The Hair Care Bunch: An Introduction to Men’s Styling Products

I have no shame in admitting it: I’m a hair product guy. Not a lot, of course, and if I do it right, you can barely tell, but it’s useful. See, I have a rather short forehead and thick, heavy, straight hair that simply just falls forward and flat. It can’t even hold a part without some help. So, lest I look bummed out (literally, flat hair on my forehead makes me look sad) or live with what my white (affectionately?) calls my “sick hair” [cause that’s how I look on a sick day], I use a little help to give my face some energy.   

Gin A. Ando takes a look at some of the basic men’s styling products and how your selection depends on the look you’re trying to achieve. He says, 

Back in the good ole days, the most variety of hair-care products was the hold level on those wavy bottles of gel that looked like Jell-O. To be fair, L.A. Looks is an amazing product perfect for creating a bicycle helmet out of human hair if you use the extended scale of holds (kind of like turning it up to 11).

But the field has grown. The number of hair products in men’s grooming aisles—even in big-box supermarkets— is staggering. There are creams, waxes, pomades, fibers, and magic spells that all do well to keep our respective hairstyles in check all day.

But there is a difference—it’s not just the color of the gel and the hardness of your hair/helmet—between all these products. It just depends on what you’re looking to accomplish.

I knew basically none of this stuff, so I consider this a seriously good read. Especially since Gin committed to finding affordable products (all but one are under $20). Check it out: 

Pomades, Fibers, & Grooming Creams Explained [Primer]