Hair Care Products
Forget about suffering from another bad hair day! By getting the right products for your hair type and avoiding products that claim to work miracles, you can spend your cash on what counts to maximize the potential of your hair every day. Want to know the secrets to getting the hair you've always wanted? Follow these tips and you'll never have to worry about a bad hair day again. Or get the low down on the products you want to learn more about with these guides: Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling Products.
Things to do on a daily basis - Keep your locks clean. This is not a hard task but it is sometimes overlooked because it is such a basic part of people's hair regimen. Again, picking the right type of shampoo
 is crucial. Knowing how often to wash and how to compliment it with other products is also good to know.
- Embrace a conditioner (no, they aren't just for girls). By picking the right one you can make your hair shiny (not greasy) and healthy looking.
- Ration styling products wisely. Helmet head and grease monkey are two terms that you never want to hear about in reference to yourself. Limiting the amount of products you use can keep you from becoming a walking hair disaster. Choosing the right one for your style is also important.
Know before you buy- Hair is dead. Nothing you can do and nothing you can put on your hair is going to change that. Manufacturer claims to make your hair sleek, full, moisturized, repaired, etc., are not statements that have undergone any FDA testing or passed any conclusive evidence. They give temporary results at best so know why you want to spend $30 on a bottle of shampoo versus $5.
- Most products are made the same so be sure to look at the ingredients in the products. That is where to look when you want a specific result from a product, not the price tag or brand name.
- Hair changes over time as you age and so should your hair care products.
Keep It Clean, Keep It Conditioned
Choosing a shampoo is easy once you know what to look for. Start with a mirror. Check out your hair and determine what you've got there.
- Oily, fine, or limp hair: You need to make sure to wash your hair daily if you get greasy hair, and depending on how bad it is, you might need extra products to keep your mane from looking like an oil slick.
- Look for clear, possibly volumizing shampoos for daily use. Panthenol will help give your hair a lift. You may even need a clarifying shampoo to keep the oil down and remove buildup (use once a week if you use volumizing shampoo/conditioner).
- For the conditioner, pick a lightweight, daily conditioner. Never let it touch your scalp if you have longer hair. Apply it just to the tips. If your hair is very greasy, skip the conditioner. Get a light spray or leave-in conditioner instead (it also can act as a styling agent) or pick a conditioner with tea tree oil in it to help cut the oil.'
- Dry, coarse, or curly hair: If your hair is on the dry side (you get frizziness, poofiness, general hair mayhem) then you need to cut back on how much product you use and switch to something gentler, with a low amount of sodium laureth sulfate in it. Avoid washing your hair every day as this strips the hair of its natural oils.
- Shampoos should be of the creamy variety. Those that say they are moisturizing are best, but when you want to be sure that they will really penetrate the hair, look for ones that contain jojoba, coconut, or olive oil. Shea and cocoa butter are also good moisturizers. Chemical agents that help nourish strands are cetyl or stearyl alcohol, panthenol, methicones, silicone, and dimethicone.
- Always be sure to use a conditioner afterwards to help keep hair soft and moisturized. Look for the same ingredients as were mentioned above, and take advantage of deep conditioners once a week or all the time depending on how dry your hair is.
- Dry scalp: Don't be ashamed if you have flakes. Do get a shampoo to treat dandruff, especially if you notice that this is a recurring problem and not just something that happens during cold winter months. There are some good shampoos for all levels of scalp dryness. Conditioners and scalp oils can be applied to help afterwards for extra moisturizing.
Quick Picks for All-in-Ones
Keep it simple, keep it all-in-one. Opt for a shampoo/conditioner combo that gives you the best of both worlds in one convenient bottle that takes up less space, consumes less cash, and cuts down on grooming time. The priority with these products is finding the right one for your hair type. Keep in mind that they can be very drying. Good if you have oily or normal hair, but not the best for dry hair.
|
|
|
|
The dandruff control version is great for normal to dry hair of average thickness. |
This is the best bet for an inexpensive 2-in-1 if you have dry or damaged hair. |
It's light and leaves your hair feeling soft. Fine for most hair types except very dry hair. |
Invigorating and easy on the wallet. Choose your fragrance from melon, berry, and peach. |
Quick Picks for Shampoo
Quick Picks for Conditioner
|
|
|
|
|
Basic, but good, and inexpensive. Choose according to your hair type for best results. |
A lightweight, detangling conditioner, perfect for limp or fine hair. Also try Rusk Deepshine Sea Kelp. |
It's all that and then some. Only use this if you have really dry, frizzy, or curly hair. |
This is good for normal to dry hair. You may also want to try something from Garnier Fructis. |
Fine for normal to dry hair. Another "designer" brand that is similar is Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm. |
Coiffing Couture
Styling products are not necessary for everyone, and depending on your budget, you may not want to even bother since the really cheap products tend to give poor results (flakes, crustiness, and stickiness are just a few of the side effects). Remember to go light above all and try to enhance your hair's best features instead of fighting against it. Here are the options, what they are best for, and how to use them. The recommendations given here are taken from AskMen.com, Allure Men, and consumer reviews.
Cream- Great for long, dry, coarse, or thick hair. However, it should be used sparingly on limp or fine hair.
- Greasiness is the major downside of using styling creams so remember that a little goes a long way.
Gel- This is when you want to get serious. We're talking about curly and dry hair specifically. For the rest, use it when you really need to look polished or if you are going to be subjected to high winds and you need your hair to stay put. Gel can also be good for making spiky, stand-up styles.
- It's best to apply it while your hair is still damp.
- Avoid reapplication later in the day as it develops buildup and stickiness.
- Final words of advice: go easy on the gel so that you don't look like you have slick, wet hair all day.
Hair Spray- It's lightweight, easy-to-use, great for most hair types, and clean as long as you don't use too much (then it gets crunchy or sticky).
- Spray it on while your hair is still damp and brush your hair into the style you want.
- Think 80s rockstar, the rebel look from Priestly and Perry on 90210 or even Trump's wave.
Mousse- It's light and fluffy. Perfect if you have any grease or if your hair is limp or fine. It's also good for giving minimum hold. Say you have medium to long hair, a la Tom Cruise or Ashton Kutcher. It will keep the hair from getting fly aways but still keep it natural and loose.
- Apply it liberally on dry or damp hair. Don't go overboard though mousse has a tendency to cause flakes.
Pomade- This can be used to make fine or limp hair look fuller. Beware though if you have oily hair as it might make the shine factor skyrocket.
- It can work well on most hair lengths, and it's especially great if you have really dry, frizzy, or thick hair since it helps moisturize the hair shaft.
- Pomade is also works especially what you want to use for creating textured (i.e. just got out of bed or came back from the beach look), layered, or molded looks.
Wax- Wax is the heaviest, driest, and most solid of the bunch, and it can be hard to use.
- On coarse hair it will help to smooth the hair shaft and keep frizzy hair from poofing. It can also be used to make extreme styles.
Check out some of the styles that you can create at About.com's men's hairstyle page. Also get tips about getting the right cut and style.
|
|
Shopping Directory
