I feel like a dork for starting this thread but ...

I'm a sucker for a man with great hair, or a nice hairstyle.

I'm too chicken to approach any guy with said qualities. But, damn, some deserve it. They look so good and their hair is awesome.

What I really want to know is, how do they do it? How do they get and keep such a great hairstyle? The day after I get a haircut, it looks like crap again. I see different kinds of men all the time. Most of them are just regular people. Unlike celebs with hairstylists that keep them looking pretty.

Take, for example, Jeff of Big Brother. I love his hair. How does a guy like that have great hair days? What does he cut it day to day? What gel product does he use?

That's some things I'd like to ask regular guys. But I don't want to seem like a weirdo. Do these guys go to fancy salons every week? Or do they have girlfriends that fix their hair?

I am so curious. I don't have a lot of money to buy so many hair products. And can't afford to get a haircut every week.

So what's the secret to having great hair?

Some of it is genetics, but even guys with bad genes can have better hair than they've got.

Good hair is about getting a good cut, pampering your hair occasionally and buying quality hair products. If you don't want to spend the money or change some habits, it's unlikely you'll achieve the same look.

First, get a good hair stylist (a really good barber will do just as well), stay away from SuperCuts. Seriously, if you walk into a barber shop or salon and you see older men, young boys or piles of hair clippings awaiting to be swept up, walk out. Go to a nice salon and spend a few coins on yourself. Spending $30 or $40 for a great cut each month is not an extravagance. Spending $15 at SuperCuts is a waste. Also, talk to the stylist a bit, explaining what you want and how much time you've got each morning to put yourself together. They know their field, rely on their expertise.

Second, do not overwash your hair or expose it to too many harsh chemicals. If you color it, stop it. If you shampoo every day or blow dry, step back. Skip using conditioners as they only ever apply a waxy coat to your hair and do nothing but add weight to your hair follicles. You should only ever wash your hair with cooler water, not hot water. When you wash a greasy dish, you use plenty of soap and hot water, right? On a head, the combination of soap and hot water will strip your hair of natural oils and can produce dandruff. Rinse your hair each day, but do not use shampoo each day as you can dry it out. Skip the shampoo two days each week and leave some natural oil in your hair -- it is healthier for your hair and will give it a natural lustre (and you won't ever need to waste money on conditioner). Having a little natural oil in your hair makes it easier to style nicely.

Which brings me to my third suggestion: pay a little more for quality hair products. DO NOT buy crummy gel (LA or bad Target knockoffs). Spend the $20 for American Crew gel or something nicer -- you only use a tiny dab each day, about the size of a pea, so the costlier tube lasts five times as long as something cheap. I've had the same tube of American Crew for almost a year. The overall cost is the same, but you'll have the added bonus of getting a better product with better quality hold.

I'm convinced it's genetics. I have used the most expensive hair products available when dating a beautician, and I have used the cheapest shampoos while being single. I will spend more on conditioners, but it is always the store brand. I use the store brands as much as possible for a variety of things, because it is the exactly same thing as name brands. I have a cousin that works at a personal care product factory, and she confirms it is the same product, poured into different containers. My hair is great because of genetics and a healthy diet, not because of what I put on it. Hair, for all intent and purpose, is dead cells. It's NOT a living thing, despite what hair care commercials want you to believe. Also, and most importantly, is a good hair cut. Find someone who knows hair. If you see someone with a killer style, ask them where they get theirs cut...a great cut can make all the difference, even if you were not blessed with good genetics.