Every woman is familiar with the routine that occurs when they are getting ready to go out on the town, or even just out to the corner store and back. Chances are you learned it from your mother, grandmother, sisters and will one day pass on this ritual of hair primping on to your daughter.
It generally takes you several hours in the bathroom, wielding small brushes and many hair care products. When finally emerge, you hope to look very different than the women who went in.
What are products are being used and why does it take some women longer than others?
While we don't have enough space on this page to discuss everything that goes on in that bathroom, we can touch on one aspect; that being the hair styling products.
There are several different kinds of hair styling products. Everything from mousse, gel, hairspray and pomade can be used to shape and hold your hair. We are going to explore the strengths and weaknesses of both, and what makes them different from each other.
So pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. The Hair Styling Educational Train is now arriving!
Hair Spray: Hairspray is probably the most popular of all the hair styling products on the market today. It is the cheapest to buy, only costing a few dollars per bottle. Of course, you can buy more expensive brands of hairspray, but most people buy the cheaper brands for their hair styling needs.
The biggest drawback for hairspray is that when it is hot outside it tends to make your scalp itchy. It is extremely flammable, and it tends to make your hair feel brittle.
However, it does effectively hold your hair in place, and you can buy all different strength formula's, such as medium hold or maximum hold.
Mousse: Mousse is sprayed from a bottle into your hand. It is a foam that looks much like shaving cream once out of the bottle. It can be very messy, and doesn't hold your hair as well as hairspray, but it doesn't leave your hair feeling as brittle as hairspray either. It is used to give your hair more body and volume.
Mousse is effective when combined with blow drying, and it comes at a relatively cheap price. It usually runs from six dollars to fourteen dollars a bottle. You can buy cheaper or more expensive brands as well.
Gel: Gel is one of the most popular brands of hair styling products. You can buy it extremely cheap or you can spring for the more expensive brands. It comes in all different strengths, from vertical hold to regular hold. You can apply gel too get the wet look (put it in when hair is still wet, and let it dry on its own) or the dry look (apply when hair is dry, or when wet and blow dry.)
Gel tends to make your hair feel like cardboard, especially the higher hold brands such as vertical hold. If you are going for the wet look, then your hair is more likely to feel like cardboard, and can make your scalp itch and feel uncomfortable.
If you want your hair to stay in place, even in a high wind, then Gel is probably the brand for you.
Pomade, Putty, Wax: These brands are generally more expensive. They can cost upwards of twenty dollars a bottle, and are usually used by people with shorter hair. These brands are regarded as the new wave of hair styling products, and many men use them as well as women.
They leave your hair feeling soft, but oily feeling. Your hair will move with the wind, before springing back to its intended shape.
If you don't mind spending a few extra bucks, then these brands are probably for you.
Curl Enhancer: Curl Enhancer generally comes in a spray, much like hairspray, but can also come in a cream. It's used to enhance the natural curls in your hair, or to enhance the curls you added yourself by using a curling iron, perm or rollers.
It costs about ten dollars or more a bottle, and can help to give your curls a "tousled" look.
You can use any of these products by themselves, or layer them for better effect. Many people use the products listed above, and top it off with a few squirts of hairspray to hold it all together.
Try out different brands, and see which ones work best for you. Some brands don't work as well on thin, permed, colored or thick hair.
I hope you have had an informative ride on The Hair Styling Educational Train. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.
As the train departs the station, keep in mind that all hairstyling products work different for different people, and are blended to achieve different results. Have fun experimenting and finding out what works best for you.
