Firstly, I feel uniquely qualified to write about this topic since the hair swirling around my ears is also a twisted and curly blond mess. I, too, have woken up in the morning, and ‘done my hair’ by shaking my head, shrugging, and walking out the door. When it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t, there’s the very real possibility of scaring small children. There was a time when I tried to corral it with pins and clips, but now if someone makes a comment, I just smirk and say “styled by Pillow”. But enough about me.

Let’s be clear as we begin, a big part of Deeks’ charm and identity is his hair; he’s just not the same without it.

Exhibit A: Examples of Not-Deeks. (We can be fairly certain that if the short unruly mop Deeks is presently sporting gets on Sam’s nerves, the one in the top right would give him a heart attack.)

Exhibit B: Oh, that’s better.

Were you not shaking your head along with him as Hetty reached for her clippers?

Deeks: Mm-hmm. Just for the record, this is a gross misuse of my undercover talents.
Hetty: Well, if you truly feel that way, Mr. Deeks, you can go in as a Marine, as well.
Deeks: Alright.
Hetty: Just let me get my clippers.
Deeks: What? Clippers?
Kensi: Ooh, you’re gonna look so good with a high and tight.
Deeks: No, no. No, no, no, no, wait.
[4×10 ‘Free Ride’]

And frowning at Lt. Bates as he ordered Deeks to clean up,

Bates: Get a shave and a haircut. Dig up your uniform. You’re on traffic duty until your hearing.
Deeks: I’ll get a haircut.
[3×10 ‘The Debt’]

Only to breathe a sigh of relief when he only looked through the window and didn’t go inside the barber shop.

Exhibit C: This sort of scratching is why people accuse Deeks of having fleas.

The team has fun teasing Deeks about his haircut.

Kensi: You slept here?
Deeks: Ouch! Well it was more of a tactical retreat because my building is being treated for termites.
Sam: Termites or fleas?
Kensi: Now that you’ve mentioned it, Monty has been looking kind of mangy.
Callen: Ever thought about taking that dog to a groomer? Maybe get that fur problem checked out.
Deeks [scratches his head]: He’s actually there right now. And the fur problem you’re referring to is actually called the shaggy cut. Yeah! I pay top dollar for that at the Pamper Pooch.
Sam: Are we talking about you or your dog?
[3×06 ‘Lone Wolf’]

That wasn’t the only time he was compared to a dog:

[4×17 ‘Wanted’; picture from @Richtsje]

He’s also been compared to Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Kensi: You really are Shaggy from Scooby Doo.
[3×08 ‘Greed’]

Nell: C’mon, Shaggy
Deeks: Haha, well played, Velma
[5×12 ‘Merry Evasion’]

Exhibit D: Neither Deeks nor Shaggy has any idea what they’re talking about.

He has no problem defending his own hairdo, the best example of which is when he went toe-to-toe with Detective Danny ‘Danno’ Williams from Hawaii 5-0, who is similarly defensive about his coif.

Danno: Can I help you with something?
Deeks: Just thinking about your hair. It is bullet proof?
Danno: That’s good. I mean, you got, you got a haircut like my neighbor’s Schnauzer, and you’re talking to me about grooming.
Deeks: This – styled by Pillow.
Danno: Yeah, I don’t know what that means.
Deeks: It’s a lot less hairspray.
Danno: Ah! That’s good.
[3×21 ‘Touch of Death’]

Exhibit E: Two sides of the hairstyle coin – one is carefully crafted into shape and the other might have craft glue stuck somewhere in it.

Neither does he have any reservations about standing up for someone else’s hair, whether it be human or canine.

Deeks: I know for a fact that Chaucer is mortified by that haircut.
Kensi: Deeks, you do not have the ability to talk to dogs.
Deeks: Hey, trust me – there is no species in the entire universe where it is cool to have pom-poms shaved into your butt.
Kensi: Speaking of haircuts, you’re gonna need a little sprucing up if you’re going to be seen with Chaucer.

[4×05 ‘Out of the Past’; picture from @Richtsje]

It’s wild, uncontrollable and Sam was right, it does say something about his personality.

Deeks: I can take the crap you dish out ten times over. I’m just curious about the why.
Sam: I’m Navy, straight up. Everything you do is different. The way you dress, your jokes. Your hair.
Deeks: If this is about my haircut…it needs to end.
Sam: It’s not about your hair. It’s about what it says about you as a person.
[4×24 ‘Descent’]

However, we can all agree he drew the wrong conclusions based on those riotous curls; he’s not unfocussed or untrustworthy – he’s fun-loving, a jokester, and is maybe starting to look a little bit like his dog. None of that means he can’t be serious when necessary or be there to back his team up under all circumstances.

But through all the teasing, at least they care about him.

Kensi: Take one of these.
Deeks: Prenatal vitamins?
Kensi: I hear they’re good for your hair.
[2×07 ‘Anonymous’]

Maybe not so much.

Let’s talk about Deeks and his hair in the comments… 🙂

Thanks to Vicki, Richtsje, and AJ for the help on this topic.