Hair Styling Guide: What Hair Products should you choose ?

Feeling confused after seeing this? Are you thinking to yourself, what are all these?

Hair products are used for various reasons:

1. To enhance/alter the hair’s natural features like shine, texture, etc
2. To manoeuvre and hold the hair in place to achieve the desired hairstyle.

What to look out for in hair products? Continue reading this hair styling guide.

Do you want to have a shiny/wet looking finish or a matte finish?

Some highly recommended products for shine finish are: Ubersuave Classic Pomade, Apestomen Cola Pomade, Suavecito Strong Hold Pomade

Some highly recommended products for matte finish are: Arcadian Matte Paste, Tigi Matte Seperation Wax, Ubersuave Texturing Wax and Apestomen Volcanic Clay

Does your desired look require a high holding power products to hold your hair up throughout the day, a low holding power to achieve a loose wavy look or a balance between both?

Some highly recommended products strong hold are:  Flagship Blackship Pomade, Stickmore Clay Fiber, Blumaan Cavalier Clay

Some highly recommended products for light hold are: Shear Revival Crystal Lake, Fatboy Sea Salt Pomade

Do you want to add depth into your hairstyle by enhancing your natural hair texture?  

Some highly recommended hair products for texture are Sea Salt Spray prestylers, Volumizing Powders or Volumizing Clays

What consistency should the hair product be? A smooth, creamy product that is easy to apply or a firm or a heavy holding product that is a set and done application.

Now that we know what to look out for in hair products, let’s dive into the different types of hair products out there in the market.

There are many different types of hair products available in the market. Nowadays, names are overlapped, causing meanings to be muddled or resulting in a hybrid product. Let’s take a look at the different type of hair products in the market.

Hair gel is one of the best known and most commonly used hair styling products for men. It is pretty safe to say that almost every guy have used a hair gel as a ‘beginner’ hair styling product due to its inexpensiveness and availability.  

Pros:

• Works well with all hair length and types
• Holds hair in place throughout the day

Cons:

• Unpliable hair / rock hard 
• Cannot be restyled throughout the day or requires water to reactivate the gel for restyle
• Generally hair damaging and drying due to the high use of chemicals
• Potential for flaky scalps and brittle hair that are prone to breakage

However, we have observed that many recently established hair grooming companies focus on natural and organic properties to promote healthy hair while holding hairstyles in place.

Hair waxes generally have less holding power compared to gel and they do not harden over time. Typically, hair waxes have a medium to high shine but due to popular demand nowadays, new wave waxes are mostly matte finish like the Ubersuave Texturing Matte Wax and ByVilain Gold Digger.

Pros:

• Ideal for a neat, slick and tight combed hairstyle with a matte to high shine finish
• Able to restyle throughout the day
• Non hair damaging

Cons:

• Build up of product can be damaging if residues are left behind

In recent years, ‘pomade’ have been one of the most commonly seen words when it comes to hair styling products. It has become such a generic term for many hair styling products that the traditional meaning for it is pretty much obscured. Pomades are ideal for a neat, slick and tightly combed hairstyle with a high shine finish.

Two main categories of pomades:

1. Oil-based, the OG traditional pomade

Oil-based pomades made from grease or petroleum, which is a cheaper option to water-based pomades.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Does not dry the hair out
• Able to restyle throughout the day
• Long-lasting shine

Cons:

• Not water soluble, lower washability
• Potential for acne if oil and grease are not thoroughly removed at end of day

2. Water-based, modern and popular version

Water-based pomades, on the other hand, are a little more user-friendly as they are designed to achieve similar looks and holds compared to oil-based pomades.

Pros:

• High washability
• Does not dry the hair out
• Able to be restyled throughout the day

Cons:

• Less holding power compared to oil-based pomade
• Shine does not last throughout day compared to oil based
• 
  

There are two sub categories of water-based pomades:

a. Ringing Gel Pomade

Ringing Gel Pomades have properties of gels and waxes. They have strong hold and high shine finish, like gel, but do not harden up which makes the hair unpliable. Generally, the product looks translucent and they have a creamy texture.

Pros:

• Pliable hair throughout the day
• High washability
• Free from alcohol; does not dry hair out
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Does not contain hair conditioning/moisturising properties

b. Unorthodox Water-Based Pomades

Unorthodox water-based pomades have styling abilities of oil-based pomades but higher washability without leaving residue behind. Unorthodox Water Based Pomade are water-based pomades as the main ingredient is water(aqua). They wash out easier than traditional oil-based pomades BUT are not completely water soluble. 

Pros:

• Washes out easier than oil-based
• Remains pliable throughout the day
• Generally regarded as healthy

Cons:

• Lower washability even though they are water-based
• Relatively low shine compared to oil-based pomades

Clays hair products usually have a thick and creamy consistency that is ideal for men who have thicker and coarser hair, trying to achieve a high voluminous hold look.

Bentonite clay, a common ingredient found in clay formulations, is natural volcanic ash that adds volume without weighing down your hairstyle. By volumizing individual hair strands, hair structures are available to last throughout the day.

Pros:

• Ideal for achieving voluminous hairstyle without weighing hair down
• Draws dirt and impurities without excessive drying of natural hair oils
• Natural healing properties and stimulation of the hair shaft and scalp while promoting hair growth
• Rich mineral and nutrients to nourish hair
• Condition and moisturizes the hair to control and maintain frizzy hair

Cons:

• Can be tacky when applying
• Residue of clay ingredients may remain on hair even after shampooing

Hair pastes that are similar to hair clays as they have a thick, creamy consistency but they are slightly drier than pomades, making it tacky to apply. Hair pastes generally give a medium to firm hold with a natural shine or matte finish.

Pros:

• Ideal for achieving loose holding “surfer” like hairstyle
• High washability
• Able to restyle throughout the day

Hair creams, or hair lotions, are lightweight products with the mildest hold and high shine. They are used to control long hair by adding shine and lightweight control.

Pros:

• Ideal for achieving loose holding “surfer” like hairstyle
• Easy to apply lotion-type consistency
• Moisturising properties
• Ideal as a pre-styling product to shine and separation
• Tames curly hair and control frizz

Texture sprays (usually known as Sea Salt Sprays) are weightless products that give a textured, matte finish look to the hair. They are generally water-based product with sea salt properties to add the texture and light hold. They are usually used as a pre-styler to add volume but can also be used by itself.

Pros:

• Weightless pre-styler
• Most products have heat protectant properties
• Can be used as a post-styler for loose looking hairstyle
• Adds texture and volume without weighting down hair

Cons:

• Salt tends to dry out the hair over a course of time (i.e. daily use over a month)

Texture powders are weightless products that give the hair a lightweight, voluminous and matte finish look. Most texture powder has silica silylate as a base ingredient, which contains rough particulates which allow hair fibres to stick together to create volume. This ingredient is considered safe in cosmetics. In addition, it works like a dry shampoo to absorb excess moisture and oil.

Pros:

• Ideal for all hair types, especially for thin hair to create more texture and volume
• Water-based product = high washability
• Contains properties to absorbs moisture, excess hair oil for additional boost in volume.  
• Creates distinct separation among the strands for extra texture

Cons:

• Does not have hair softening properties like texture spray
• Hair strands tends to feel slightly sticky due to Silica Silylate

Hardening hair sprays are used as a finishing product to set your hairstyle, some adding a little shine, to last throughout the day. Some hair sprays even reduce frizz and promote volume. I cannot leave home without spraying on some hair spray, as the wind would mess it up in no time.

Pros:

• Adds extra holding power to ensure hair is set and last the entire day

Cons:

• Some hairspray requires additional shampooing to leave no residue behind

Hardening hair sprays are used as a finishing product to set your hairstyle, some adding a little shine, to last throughout the day. Some hair sprays even reduce frizz and promote volume. I cannot leave home without spraying on some hair spray, as the wind would mess it up in no time.

Pros:

• Adds extra holding power to ensure hair is set and last the entire day

Cons:

• Some hairspray requires additional shampooing to leave no residue behind

Hair serums are generally silicone-based hair repairing product that coats the surface of your hair.

Pros:

• Moisturizes the hair and repairs damaged hair
• Instant silky natural shine smoothness.
• Control frizz and fly-aways and reduce tangles and breakage
• Acts as a protective layer against the harmful exposure to the sun and chemicals

Cons:

• Does not contain deep conditioning properties

Unlike hair serum, hair oil penetrates the hair cuticles and changes the hair structure. Hair oil hydrates the hair when the scalp is not producing enough natural hair oil or when the natural hair oil is not properly coating the entire strand of hair.

Pros:

• Deep conditioning of hair
• Hydrates and moisturises hair

Cons:

• Time consuming, needs to sit in the hair overnight to ensure absorption
• Hair tends to look extremely greasy/oily while providing no hold

Types of healthy natural oil

1. Jojoba Oil

• Moisturize the scalp, reduce dandruff, strengthens and nourish hair prevent hair loss and promote hair thickening

     2. Argan Oil

• Acts as a protective layer for the hair while softening, smoothing and reducing fizzy

     3. Coconut Oil

• Ensures deep conditioning to strengthen hair and improves overall hair health

     4. Almond Oil

• Improve overall hair health while adding shine due to Vitamin A, B and E properties

     5. Olive Oil

• Revitalise dry hair

Mousse is one of the unique hair products because of its foamy texture. Mousse coats each hair strand with polymers and hold the hair in shape as it dries. Some mousses are designed to thicken thin and fine hair.

Pros:

• Ideal for all hair types as pre-styler
• Add volume, light hold and shine without weighing down the hair
• Easy to ensure that each strand of hair is coated

Cons:

• Some may leave the hair crunchy and sticky
• Messy to work

All in all ,   finding the right hair product for your hair types and desired hairstyles is definitely not an easy journey, filled with frustrations and many trials and errors. Here at SGPomades, we hope that our Hair Product Guide 101 has helped you in many ways. Use code: HairGuide5 upon checkout for a 5% discount on us ! Remember, don’t give up halfway along the journey, the next product that you’re going to try might be the one you’re looking for.

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