Hair Styling Product Guide for Men

Thursday, September 5, 2013

With so many styling products available today for men and women everywhere, it’s difficult for a guy to figure out the best options for his personal features. The market offers different types of styling products for men, often in a confusing diversity.

What’s your best pick from the main types of hair styling products for men, if you have thin, tick, long or fine hair? Will you look smashing with a hairstyle that requires the use of mousse or hair gel? That really depends on your hair type and personal expectations regarding your look. Here’s a great hair styling product guide for men!

Types of Hair Styling Products for Men

First of all, get to know your “audience”. There are two main categories of hair styling products for men: fixatives and pliables, with advantages and disadvantages of their own.

Fixatives are hair styling products that provide a hard, dry finish (gel or hair spray) and pliables are products especially made to give a flexible finish (waxes, pomades or creams). Each one of these products have different properties for hair styling, so make sure you really understand their effects, judging by your hair type.

Hair Styling Products for Men with Thin Hair

Men with thin hair are forced to avoid hair gel or other fixatives that make strands seem glued together and feel wiry. They will only make your hair look thinner and your scalp more visible. If your hair is thin, the best hair styling products are thickening lotions that add volume and thickness to the hair, instead of just making it seem fluffy. Use this type of hair style product in small amounts because it can make the hair seem greasy and unwashed.

Pomade, a term derived from the French word “pommade” which means “ointment”, is a type of hair styling product for men that works great on thinning hair. Pomade is actually a mixture of wax and oil, creating a more natural and slightly wet look. Pomade is recommended for thin hair that is also curly or wavy, but better to be avoided by men with greasy hair.

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Hair Styling Products for Men with Thick Hair

One of the best hair styling products for men with thick hair is the well-known hair gel, both functional and versatile, with variable holds. It provides a wet look and strong hold for the hair, but make sure you apply it only on damp or dry locks, for the best look possible. Also, keep in mind that gel is recommended for shorter hair lengths.

Wax is another wonderful hair styling product for men with thick hair as it provides the best hold without the wet look. Wax is the best option for men with thick and greasy hair, because it makes strands less oily. Use it especially if you have thicker hair and a medium length hairstyle. Waxes are quite aggressive and petroleum based, this is why you’ll only find them useful for controlling short cuts.

Also, if your former thick hair is starting to lose its volume becoming thinner, try matte products such as paste, fiber, putty or clay, that give a dry and matte finish, perfect for messy hairstyles that hide the less dense areas of the scalp.

Hair Styling Products for Men with Long Hair

Styling creams are great for men with long hair as they come in a soft and opaque wax that gives the visual impression you haven’t applied anything on your strands.

Hair Styling Products for Men with Fine Hair

Men with fine hair need hair styling products with a bigger capacity to make hair stay the way they style it. Mousse is a hair product that gives a fuller appearance to fine hair, because its foamy texture coats the hair strands with polymers, for more volume.

Hair spray is another popular hair styling product recommended for finer hair that needs less weight in order to keep its shape. This is why you should choose this kind of finishing products if you have fine hair. Don’t forget to apply it in moderation, keeping the spray bottle about 8-12 inches from hair. You just want a fine mist on your hair and not a sticky casket. Another huge advantage of hair spray is that many products of this kind also contain a sunscreen that protects hair and provides a special shiny look.

Hair Styling Product Guide for Men