Hair styling products are designed to alter the appearance of your locks. This may involve sprays, mousse, gels, waxes, clays and oils – each designed for different applications and uses.
Thin or fine hair requires volumizing products while coarse or oily locks need strengthening and hydrating ingredients. Find out how you can mix & match styling products to achieve the look you want!
Gel
Hair gel is an indispensable styling product designed to shape, mold and hold hair in its desired place for extended periods. Additionally, it can create matte finishes while controlling frizz and protecting hair from humidity. Available in various thicknesses and levels of hold for different looks – each providing its own distinct style!
Medium-weight gels can often be described as having a jelly-like consistency and come in both transparent and opaque varieties, perfect for medium curl textured and porosity hair types as they provide slip without adding too much weight or stiffness to the hair strands. Curlsmith offers Hydro Flexi-Jelly and Fragrance Free Shine Jelly examples of this kind of product.
Thinner gels tend to have a runnier texture and can come in either clear or opaque colors, making them the perfect solution for fine textured or damaged hair, providing plenty of slip without weighing down or leaving crunchy knots behind. Plus, they can even be scrunched out for soft bouncy coils!
Mousse
Mousse is a light-hold styling product designed to add texture and volume to your hair without adding weight, and can easily be reshaped throughout the day for optimal styling results. Ideal for thin or fine locks, mousse offers minimal weight for flexible style control without adding bulkiness that a gel does – enabling effortless updos throughout the day!
Girls with wavy or curly hair may also benefit from mousse as it helps define loose ringlets without looking weighted down or crunchy. For extra soft and shiny strands, look for mousses formulated with aloe vera or apple fruit extract as these ingredients will nourish them further.
Those with coarse or textured locks may benefit from using curl cream. This heavy-duty formula helps tame unruly locks while providing nourishment like meadowfoam seed oil, olive oil and soybean oil along with humectants – which help seal in moisture to fight frizz. These products work for all hair types but should only be applied when your locks are damp to avoid over-loading your strands with product.
Wax
Hair wax stands as an intermediary between heavy pomades and lighter sprays or gels in terms of hold strength, with its medium hold providing natural matte finishes. Ideal for everything from creating an unruly bedhead style to structured and polished looks.
As with hair clays, this unique formula of this styling product is great for fine or thin locks as it adds texture and volume without overburdening delicate strands. Furthermore, its unique formulation also helps deflect unwanted shine and provide control of oily patches in oily hair.
Hair pomades are excellent tools for creating sleek, classic styles such as side parts and pompadours, while providing an adjustable level of hold that enables them to adapt throughout the day. Furthermore, they’re excellent at taming coarse or curly locks by combatting frizz while creating soft curl definition with their flexible hold – ideal for coarse or curly locks! Pomades work on all lengths but particularly well when styling short to medium-length styles.
Shine Serum or Glossing Spray
Hair oil and shine sprays are great products to add a glossy sheen to strands, while some formulas offer additional benefits such as frizz control or hydration. If your flyaways tend to tangle uncontrollably, look for anti-frizz products with taming waxes and oils that coat the shaft, says Hurtado.
To achieve red carpet-worthy finishes, try this lightweight glossing spray that delivers intense light reflections and shimmer without silicones. Packed with murumuru butter and babassu oil for maximum shine and healthiness, its high gloss look provides a high-gloss look perfect for red carpet events.
This ultralight conditioning mist works wonders on all hair lengths, particularly dry strands that are dull or limp. Packed with cactus flower extract for smoothing cuticle surfaces and producing glassy shine, its unique nozzle creates a super fine aerosol mist that won’t weigh down fine strands. Simply spritz onto dry locks before working through with either a brush or fingertips to achieve silky locks!
