Ask Santa for nothing but the best hair products for men this coming Christmas.
In this article:
Hair Products for Men | The Ultimate Guide
Hair-Styling Products
Whether you’re going for a clean, well-combed look or a messy, rugged one, you can easily achieve it by using the right hair grooming products. Here are some of the best hair products for men to add to your Christmas wish list:
1. Pomade
Shine: Medium
Hold: Medium
Pomade is one of the best hair products for men who want to sport a cool, slicked-back, gentlemanly hair style. What separates it from other men’s hair products is its smooth, shiny, wet-look that hair styling clay can’t provide.
This hair-styling product is ideal for men with long, straight/curly hair. It won’t work for guys with a short haircut. You’ll only end up looking like you dipped your head in the pool for a few seconds.
Also, not all pomade brands are the same. Here are the top two types of pomade for men who want to don a clean look perfect for any event:
- Oil-Based Pomade: This type of pomade is much cheaper than its water-based counterpart. It also provides a stronger hold without compromising on the classic shine it’s famous for. One disadvantage is oil-based pomades are much harder to rinse off. Plus, the excessive scrubbing strips your hair of its natural oil. It also tends to block your pores which may lead to wax and oil buildup.
- Water-Based Pomade: This is ideal for men with a sensitive scalp. It does not block the pores and it’s very easy to wash off. Plus, it provides a shinier look compared to its oil-based variant. However, water-based pomade does not offer the strong hold oil-based types offer. It’s not ideal for men who sweat a lot, since the pomade will just wash right off. Water-based pomade is ideal for dates, parties, and events at night.
2. Hair Wax
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— Awesome Product Reviews x Ranking (@faveable) September 17, 2018
Shine: Medium
Hold: Medium
Hair wax provides a medium-hold, medium-shine finish. It’s ideal for men who don’t like sporting a slicked-back look. Also, it has less hold to it, so you can easily achieve that rugged, messy look. Whether your hair is long or short, any man with straight hair can use a wax hair product. It’s not ideal for guys with curly hair, since it may cause clumping.
3. Styling Cream
Shine: High
Hold: None
Styling cream is one of the best hair products for men with curly hair. One problem curly haired men have is frizzy and unruly hair. Luckily, you can easily remedy it with a dab or two of styling cream.
It’s a thick, gel-like cream that usually comes in tubs. Unlike wax and pomade, men’s hair cream does not offer any hold. Its main purpose is to give you a silky, shiny, clump-free mane. Men with curly hair should definitely add this to their wish list, since it separates curls and gives it definition.
4. Sea Salt Spray
Shine: None
Hold: Medium
While natural oils are good for the hair, too much of it can leave hair looking damp and flat. Luckily, a few squirts of sea salt spray are exactly what you need to bring back the volume and texture your hair needs. You know how your hair looks nice and tousled after a day at the beach? This spray approximates that effect.
The best time to use sea salt spray is in the summertime. During this season, it gets difficult to style your hair since oil keeps getting in the way. A few splashes of sea salt spray will remove any excess oil buildup in your hair. Afterward, you can proceed to style it with wax or pomade. Similarly, you can leave it as it is since sea salt spray provides a medium hold and gives you that surfer-dude vibe you wish you effortlessly embodied.
Tip: You can use sea salt spray any time of the year to remove excess oil in your hair. It’s a great product to add to your hair-styling routine.
5. Hair Gel
Shine: High
Hold: High
Hair gel is perhaps one of the most popular types of hair styling products for men. In fact, it may be one of the first products you used to style your hair. Hair gel is popular since it’s easy to use, affordable, and effective. It offers both a shiny finish and a strong hold.
The best way to use it is to apply the gel on your damp hair. That way, you don’t have to wait for it to dry. You can opt to style it while you’re walking. Run your hands through your hair a couple times, and you’re good.
However, modern hair stylists are now advising men to use alternative hair products. Some disadvantages of hair gel include:
- High Alcohol Content: Most hair gel products contain a high level of alcohol. While it helps your hair dry faster, it also strips away the moisture from your roots and strands at the same time.
- Dandruff: While not instantaneous, prolonged usage of hair gel may lead to an itchy scalp and dandruff. The lack of moisture in your scalp is what causes this.
- Lack of Flexibility: Hair gel is notorious for its super strong hold. One mistake during the styling process and you’ll have a hard time fixing it. Once the gel dries, you don’t have much leverage to restyle your look.
Despite these disadvantages, hair gel might still be one of the most commonly used hair products for men today. Just make sure not to use too much when styling your hair with gel, and be open to other alternatives.
6. Clay
Shine: Low-medium
Hold: Low-high
Men’s hair clay is a styling product that quickly gained traction in the early 2000’s. Men ditched hair gel and opted for clay instead.
While it may not have the same shine as gel, pomade, or wax, it does have a superior hold. It’s also a great hair product because it doesn’t strip your hair of its moisture and natural oils.
This hair product is ideal for all kinds of hair types. Whether long, short, wavy, curly, or straight, you can use hair clay to achieve any look you want. It’s one of the most versatile hair products for men. It’s a must for men to have at least one tub of hair clay in their grooming arsenal.
7. Paste
Shine: Medium
Hold: Medium
Paste is another versatile hair-styling product you can use no matter what your hair style is. Like water-based pomade, it offers a medium-hold, medium-shine finish. But what puts paste a leg above is its tolerance for sweat.
Sweat usually makes water-based pomade sticky. That’s why men can’t wear it in extreme heat. However, hair paste can hack the heat, so it’s preferable for dudes living in warmer climates.
Also, paste is very easy to wash off and restyle. It doesn’t clump so men with curly hair can use it to remedy frizzy, unruly hair. At the same time, straight-haired men can use it to achieve a shiny, well-combed finish. It’s a versatile hair-styling product you definitely want to add to your wish list.
Tip: While sweating is natural, sweat stains are a real turn off. Try to control your sweating with products such as alcohol, baby wipes, and napkins.
8. Mousse
Yup, it’s a thing #mousseart #hairmousse #hair #rich1beauty #nanaimo pic.twitter.com/XG0ZPcxZ7k
— Richard Tchamourian (@Rich1Beauty) November 16, 2018
Shine: Low-medium
Hold: High
Kick it old school by using one of the most popular hair products for men back in the 80’s: mousse. It may not be as popular as pomade or clay (and you wouldn’t normally be caught dead having a can of it on your bathroom vanity) but it definitely has its perks.
Mousse is actually one of the best men’s hair products for fine hair. Its main purpose is to add volume and thickness to your mane. Some formulations contain active ingredients like rosemary, which can really help remedy balding.
Plus, a little bit of mousse goes a really long way. Scoop some using your finger then rub it on your palms. After that, you can use it comb your hair upward and hide any bald spots you may have.
9. Mud/Hair Putty
Shine: Low-medium
Hold: Medium
Mud is very similar to paste–except mud doesn’t leave your hair feeling stiff and brittle. It’s a great alternative to paste, pomade, or clay if you’re looking for a product that offers a soft yet solid hold.
This hair-styling product is ideal for guys who like to sport casual, messy looks. Unlike pomade, mud doesn’t give you that formal, well-combed finish. Instead, it offers a flexible hold you can restyle any time of the day. Let’s face it, it’s kind of a hassle to carry a comb around with you all the time.
10. Fiber
Shine: None
Hold: High
If you’re looking for a grooming product that will maintain your hair style no matter what, try fiber. It’s a hair-styling product that offers a super strong hold with zero shine. It’s best to use fiber when your hair is dry.
Fiber is ideal for men who know exactly what hair style they want to sport. Pomade offers the luxury of restyling your hair throughout the day, but some men don’t want that. If you don’t want your hair strands to budge even inch against wind, then this is the hair-grooming product you’re looking for. Fiber will keep your hairstyle intact no matter how hard the wind blows against your face.
Important: Be careful when running your fingers through your fiber-styled hair. This product binds the hair so tight that you might end up pulling a few strands out if you’re not careful. Before leaving the house, make sure you’re already comfortable with the hair style you’re sporting.
11. Balm
Shine: Medium
Hold: Medium
The main purpose of balm is to maintain proper hair moisture, promote hair growth, and tame frizzy hair. It offers the benefits of grooming products and hair treatments.
Balm is very similar to pomade. But the main difference is you can use balm to style a wide array of looks. While pomade limits you a slicked back, well-combed look, you can use balm to achieve a spiky, rugged style.
Plus, unlike other hair-grooming products, it doesn’t damage your roots or strands. In fact, you can even use it to support hair regeneration. It’s definitely one of the best hair products to support different men’s hairstyles of all ages.
Hair Care Products
Using too many grooming products can strip the oil and moisture out of your hair. While it’s great to experiment with different hair-styling products, you need to give your hair treatments to recover at the end of the day. Here are some of the best hair care products to ask for this Christmas:
1. Conditioner
Main Use: Moisturizing, protection
It’s a basic hair care product to restore the moisture in your hair. It creates a thin layer of protection to shield your hair from external factors such as harmful UV rays, dirt, and grime, among others.
For men with long, thick hair, opt to use conditioner at least once a day. On the other hand, guys sporting short hair don’t have to condition as often.
2. Dry Shampoo
I tried dry shampoo. Here's what happened: https://t.co/2O1CIn7u1k pic.twitter.com/URdQ4Ddjay
— Men's Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) May 19, 2017
Main Use: Removing dirt and grime
What makes this product so great is you can use it in place of your regular shampoo. But do not use it to fully replace your regular shampoo. You still need to bathe with shampoo if you want to clean the scalp deeply and remove any grime and excess oils.
You can alternate between the two products every other day or so to maximize its effects. For example, use regular shampoo every two days then go with dry shampoo on the other days (aka the days you can’t be bothered).
3. Hair Oil
Main Use: Adding volume, reduce balding, adding shine
If you want to achieve natural-looking shiny hair, using hair grooming products like pomade is not enough. Hair oil is one of the best hair products for men who struggle with weak, brittle hair. It helps strengthen and detangle while adding to its overall volume. Some men even use it to reverse the signs of balding.
Check out these top new hairstyles for men with beards video by Men’s Trendy Hairstyles:
This is just a simple men’s hair product guide for you to follow this coming holiday season. If you’re going to ask your girlfriend or mom for hair-styling products, make sure to specify what type you want. Using the wrong products may only lead to damage (and a less-than-stellar aesthetic). Feel free to explore other hair products for men to see which ones best suit your needs.
What are your favorite hair products for men? Share them with us in the comments section down below!
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