When we ask men in our chairs what they are using for hair product, we often get a blank stare. Or we get a response of “paste” or “gel,” which, upon further questioning, we determine to be a product that is neither one of those things.
A lot of men seem completely confounded by hair product, and for good reason. There is a lot to know as far as general categories of hair product, not even getting into those obscenely complicated ingredient lists.
Today we are going to give you a brief overview of all the basic varieties of hair product, what they do, who should be using them, and how to get the best out of them (and each link will take you right to our webshoppe, where you can take them home).
Paste/Fiber
Overview
These labels can apply to a variety of products that can range from low to medium shine, and usually medium to high hold. Most give you moderate to heavy stick and solid texture.
Hair Types & Styles
Despite what the product calls itself, what you are really looking for is the hold and shine level. Low shine varieties are best on fine to medium hair, while the medium shine (usually natural shine level with a little extra definition) are good for medium to thicker hair.
Remember, low shine adds bulk to hair, high adds definition and reduces the hair helmet look. Thick hair paired with matte product can make you look like a Lego man. Choose accordingly.
How to Use
Apply to completely dry to ever so slightly damp hair. Emulsify a small amount between hands and touch them to the hair, moving it this way and that, allowing the hair to pick up product off your hands as opposed to working it into the hair to get good distribution without gooping it up too much.
Once you get enough on there, wipe your hands off and style with your fingertips. These products can be a bit variable in hold, so start small and you can add more for additional hold.
We Recommend
Mud/Clay
Overview
These labels can apply to a variety of products that can range from low to medium shine, and usually medium to high hold. Most give you moderate to heavy stick and solid texture.
Hair Types & Styles
Despite what the product calls itself, what you are really looking for is the hold and shine level. Low shine varieties are best on fine to medium hair, while the medium shine (usually natural shine level with a little extra definition) are good for medium to thicker hair.
Remember, low shine adds bulk to hair, high adds definition and reduces the hair helmet look. Thick hair paired with matte product can make you look like a Lego man. Choose accordingly.
How to Use
Apply to completely dry to ever so slightly damp hair. Emulsify a small amount between hands and touch them to the hair, moving it this way and that, allowing the hair to pick up product off your hands as opposed to working it into the hair to get good distribution without gooping it up too much.
Once you get enough on there, wipe your hands off and style with your fingertips. These products can be a bit variable in hold, so start small and you can add more for additional hold.
We Recommend
Wax
Overview
Wax isn’t a product you want all over your whole head, it is more for adding texture and definition through the ends of the hair.
Hair Types & Styles
Wax is best used on medium to thick, straight hair. If you want to look like an anime character, this is your goo.
How to Use
Spread a small amount over your fingertips and work through ends of hair to add definition.
We Recommend
Pomade
Overview
In the days of yore, most pomade was made with bacon fat. Straight up lard in your hair. Today things are more of the vegetarian variety (although many are not vegan) because beeswax is a common base. Some pomades are even water-based these days, and will rinse out as easily as a gel would. And MY do we have a lot of varieties of all the types these days.
Hair Types & Styles
While not recommended for thin and/or fine hair, it is perfect for medium to thick hair and slick, old school, classic styles. Gel-lovers, meet your new best friend.
How to Use
Scoop out a dab, work between your palms to warm and emulsify, and work in to completely dry, pre-styled hair, root to tip, paying special attention to the middle of the top of your head. Comb through and style with long comb strokes, adding more pomade if needed (start lighter, but you can often go real heavy on this stuff.
We Recommend
Hairspray
Overview
We often hear reports of men putting hairspray in wet hair and letting it air dry, which is about as opposite of its intended use as you can get. Hairspray is a finishing fixative, used to set an already done style.
Hair Types & Styles
Any type is fine for hairspray if your style needs some finishing.
How to Use
Style your hair however you do, dry naturally or with a blowdryer, apply product or not, and finish with a bit of spray, held 8 to 12 inches from your head.
We Recommend
Gel
Overview
We should probably begin by saying that we do not even carry what folks commonly think of “gel” in our shop (the 90s-style giant tub o’goo), because we believe they should burn in the fires of Mount Doom (and they might, with the sky high alcohol content many of them have).
Hair Types & Styles
We like to use gel’s tacky nature to give some grip to super soft, silky hair.
How to Use
Gel can have many uses, but for us we like it as a pre-styler, adding some wet and blow drying in to add movable, touchable hold that doesn’t even feel like you have anything in there, or using a little in dry hair to add some more solid hold.
We Recommend
October Birchbox
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