How to Use Hair Styling Products

There are loads of different hair styling products on the market: pastes, pomades, frizz-fighters and body-builders - just to name a few.
When you've got a bathroom full of products, are you really making the most out of them and know what product does what?

Here are some tips to ensure you use all your lotions and potions to reach their full potential!

Texturizer

Best for wavy and curly hairstyles.
Texturizing products are great for creating or manipulating waves and curls for movement, but too much product applied causes greasiness.
Dispense onto your hands, then use your fingers to apply evenly through the hair.

Styling Mousse

To make the most out of mousse, apply a gold ball-sized amount onto damp hair.
Apply from the mid-lengths to the ends first, then work the rest through the roots using a wide tooth comb for even distribution.
Blow-dry as usual.

Curl Enhancers/Definers

Best for naturally curly hairstyles or hair that has a kink to it. For soft defined curls, a curl cream is ideal as it's not to heavy and creates touchable texture.
Get the most out of it by applying to towel-dried hair and blow-dry with a diffuser.

If your hair is lacking moisture, it's coarse and dry, try a curl enhancer - use sparingly though as too much product can turn curl definition into a wet-hair look.

Styling Wax

Best for styling short hairstyles and mid-lengths. When using wax, you can be much more free with drying - blast form all angles with the hair dryer to create movement. Rub wax between your fingers to melt it and spread evenly through the lengths.
Don't put it on the roots, as this will flatten your hairstyle.

Styling Gel

Gel is perfect for styles that require intense sculpting with maximum shine. New formulations are great for maintaining lasting hold without looking flaking and are easy to wash out.
Use sparingly and build up to create textured looks.

Pomade

The pomade, similar to wax, adds shine and ability to sculpt short to medium hairstyles.
Warm a thumbnail amount of pomade in the palm of your hands until it softens, breaking down the fibers to help work it through evenly.
Reapply if more is needed, still using thumbnail amounts.

Heat Protection Sprays

Use heat protection spray on wet hair (all hair-lengths) to shield hair against heat from the hairdryer, as well as on dry hair before using flat irons and curling irons.
Also try using it like a serum to smooth fly-aways the next day.

Hairspray

To maximize volume, apply hairspray to dry hair while heating with the hairdryer.
This combined effect will dry the hairspray on your hairstyle instantly while it is still full of body from being blow-dried.

Serum

Best for finishing flat-ironed hairstyles and to control fly-aways. Serum can be used to control frizz or enhance shine - don't use too much as it can look greasy and limp.
For more effective results, combine with other products from the same range as they are designed to work together.

Shine Spray

Shine sprays work by delivering reflective particles to your hair to pick out natural gloss. Hold the can 16" away from your head and mist lightly.
Don't get carried away thought, as some hair styling products, this also can contain an oily delivery fluid which can make hair greasy and weight it down.