Hair guidance.

[AnotherChef]

I have kept my hair shaved or short since 1994. Before that it was super long. So, I need some guidance on products. I will still keep it relatively short but need some control. I'm not a fan of stiff/crunchy hair. My hair type is paper thin that sticks out since its so light.

I'm currently using hair spray over wet hair and dislike the crunch!!

 

[AnotherChef]

After many brilliant suggestions I decided to start with a medium water based Pomade. I hit the local grocer just before midnight last night. As an initial run I grabbed the cheapest one they had; Axe "natural look" or something like that. Not sure I used enough but working 3 consecutive 16 hour shifts.... I'm a little woozy!!

I'll give it a run to evaluate before I try something different.

 

[ohbrian]

I think you're going to find most water based pomades are going to dry crunchy too.

 

[Marco]

Sir, if you desire control without stiffness you should consider an oil based pomade. Why not a tin of Murray's or DAX?

 

[fasa]

It s hard to answer your question without having an idea of what hair style you are looking for ...

For most of us it s a personal journey.

I started with pomade and now spend a lot of my time using clay / fiber / paste.

The first question is whether you want something that hardens or not and whether you want traditional look with a lot of control or a more natural look.

 

[David157]

View attachment 717254

Anotherchef,

You have to ask yourself the question: Do I want the ease of use that water base pomades give me or do I want quality pomades that make your hair look INCREDIBLY good like the petroleum pomades do? Water base pomades a lot more expensive than the oil pomades and they tend to dry out your hair after wash the product out.

The water base pomades often dry while in your hair the way gels do.The water base pomades are derivatives of gel products. Nowadays there are unorthodox pomades which are part water base and part oil. They give your hair the shine of the oil pomades with the ease of washing out that you get from water base pomades. They cost more than most oil base pomades. They often still leave your hair and scalp very dry after you shampoo the products out. The effect on your scalp is similar to using clarifying shampoos every day for a full month.

The benefits of oil base pomades

- Less expensive.

- Your hair looks better

- You don’t need to use as much pomade, because of the lasting power. Gel/water base pomades require a lot of the goop each day to style your hair.

- You don’t need to wet comb to restyle your hair. The oil base pomade remains pliable.

The downside of oil base pomades

- Harder to wash out than water base pomades. They’re not that much harder if you use mineral oil or Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist conditioner to get them out.

- The heavy build-up of oil in one’s hair if they fail to degrease every so often. The way to avoid the build-up is to degrease at least once or twice per week. Some people like the build-up. I tend to degrease every 3 days with mineral oil. In between then, I just shampoo as normal with perhaps 80 percent of the oil pomade coming out in the shower, and the other 20 percent remaining as part of the build-up. If you use heavy wax pomades like me, you get a lot of wax build-up. When I’m using wax pomades, I degrease each time I shower, which for me is every 3 days. I use to shower every day, but hair looks so incredible on the second day after applying pomade after showing, I don’t want to take another shower and ruin the look.

Oil base pomades will make your hair look better in my opinion, and you need to use as much product then you do with water base pomades.

For me, I’ve tried water base pomades and hated them. They were expensive, and dried up my hair, and were little more than gel products with a new name. If you’re going to go with water base pomades, then I would test the product by putting a dab of it on your forearm for 15 minutes before using it for the first time. Reason for this is water base pomades contain a TON of chemicals. With the huge chemical load in each tin of water base pomades, you never know if you’re allergic to the chemicals or not. That’s why it’s important to test it on your forearm before you use the pomade. This goes for petroleum base pomades as well. I always test them before I use them for the first time.

Clay products are now becoming very popular due to the volume they give to one’s hair. They cost a lot, they dry up your hair, and the look they give hair is slightly dirty. When you’re used to seeing normal as having a slight shine, seeing someone with clay pomades in their hair is kind of jarring. Your first thought is, ‘what is wrong this person’s hair? It looks dirty and unnatural.’ There are some clay pomades with shine, and those are the ones that you should look to purchase unless you like the no-shine look. They say the clays make your hair look natural, but there’s no truth to that.

Clays make your hair look unnatural in my opinion. With the high price that clays are going for right now, I don’t know if it would be your best choice for a hair unless your hair is thinning. If you’re losing hair, then definitely clays are your best bet. I wouldn’t bother with a blow dryer for your hair, because it will look funny if your thinning hair is way of in the air. You end up looking like the character from the movie Eraserhead. It’s better just to use a comb or your fingers to produce volume for your hair with a clay pomade. The people that I’ve seen using hair blowers with clay wind up looking really bad. It doesn’t help, especially if their hair is thinning. It’s better to have your hair to your scalp rather than extended way up into the air.

The negatives about Clays are as follows:

high prices, drying effect to hair and scalp, and dirty hair that looks fake.

Overall thoughts

I would save my money and just buy some Murray's Superior pomade and use one scoop on your hair after showering, and focus on that look. Believe me, I've tried everything out there, and most of the junk redundant garbage. There's all these products that are constantly created, but none really make your look much different. Clays are the one exception, because of the non shine matte look and then anhydrous effects on sucking water/oil out of hair, leaving it dead looking. If I could start my hair products journey all over again, I would have stopped purchasing hair products after buying my first tin of Murray's Superior. George Clooney is said to be a fan of Murray's, and that's more than good enough for me.

 

[ironfist]

You could try a hair cream, i use one made by a brand called Ingrams, works fine and doesn't harden my hair

 

[StanStill]

I agree with Marco. I've tried some water based ones, but they all end up losing most of their shine, and the hair hardens to a stiff helmet if you use too much, or the hold falls apart if you don't use enough, or happen to touch it. Mostly I use oil based ones. Dax Wave n Groom is one i like a lot... bit on the thick side, so you have to rub a glob between your hands to warm/loosen it up before you apply. My other favorite is Black n White (original, not lite) which is not quite as thick as the dax, but very effective at creating a style that stays in place but which won't harden.

As for getting it out of you hair, there are two main ways to make that easier. 1. Dont use so much—you probably need less than you think. 2. If you do use a lot, or if you feel like its built up, rub a couple tablespoons of olive oil in your hair just before you get into the shower. It seems couter-intuitive, but the oil will dissolve the wax and petrolatum. Then just shampoo as usual (credit to Marco for that tip by the way) I have a small travel squeeze bottle in the medicine cabinet for this. I dont do the olive oil trick too often, because i follow rule 1.

 

[Marco]

I agree with Marco. I've tried some water based ones, but they all end up losing most of their shine, and the hair hardens to a stiff helmet if you use too much, or the hold falls apart if you don't use enough, or happen to touch it. Mostly I use oil based ones. Dax Wave n Groom is one i like a lot... bit on the thick side, so you have to rub a glob between your hands to warm/loosen it up before you apply. My other favorite is Black n White (original, not lite) which is not quite as thick as the dax, but very effective at creating a style that stays in place but which won't harden.

As for getting it out of you hair, there are two main ways to make that easier. 1. Dont use so much—you probably need less than you think. 2. If you do use a lot, or if you feel like its built up, rub a couple tablespoons of olive oil in your hair just before you get into the shower. It seems couter-intuitive, but the oil will dissolve the wax and petrolatum. Then just shampoo as usual (credit to Marco for that tip by the way) I have a small travel squeeze bottle in the medicine cabinet for this. I dont do the olive oil trick too often, because i follow rule 1.

 

[ohbrian]

I found a new one you might like. I ordered some Layrite cement clay. This stuff pulls through your hair like an oil based pomade, and does contain several waxes and petrolatum, yet claims to be water based. It does not dry to a crunch so you could rework throughout the day if you wanted. Has a pretty substantial hold.

 

[AnotherChef]

Thanks for all the help guys!!! I am fairly pleased with the results I've been getting with the product I purchased. I will be ordering several of the suggested items to evaluate what works the best.

 

[zapakk]

You should use zapakk for hair guidance where you can get all men hairstyles like spiky, wavy, straight and beard style for free. I am also following this site for my hairs. No doubt i am very Carey about my hairs and hairstyle. Firstly i was used wax and gel for my hairs and bout now i am not use such a things because they damage my hairs very badly.

 

[fasa]

Thanks for all the help guys!!! I am fairly pleased with the results I've been getting with the product I purchased. I will be ordering several of the suggested items to evaluate what works the best.

I d suggest you post the result for of your own tests onbthe hairexplorer thread

 

[purerockfury]

I know I am a little late to the party. I have tried a few pomades recently. Got2B, Uppercut and the newest is Bona Fide. I liked the Got2B a lot, I got the wet hair look I sometimes look for. It has hold without the crunchiness of hair gel. but I had a reaction at the back of my neck so I needed to stop using it. Uppercut Monster Hold, I do not like it. I felt I had no control on what my hair was doing. Uppercut left my hair looking natural and did not leave my hair crunchy and well it had a strong hold, hence my hair control issues, it holds strong right from application. I recently got a tub of Bona Fide Super Hold and I enjoy it immensely. It holds my hair, there is a little stiffness without being "crunchy" and my hair doesn't have the wet look, which is fine I really do not need the wet look all the time.

Since I am doing this from memory the only one I know that is water based is the Bona Fide, not sure about the others.