HOW TO GET STREET-SMART HAIR IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

If you've had the same old clean-cut hairdo for the last decade or so, it's time to mix it up with a little inspiration from the streets of New York. The current trend is guys looking clean and natural – with a little twist. We went backstage at the DKNY men’s fashion week presentation to ask the show's head stylist, Syd Hayes for L'Oréal Professionnel, what products and techniques

he used to achieve the stylish yet uncomplicated looks for his models. "Men's grooming isn't fussy right now," says Hayes. "It has a more streetwise feel to it." Here's how to create your own version of his look at home.

1. After a shower, rub your hair with a towel until it's about half dry. Then work a golf ball sized amount of extra strong hold mousse into your hands and apply it to your hair and style it forward. Try Bumble and Bumble Full Form Mousse.

2. Lock in your hold using a hair dryer with a diffuser – a small attachment that fits on the end of the dryer's nozzle – until it's completely dry. "The diffuser changes the circulation of the air so it comes out and spirals instead of just going straight," Hayes says. That allows your hair to lay and separate naturally. If you don't have a diffuser handy, a thin, clean cotton sock will work in a pinch.

3. Work a 5p-sized amount of styling clay, which creates a matte finish and additional hold, onto your fingertips and apply it by picking up pencil-sized pieces of hair and letting them fall naturally. Hayes recommends L'Oréal Professionnel Homme Clay.