Dear Michelle Valentine,

I’m new to the dating scene, and after attending your last event for professional singles, I realized my super-long hair looked out of place with my outfit.

Do you have any hair styling tips for men?

Rocker Dave

Dear Dave,

Most men do not realize it, but from the beginning, women observe them and start evaluating how well they might fit into their life on a long-term basis.

Most women feel too-long hair on a man makes him seem rebellious, and hair that is unkempt makes him seem irresponsible.

While you may not be either of those two (rebellious and irresponsible), it may be time for a change.

Robert Pante author of “Dressing to Win”, says that people need to have just the right amount of sex, money, and career in their hairstyle.

This is true.

First, here are hairstyles to AVOID when you’re trying to attract women:

Hair that is too sexy

Sometimes people have too much sex in their hair. You know the look: too fluffy and flying everywhere.

Hair that makes you look cheap

Cheap-looking hair is long, straggly and looks like it could use a many good inches cut off.

Career hair

Or a boring look, which is hair that looks “career-only”.

So you ask, how do you get the right look?

The right look to attract women is the look of “richness and prosperity”, which comes from shiny, healthy, well-trimmed ends and natural-looking color.

A note on gray hair:

Sometimes, men can look more debonair and sophisticated with natural graying at the temples. (Ladies: comments on this topic?)

A note on baldness:

Most women prefer a guy who’s completely bald to one who wears a bad toupee, hairpiece, or wig.

And, nearly all women detest thinning hair that is parted on the side then stretched over the top of the head!

What to do now:

Your best bet is to start looking at current men’s fashion & style magazines in print and online. Start tearing out pages of the models’ looks you like, and bring the photos to share with your new hairdresser.