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Behind every great hairstyle is a great product
You might be going for a trendy fall, kicky curls, sexy shag, perky bob, or outrageous spikes. Maybe you're just tired of frizzy, dry, dull, or out-of-control hair. No matter what you want to do with your hair, there's a gel, spray, mousse, pomade, or spritz to help you do it. Glam rock couldn't have happened without hair products; Elvis would have had no pompadour. The trick -- for sculpting, hold, or just control -- is to get the product that's right for you.
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Have the Hair You Want
With all the different products out there, how do you know which one to choose? It depends on your hair type and the style you want. Keep these facts in mind when selecting a styling aid:
- Look for a water-based product; alcohol will dry out your hair.
- Make sure the product will rinse out well.
- There are various holding strengths, so find one that's right for you:
- Light hold: used for a softer look
- Medium hold: keeps hair in place
- Strong hold: helps create dramatic styles (beehives)
- Maximum hold: used for sculptured looks (spikes, pompadours)
- Use strong hold for straight or heavy hair
- Use product sparingly on curly or dry hair, in just the areas you need it.
- On long hair, spray or spray gel works best.
Helpful Hair Hints
- Start with clean hair.
- Keep gels and mousse products away from hairline and scalp to avoid clogging pores.
- Use only the amount you need to get the style you want.
- To get a slight curve, apply gel or mousse to ends of hair.
- You can get more control or define curls by putting product all over your hair.
- If you're curling your hair, use gel or mousse only on the last one-third of your hair.
- To get lift, use gel or mousse closer to the roots.
- Gel works best by applying to towel dried hair, styling, then blow-drying.
A Sticky Situation
- Balm: a thick gel that can help you manage and control difficult hair. To use it, rub a bit between your palms before fingering it through sections of wet hair.
- Detangler: helps unknot easily tangled hair. Spray the product on wet or dry hair and work a wide-tooth comb through, starting with small strokes near the ends and working your way toward the scalp in short sections.
- Gel: a versatile product that comes in spray, potted, tubed, and liquid form. It will help shape hair, add shine and structure, and manage frizzies. Put a little in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, then massage the gel evenly through your hair. You can use it on wet hair for shape or dry hair for volume. Be careful not to use too much or you will end up with a stiff, unnatural look.
- Hair spray: the old standby gives final hold to any style. Spray it lightly on either a specific area or all over. It is available in either aerosol spray or pump spray, with many different levels of holding power.
- Molding mud: a thick, heavy product that gives specific shape to small areas, like a dramatic wave, curl, or spike.
- Mousse: a light, airy product that offers good, overall body-building capabilities for thin, fine hair. Spray into palms, rub hands together, and apply to the roots of the hair.
- Pomade: a specialty product that usually comes in a jar or tin. Its greasiness makes it a poor choice for most hair types, but used sparingly on the ends, it can tame curly hair.
- Shiner: gives hair a shiny, silky feeling. Shiners come as sprays, serums, or light gels. Apply to your palms, rub them together, and distribute the product evenly through wet or dry hair.
- Volumizer: coats hair for a fuller, thicker look. Apply to wet hair before blow-drying or at the roots of dry hair to rejuvenate your style.
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Styling polymers
What keeps a soda bottle sturdy also holds your hair in the latest style. Hair styling polymers have much in common with plastics that comprise soda bottles. They are both long chains of organic molecules. These polymers wrap around hair and give it extra support to keep it in place.
Humectants
Humectants are novel chemicals that are added in soaps, hair care products, and lotions. Unlike emollients, which moisturize by trapping water in your hair, humectants actually attract water towards your hair. However, they can be washed off very easily, and therefore do not have the lasting power of emollients. Your best bet is to get a product with both an emollient and a humectant.
Emollients
Emollients work by forming a protective layer over your hair, keeping in the moisture. They are all oily or oil-like chemicals. In fact, olive oil and other plant oils are very effective emollients. Mineral or silicon oils are also great emollients. They can be very water-repellant like petrolatum and lanolin, which is good because if they keep moisture out, they also keep moisture in your hair.
Silicone-based oils
Silicone-based products are actually emollients. The difference is that they are synthetic. They help condition hair like other emollients by coating and helping to prevent water loss.
Proteins
Proteins are polymers (long chains) of amino acids. Some long proteins can coat the hair, giving it a soft and full-bodied feel, but small amino acids do not penetrate the hair or rebuild damaged hair.
Propellants
Propellants are compressed hydrocarbons. They are used to expel the contents from containers such as aerosols. Some of these compounds, like CFC (chlorofluorocarbons), contribute to smog and global warming. They are highly flammable so they should not be used near open flames.
Vitamins
Vitamins are often a component of cosmetic products in the hopes that they have magical restorative effects. They do not, but some have other less magical benefits.
| Styling Polymers | Ingredient | Description |
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| Polyvinylpyrrolidine (PVP) | ? | A type of plastic found in many cosmetic products. It helps keep hair in place. | | Polyvinylpyrrolidine/vinyl acetate (PVP/VA) | ? | Found in leave-in conditioners, it can give hair form by holding it in place after styling. | | Acrylates | ? | A thickener that holds hair quickly and concretely in place. | | Methylacrylate copolymer | ? | A thickener that holds hair quickly and concretely in place. | | Humectants | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Glycerin | ? | One of the most effective moisturizers, giving hair bounce and fullness by attracting and holding water in hair. It allows products to spread out better. There are no allergic reactions associated with this compound. | | Sorbitol | ? | One of the most effective ingredients in attracting and retaining water in the hair shaft, giving hair bounce and fullness. An ingested overdose may lead to diarrhea, but this product is generally safe. | | Propylene glycol | ? | Absorbs and retains water in the hair shaft, giving hair bounce and fullness. It is a solvent in many products. Though it works better than glycerin in penetrating the skin and carrying moisture along with it, it is not as safe. | | Butylene glycol | ? | Attracts and retains water in the hair shaft, giving hair bounce and fullness. | | Polyethylene glycol (PEG) | ? | Moisturizes hair, giving hair bounce and fullness. It can also cause skin irritation and may be a problem for the scalp. | | Mucopolysaccarides | ? | Also referred to as glycosaminoglycans, these compounds are a combination of protein and polysaccharide. They are excellent humectants. | | Sodium PCA | ? | Derived from proteins and a natural component of skin, it is an excellent humectant. | | Emollients | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Fatty acids | ? | Stearic acid, lanolin acid, plasmatic acid, and oleic acid are a few that help soften the texture of hair. They are also quite nontoxic. | | Fatty alcohols | ? | Cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and lauryl alcohol help soften and maintain the moisture of hair. They are quite safe. | | Lanolin | ? | Derived from sheep wool, this oil helps stop dehydration by absorbing water and preventing its evaporation. It may cause scalp irritation. | | Mineral oil | ? | Derived from crude petroleum, it helps to prevent dehydration, soften hair, retain water in hair, and add shine to hair. It tends to attract dirt and increases the chance of styling product buildup. lt can leave an undesirable, tacky feeling and must be washed out thoroughly, as it is hard to remove. | | Plant oils | ? | Coming from various plants (olives, corn, sunflower), they help prevent dehydration, soften hair, retain water and add shine. They tend to attract dirt and increase the chance of styling product buildup. They may leave an undesirable, tacky feeling and must be washed out thoroughly, as they become hard to remove. | | Silicone-Based Oils | Ingredient | Description |
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| Cyclomethicone | ? | Helping condition and protect hair, it has lubricant capabilities. | | Dimethicones | ? | Helping condition and protect hair, they have lubricant capabilities. | | Proteins | Ingredient | Description |
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| Collagen and elastin | ? | Condition the hair by protectively coating the hair and improving its texture. Although they won't repair hair, they fill in the gaps of damaged cuticles. They can be hydrolyzed or nonhydrolyzed. | | Glycoproteins | ? | Condition the hair by protectively coating the hair and improving its texture. Although they won't repair hair, they fill the gaps of damaged cuticles. | | Soy and wheat protein | ? | Condition the hair by improving hair texture and repairing damaged cuticles. | | Amino acids | ? | Too small to effectively coat and cover hair without being washed off, they do not condition as well as proteins. They also do no penetrate the hair to repair damages. | | Propellants | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Isobutane | ? | Used to expel the contents from containers such as aerosols. It may contribute to smog and global warming. | | Propane | ? | Used to expel the contents from containers such as aerosols. It may contribute to smog and global warming. | | Butane | ? | Used to expel the contents from containers such as aerosols. It may contribute to smog and global warming. | | Isopentane | ? | Used to expel the contents from containers such as aerosols. It may contribute to smog and global warming. | | Vitamins | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Vitamin E | ? | Does not help protect hair from free radical damage, but it is a good emollient as it can help soften hair. | | Panthenol | ? | Also known as vitamin B-5, it can coat hair to condition. It is safe and effective. |
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Appropriate Uses
Balm
Adds shine, holds styled hair in place, and makes curly hair more manageable.
Detangler
Helps you comb through knots in wet or dry hair.
Gel
Adds shine and holds styled hair in place.
Hair spray
Holds styled hair in place.
Molding mud
Gives body and style to specific areas of hair.
Mousse
Holds styled hair in place and gives thin or fine hair more volume.
Shiner
Makes hair shiny and reflective; specifically makes curly hair more manageable.
Volumizer
Adds thickness and volume to flat hair.
How the 'Do Gets Done
- Products work differently, so test them out at home before using one the night of that big date.
- After shampooing, towel dry hair and apply a small amount of product to hair.
- Style and blow-dry as desired.
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The Possibility of a Bad Hair Day
- May contain alcohol, which can dry and damage hair.
- May contain resins such as vinyl acetate, vinyldimethicone, and polyvinyl acetate, which can leave a film on your hair.
- Pomades or greases can build up on the hair and weigh it down, especially if you have fine or limp hair.
- Overapplication of hair spray can cause visible white flaking.
Use Your Head When Holding That Hair in Place
- Do not use if you are allergic to any ingredient in the product.
- Keep away from heat or flames.
- Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth.
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Scali-Sheahan, MT.Milady's Standard Textbook of Professional Barber Styling. Milady Publishing Company, Albany, NY, 1984.
- 2. Begoun, P.Don't Go Shopping For Hair Care Products Without Me. Beginning Press, Seattle, WA, 1995.
- 3. Winter, R.A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Random House, Ince. New York 1994.
- 4. Michalun, N and MV Michalun.Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. Milday Pub. Co. Albany, NY 1994.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
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