# Q for Barbers/Hair stylists - What side do you part hair on?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 13, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072 "2003-11-13T18:48:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/1 "2003-11-13T18:48:19Z")
Is there a correct side to part one’s hair on - say based on the placement and direction of that “swirl” point usually on the back of one’s head?
Or is it purely up to personal preference? If it was based on personal preference I’d expect to see about a 50-50 split, but I observe that most men part their hair on the left.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/2 "2003-11-13T19:10:26Z")
IANAB, but it’s based on your cowlick (aka “swirl”).
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/3 "2003-11-13T19:17:38Z")
When I was a kid, I let my hair grow out from the very short kids’ cut I had always worn, to something long enough to comb. At one point, my father took me into a barber and challenged him to find my part. The barber bent me over his sink, sprayed my hair with water and let it settle naturally. He then told my father “there’s not much of a part, and what there is, is in the middle.”
I trained my hair to part on the left.
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### Author:  [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/4 "2003-11-13T20:27:44Z")
OK, given that **Mr. Moto** says it’s based on the swirl and **kunilou** says a barber is looking for something, how does one really then decide? There are 4 cases (assuming that for most people the swirl is at the rear of the head):
```
1 Swirl clockwise on left
2 Swirl counterclockwise on left
3 Swirl clockwise on right
4 Swirl counterclockwise on right
```
Which side would one part his hair on in each case?
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### Author:  [@dutchref](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dutchref)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/5 "2003-11-13T21:28:25Z")
as you know are not merely clock wise or counter, but interestingly, swirls are usually on one side of the head or the other. It is most common to part on the side of the head upon which the swirl resides regardless of the direction of the swirl. With dual swirls, the option belongs to the bearer. Hair can be trained to part in the direction of one’s choosing.
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### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-barbers-hair-stylists-what-side-do-you-part-hair-on/213072/6 "2003-11-14T00:27:49Z")
There’s actually at least five cases, as some of us have double crowns (the swirls), one on each side.