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The stanadard cliché is that Snape's hair is "greasy," due to the way that Harry describes it in the books. However, this seems at odds with the other cliché of Snape as the "Slytherin Sex God". The latter is usually thought of as a fanon invention, since Snape is ugly in canon...or is he?
Personally, I see the truth as lying somewhere in between. Several people have already pointed out in other discussions that when we see Snape in the Spinner's End chapter, one of the few that are not narrated from Harry's POV, there is no mention of greasy hair. I think that Snape's flaws are magnified in Harry's eyes, because of Harry's personal dislike for Snape. From his POV, Snape is the mean teacher who picks on him without justification, so it's easy for him to picture Snape looking villainous as well as acting the part.
Objectively, I suspect that Snape isn't the handsomest guy in the wizarding world, but neither is he repulsive. I think his hair may naturally be a little oily, but nowhere near as bad as Harry imagines it, or as other fans have suggested, it's all the time that Snape spends brewing potions that causes his hair to become lank and greasy--all that steam and fumes and chemicals.
Conversely, if someone should fall in love with Snape, he or she would probably see him as more attractive than he really is, because we tend to see the ones we love through rose-colored glasses. Lupin in my Snupin series always insists that Snape's hair is "shiny, not greasy," and that his nose is "hawklike" and "distinguished". (Harry and Sirius think that he's completely deluded, of course.) In another Snupin story called "A Little Out of Tune" by Minx, thanks to a prank that some students play on Lupin and Snape, they begin to see each other in a different light. Lupin is shocked to be having sexual thoughts about Snape--"Sarcastic (amusing), bitter (brooding), greasy (actually quite sexy in an unwashed kind of way) Snape." By the end of the story, when they finally get together, Lupin runs his fingers through Snape's hair and finds it "soft" and "surprisingly un-greasy". It's mostly a humorous story, but it was nice to see the way that Lupin's perception of Snape (and vice-versa) gradually changed.
And I do recall reading somewhere--I can't remember who said it, but it made a big impression on me--that not everyone can be pretty, but anyone can be beautiful. Meaning, not everyone has the conventional style of physical attractiveness, but that the force of one's personality can shine through and make not-conventionally-attractive features (say, a big nose) seem striking rather than homely. I don't think that Snape is pretty (except maybe in yaoi doujinshi ^_^), but I do think that he could be quite striking and compelling to the right person.
EDIT: Sorry for the initial double post. I deleted the duplicate entry.
Objectively, I suspect that Snape isn't the handsomest guy in the wizarding world, but neither is he repulsive. I think his hair may naturally be a little oily, but nowhere near as bad as Harry imagines it, or as other fans have suggested, it's all the time that Snape spends brewing potions that causes his hair to become lank and greasy--all that steam and fumes and chemicals.
Conversely, if someone should fall in love with Snape, he or she would probably see him as more attractive than he really is, because we tend to see the ones we love through rose-colored glasses. Lupin in my Snupin series always insists that Snape's hair is "shiny, not greasy," and that his nose is "hawklike" and "distinguished". (Harry and Sirius think that he's completely deluded, of course.) In another Snupin story called "A Little Out of Tune" by Minx, thanks to a prank that some students play on Lupin and Snape, they begin to see each other in a different light. Lupin is shocked to be having sexual thoughts about Snape--"Sarcastic (amusing), bitter (brooding), greasy (actually quite sexy in an unwashed kind of way) Snape." By the end of the story, when they finally get together, Lupin runs his fingers through Snape's hair and finds it "soft" and "surprisingly un-greasy". It's mostly a humorous story, but it was nice to see the way that Lupin's perception of Snape (and vice-versa) gradually changed.
And I do recall reading somewhere--I can't remember who said it, but it made a big impression on me--that not everyone can be pretty, but anyone can be beautiful. Meaning, not everyone has the conventional style of physical attractiveness, but that the force of one's personality can shine through and make not-conventionally-attractive features (say, a big nose) seem striking rather than homely. I don't think that Snape is pretty (except maybe in yaoi doujinshi ^_^), but I do think that he could be quite striking and compelling to the right person.
EDIT: Sorry for the initial double post. I deleted the duplicate entry.