How to Identify a Cowlick Before Cutting

Look at the hair in its dry, natural state before wetting it or applying product. Wet hair can mask a cowlick temporarily because the weight of water flattens the growth direction. Once the hair dries, the cowlick returns.

Run your hand across the top of the head at the crown in multiple directions. A cowlick will create resistance in one direction and feel natural in another. The direction of least resistance is the growth direction; this is the direction to cut with, not against.

The Core Technique Principle: Cut with the Growth Direction

Cutting against a cowlick direction creates a section that stands up after the cut because the hair is growing against the angle you cut it. Cutting with the cowlick direction, or parallel to it, allows the hair to lay in its natural growth path after it is styled.

This does not mean the finished style has to follow the cowlick exactly. It means the cut gives the hair the length and weight to lay down naturally, rather than fighting the growth direction with a cut that sets up conflict.

Crown Cowlick: Specific Approach

The crown cowlick is the most technically significant because it is often in the center of the top section where scissor or clipper work needs to be precise.

For a crown cowlick, leave slightly more length at the cowlick center than in the surrounding area. This extra weight helps the hair around the cowlick lay flat and reduces the visual prominence of the swirl. Cutting the crown section as short as the surrounding hair removes the weight that holds the swirl down and makes the cowlick more noticeable, not less.

When scissor-cutting the top with a crown cowlick, comb the hair in the growth direction before each section cut. Cut parallel to the growth direction, not across it.

Front Hairline Cowlick: Working with a Natural Part

A front hairline cowlick often dictates where the natural part falls. Hair that grows to the right at the hairline will naturally part to the right. Working with this by placing the style on the side the cowlick favors produces the cleanest result and the most manageable home maintenance for the client.

Cutting against a front cowlick by placing the part on the wrong side creates a style that never stays in place because the hair keeps reverting to its natural growth direction after washing.

Nape Cowlick: Adjusting the Neckline

A nape cowlick that creates an upward swirl makes a squared neckline difficult to maintain because the hair grows up toward the hairline rather than down away from it. Two options:

1. A rounded or tapered neckline, which follows the natural growth direction instead of creating a horizontal line across it.
2. A slightly higher neckline than standard, placed above where the cowlick creates the most pronounced swirl.

Tell the client about the cowlick and explain why one option will look cleaner longer than the other. Clients who understand why the neckline was placed where it is will maintain it properly and be less likely to complain when regrowth reveals the cowlick.

Using the Consultation to Identify Cowlicks

One of the five consultation questions ("Anything I should keep in mind?") often surfaces cowlick information. Clients who have had cowlick-related problems in the past will tell you if asked. Clients who have never had a barber work with their cowlick may be surprised to learn it is why certain styles have never stayed in place for them.

A barber who identifies a cowlick in the consultation and explains how they will work with it is demonstrating competence before the cut even starts. That is a trust-building moment that generic shops never create.

CADMEN Training and Diagnostic Skills

Reading growth patterns, identifying cowlicks, and adjusting technique accordingly is part of what CADMEN's intensive fade training develops. These assessment skills separate barbers who produce consistent results from those whose work looks good in the chair but falls apart at home.

CADMEN's 2-day intensive fade classes: $1,750 + HST (small group) or $1,950 + HST (1-on-1). Book at academy.cadmen.ca/in-person-training.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cowlick in hair?

A cowlick is a section of hair where the growth direction diverges from the surrounding area, creating a natural lift, swirl, or resistance to laying flat. They are most common at the crown, front hairline, and nape. They are caused by the hair follicle angle at that location and are permanent features of the hair growth pattern.

How do you cut hair with a cowlick at the crown?

Leave slightly more length at the cowlick center than in the surrounding area. The extra weight helps the hair lay flat and reduces the visual prominence of the swirl. Cut parallel to the growth direction of the cowlick rather than across it. Cutting the crown as short as the surrounding sections removes the weight that holds the swirl down.

Can you get rid of a cowlick with a haircut?

No. A cowlick is caused by the direction of hair follicles and cannot be changed with a haircut. What a skilled barber can do is cut in a way that minimizes the cowlick's visual impact and makes the hair more manageable. Leaving appropriate weight, cutting with the growth direction, and advising on the right style for the cowlick's location all reduce how much the cowlick affects the finished look.

What haircut is best for a crown cowlick?

Styles that keep some weight at the crown work better than very short crops that remove the weight needed to hold the swirl down. A textured crop, a slick-back, or a quiff that works with the natural lift at the crown all accommodate a crown cowlick better than a very short, flat top. The exact best style depends on the client's hair texture, density, and preference.

Why does my hair stick up after a haircut?

Most commonly, a cowlick was cut against its natural growth direction, removing the weight that kept it lying flat. The hair grows in a direction that conflicts with how it was cut, so it lifts. Less commonly, the cut length is too short at a section with an irregular growth pattern. A barber who identifies the cowlick before cutting and adjusts the technique accordingly prevents this outcome.