Hair Guide

Styling Products - Types and What They Do

Choosing hair products can be difficult depending on your hair type. A lot of times you're told a product will do something specific, and it doesn't end up working. Before you decide to purchase any hair products, you should consider what these hair products do, and what you want them to do. Then you'll know better what products are right for you.

Styling Product Type #1 - Gel

Gel is good for stiffening the hair into a specific style. Gel is similar to a glue in the way it sticks all your hair together into the shape you desire. While this is good for achieving the style you want, gel can be extremely damaging to your hair. Even with regular washing gel can build up on your hair and scalp. This means your hair and scalp don't get the air they require, which can causes you hair to become brittle and more easily damaged.

When using gel, try to use as little as possible. While you think that your hair requires a lot of gel to keep it in a certain style, using too much can cause the product to cake layers onto your hair, which makes the build up worse than if you were to use only the amount needed. In most cases, a quarter size amount of gel is enough to style your hair.

Styling Product #2 - Mousse

Hair mousse is a foamy product that adds volume and shine to your hair. Mousse is an effective product because it does not clump or build up. It simply dissolves into the hair follice, helping to style as you wish. Mousse is best used to create waves or curls in hair using a scrunching effect. As mousse is not a strong holder, it allows the hair to move.

When using mousse, it's important to consider the amount of product you use. Mousse can be extremely drying to your hair, which can also result in damage and breakage. It will also mean that it's harder to style, which may result in you trying to use more product. As you become more comfortable using mousse, you'll learn how much is enough for your hair.

Styling Product #3 - Hairspray

Hairspray is an extremely common finishing hair product. While it can be used alone, most women use hair spray on top of products they've already used in their hair. Depending on the amount of hairspray used, this isn't a problem. If you use a large amount of hairspray however, this can damage your hair follices, and dry the hair out. To prevent this, you need to be careful how you apply hairspray. When applying hairspray, be sure to use as little as possible. If you hold the spray bottle about 10 cm away from your head and keep it constantly moving, you will have applied the hairspray thoroughly across your entire head, without causing build up in once specific area.

When purchasing hairspray, it's important to consider the amount of hold you require. Hairsprays come in different levels of "strength" (normally called hold, super hold and mega hold). Choose the level that's right for you, and stick with that. If you don't require mega holding hairspray, then why use the sticky stuff that wears you hair down?

Styling Product #4 - Defrizzing Solutions

These products come in a variety of types, colours, scents, and applications. Choosing the right one for you is important, because if you have frizzy hair like mine, you'll need a lot of the product. While defrizzing products can fall into the above categories, it's good to consider these products as a seperate entity. This will help you to choose what frizz product works best for you, rather than using it as a gel, hairspray, or mousse.

Styling Product #5 - Hair Wax/Glue

Hair wax/glue is similar to gel, however much stronger. This product is thicker than hair gel, and therefore holds in a much stiffer manner. When using hair wax, you need to consider the amount of product you're using, as well as the style that you want to achieve. Wax is good for a piecey look, however, isn't good for a smooth and naturally moving hair style.

Regardless of what styling products you use, it's important to be sure that you aren't using too much of the product. This will cause more damage to your hair, and will make styling nearly impossible! Experiment with the product you use until you find a product and an amount that suits your styling needs.