The hair care and styling aisle in beauty stores are filled with hundreds of products. For someone who does not know a lot about hair, it can be confusing. What exactly does a mousse do to your hair? How is pomade different from gel?
Here is a handy guide that will help you navigate the world of hairstyling products:
Gel
This product has a reputation of being used only by teenage boys from the 90s to the early 2000s. However, curly-haired girls out there, did you know that gel can make your crowning glory crunchy? In fact, many are formulated to define texture and keep the strands soft to the touch like Cantu hair styling gel.
This product should be used by people who have thin hair since it makes the strand look a little thicker. Those who have straight hair can get a bit of texture from using a gel.
You can use gels to create edgy hairstyles (like a mohawk!) and make an updo sleek.
Pomade
Similarly, pomades provide hold but, unlike gels, they never really dry. If you apply it to your hair, it maintains a wet consistency which will make your strand shiny. Overapplying pomade may make you look like you just stepped out of the shower.
Pomade, however, is ideal for those who have thick hair. It will also make frizzy hair more manageable.
Hairspray
You have spent over an hour styling your hair. It is a hairspray that you should reach for to keep every strand in place throughout the day.
Hairspray is versatile. It does not just hold your hair. You can also use it to add texture and volume, create definition, and achieve a slick back or an updo. It can be applied to either wet or dry hair.
Contrary to popular belief, hairspray will not make your hair sticky and tangled. If you find your hair feeling rough and become difficult to style, you may have applied too much. You have to hold the bottle at an arm’s length before spraying the product to your hair. Keeping it close will cause the nozzle to dispense a huge amount of hair spray in one small section of your head. Of course, it will become sticky.
Here is another tip: if you want to tame flyaways, spray a bit of product on your hand and run it lightly over the lengths of your hair.
Mousse
Mousse has the texture of foam. It is typically used to create volume to limp hair.
This product is best applied to wet or damp hair. It has to be blow-dried to prevent it from becoming sticky. You only need a golf-ball sized amount and massage the product to your hair. You can also use a wide-toothed comb — just like how they did it in the 80s — to distribute it evenly to every strand.
Sea Salt Spray
Have you noticed how your hair looks effortlessly cool and with texture whenever you go to the beach? That is exactly what sea salt spray tries to do to your hair even when you are far away from a body of water.
Sea salt spray gives your straight strands grit so that it has body and volume. It also makes your mane more matte.
Do not worry. It will not make your hair dry. If you are worried, you can use an oil-based product to give you surfer hair without making your ends look dead.
The product you should use depends on the type of hair you have and what style you are going for. Now that you know what each product does, you are ready to hit the hair care and styling aisle and start shopping.