Envy Man Magazine Online

The Stephen Knoll Salon

You’re going out to find the guy of your dreams. Thanks to the gym you’re in the best shape of your life. You’re wearing your new Gaultier muscle shirt, your shoes are expensive and you smell good enough to eat... so, you’re gonna get lucky, right? Well, if you’re sporting a $10 haircut, chances are you’ll be sleeping alone. Designer clothes and a great body can be important but if your hair is too long, too short, too gray or looks like you just walked out of an eighty’s movie, you’re doomed!

Coby Archa

Coby Archa, who recently sold his big salon to open 911 in his house in Texas, agrees that great products are imperative. Coby became a celebrity when he starred on Survivor: Palau. (He says his hair never looked better, thanks to the dirt and salt water.) He was so likeable that he was tapped to become co-host of the show Tease, on Oxygen Network, starring Lisa Rinna. “Tease is about big hair, big personalities and Lisa’s big lips,” jokes Coby. On the show, he gives makeovers to women who recently lost a lot of weight on “Jenny Craig” and he offers tips on how to take care of your hair. Tips like, “don’t shampoo very curly hair every day because it needs its natural oils” and “when you condition it, don’t rinse all the conditioner out”... and “if your hair is really, really extremely curly, dry it with paper towels or diapers.” (Not Pampers, that would be too expensive. Plus you’d look silly with Pampers on your head. Use cloth diapers.) Both men stress that it’s extremely important to use the right products for your hair type. “Lots of guys tend to use too much product,” declares Stephen. To help ensure that every man has shiny, healthy hair he has his own line of products.

Stephen Knoll

So, which is Stephen’s favorite? “I think the Hydro Repair Mist,” he begins, “also the gel . . . it’s kind of hard to say, because the Deep Treatment Hair Mask is also genius. It only takes five minutes, there’s no residue build up and it actually builds body in the hair. The technology behind it is completely unique and different and that’s what separates these products from everything else on the market. The right products really make all the difference. Even if you’re in need of a haircut, as long as your hair is clean, healthy and shiny, it will still look good.” But, he emphasizes, you don’t want to use too much product.

Coby agrees that the most common mistake that men make on their hair is using too much product. “Nine times out of ten we’re balding,” he says. “It’s just the way it is. So, too many guys are using gel that sticks their four strands of hair together and makes it look like they only have one. Using the wrong shampoo is another common mistake. Lots of guys think they need moisturizing shampoo but they end up doing way too much moisturizing and their hair just can’t handle it. I like products by Phyto. They have one that makes your hair fuller and one for curly hair that makes it less frizzy. That’s one of the best products. I use it and it doesn’t weigh my hair down.”

“Some guys can pull off a shaved head, a la Britney Spears, and if you can, it’s a good way to go if you’re balding,” Coby continues. “Definitely don’t do the comb over! The shaved head is very popular right now because so many gay guys are kind of obsessed with Prison Break. My boyfriend has a shaved head. He looks great. I can’t pull it off.” If shaving your head isn’t for you, another hairstyle Coby says looks great and isn’t going anywhere is the faux-hawk. “It’s here to stay. At first it was a little spikier, but now it’s kind of a softer version. It works so well for guys who have thinning hair, because it leaves it long in the right spots. I also like long hair on some guys. It was really popular last year and the year before, but it seems to be going out of style. Guys aren’t doing it like they were.” One thing that isn’t going out of style is long sideburns, adds Stephen. As for other facial hair, he says he’s not a fan of full beards, and mustaches are very, very dated looking. “Depending on the individual, a goatee can be interesting,” he muses.

One thing he refused to muse about is which celebrities have the best and worst hair. Not wanting to offend, he chose to stay mum, but Coby had a lot to say. “Patrick Dempsey has great hair,” he began. “I mean, my God, he has a lot of hair. How does he have so much hair? And I don’t like Clay Aiken’s hair. It’s like a girl’s do... and it doesn’t fit his face now because he’s so overweight... and Britney Spears, it is no wonder that she shaved it off, between all the color jobs and extensions her hair looked like crap. I would’ve shaved my head, too,” he says with a laugh. “We can throw Rosie O’Donnell in there. Her hair always looks terrible! Sometimes she tries to be glamorous, so she curls it, but then it looks weird, kinda like Donald Trump curled her hair. That or she just literally got out of the pool. She can’t find that inbetween where it’s just casually fixed. And Joy’s [Behar of The View] hair never looks that great.”

Although he’s got all these opinions, Coby has no interest in coiffing the stars. “Being Jessica Simpson’s slave sounds like a sucky nightmare at best! Although, I’d like to help Britney... she needs the help so badly. I’d sacrifice my own soul just to help her out!”

Chances are that Britney won’t be calling Coby anytime soon, but if you’re in Texas, you can feel free to look up Coby’s salon, 911 or in New York you can visit Stephen Knoll Salon, on Madison Avenue. You can also purchase his products on-line at StephenKnoll.com