Hair Styling for Men: The Best Products Available at Partners Hair Online

Gentlemen, no more bad hair days. It's time to elevate your grooming game. In South Africa, there's something amazing happening in men's personal care circles everywhere. We're finally realizing that maybe we also want to know how to put our best foot forward when it comes to our look. Hair can make a huge difference in your overall appearance, and it goes without saying that we also want to look and feel good about the style we rock. As a 15-year barber/shop owner, I have to admit that I love my profession now more than ever.

Most men have heard of hair gel and its cousin, wax. The first time I used gel, I went all in, added way too much, and ended up with a result closer to a plastic Pringles Guy than the runway. Times have changed, and in this wild, internet-dominated hair world, men now have a new reason to upgrade their grooming routine.

There are a thousand uses for hair gel or wax. I would suggest men use gel to create a more sophisticated look or style that requires a stronger hold. You might lean on gel for your next formally dressed event or a day you just need your hair to "stay." Men should use wax when they want a more natural look and maybe just a tad bit less texture than the stiffness traditional gel would produce.

Lastly, just try different things. There is no hard or fast rule about what gel or wax will do for your hair. I've had guys with really fine hair swear that bed head makes their hair lie down permanently. On the other hand, guys with much thicker hair sometimes prefer a wax just because the wax has more pliability. Seriously, guys, I don't expect that we'll all defeat our hair's crazy bed heads or weird shapes at once. But one by one, follicle by follicle, we fight on. We are determined, and we'll never have to suffer the terrible, unsightliness of bad hair again.

Understanding Hair Styling for Men

Hair styling forms an important cornerstone of your confidence and personal image. Suddenly, a spritz of hair product is given the power to shape- or, at the very least, enhance- the way we show up to the rest of the world. It’s a great catalyst for meeting new people and a useful tool for better navigating your work life. You know what to do when you’re having a good hair day: you use all the energy you can to translate those feelings into getting sh*t done.

Where men’s grooming once served as a utilitarian stage to help “clean up” your morning routine, these days it’s as exciting of a place as you’ll find anywhere. Expectations are encouraging just about every guy out there to announce to the rest of the world, “Well, this is how I want to be perceived.”

With the rise of social media - and the revolving spotlight that’s finally highlighted men’s grooming - technology has done what it does best: made us all better consumers. Hair is, of course, no different. You’ve likely grown up spotting hair gel at your local drug store, only now it rests alongside so many other hair products for men, too. Figure out what suits you best, dude, because you’ve only got hair to gain!

The Best Hair Products for Men

Choosing the right hair products is key to maintaining hair that always looks like you woke up on the right side of the bed. Partners Hair Online carries many options for all hair types, so you can find what works for you. In each category, we carry many options, such as shampoos, conditioners, and other styling products.

What makes a difference is what is inside the products:

• Curly hair? You want hydrating and defining products. This is your shea butters and your coconut oils. Get that good stuff in your hair that will define your curls, but not weigh them down.

• Fine hair? You probably want a little more volume. Most volumizing products will go on lighter, so you can get the most bounce in your hair!

• Color your hair? You want to protect your investment with color-protecting products!

• Use hot tools? You want a heat-protecting spray to prevent damage.

The category can help you understand what to optimize; the product "category" can give you some guidance in figuring that out.

Hair Gel: The Classic Choice

Hair gel is a great product for giving you a neat, sleek-matt finish to your hair that should hold well throughout the day. It's suitable for pretty much any situation, formal or informal, and is a great go-to for something easy to use. When you have the right technique and the right product for you, a little gel massaged into the hair can give you a big confidence boost, knowing you are looking great no matter what.

You can purchase gels from online retailers—there are many out there who offer a range of different gels for different hair types. Personally, I've tried gels in the past that I have really loved, such as the American Crew Firm Hold Gel and the Redken Brews Stand Tough Gel. These are both great products that offer a high shine and can both be used on medium to long hair. The application is easy, and you're left with a fresh-looking hairstyle that should also be healthier, complete with added nutrients, essential antioxidants, and great hydration.

When using gels, make sure your hair is damp. Your gel will distribute more evenly throughout your hair, and its less likely you'll overload certain areas. Then, take a coin-sized amount of gel and spread this across your hands. It should then be easy to pick up and rub directly into your hair. Avoid over-applying the gel in areas, as it will make your hair stiff and overcontrolling it. It is easily avoidable though—thorough massaging of the gel into the hair should be sufficient to avoid over-application.

Hair Wax: For a More Natural Finish

Hair wax is a styling powerhouse. Whether you're looking to add texture and volume to your hair or need something with enough hold to get you through the day, there's a hair wax that can help. What's more, hair waxes provide a finish that generally looks more natural than what you can achieve with gels or sprays. The hold is softer too, allowing you to reshape your hair from one 'do to another as you move from workday to workout to after-hours. Use it to get the perfect texture in your peekaboo waves, add a super-strong hold when you're ready to style your baby hairs, or put more definition in that asymmetrical pixie cut you're rocking.

The best hair wax to get: American Crew Fiber, for men who need a strong hold and a matte finish, designed for short hair to medium length hair (11⁄2 inches long) / Hanz de Fuko Claymation, super pliable for an all-day hold with a touch of shine / Bumble and Bumble Sumotech, a hair wax for everyone that's lighter and creamier than most, and feels soft to the touch in any hair texture.

How to use hair wax: Start with completely dry hair. Take a dime-sized wax chunk on your index and middle fingers together and rub your palms together to warm the wax. From there, work this through your hair. Start at the roots and lift up for added volume. Then focus on the ends for added texture.

Other Essential Hair Products for Men

In the world of men's hairstyling, many people settled on a gel or wax—and there they stayed. But the world of hair-styling products is much bigger than just those two options. There's a whole world of pomades, creams, and sprays that you might find work well for you. Whether you want to play with interesting styles or are just looking for a more specialized product for your hair type and desired style (a.k.a. the kind of hair that will get you get laid...I mean that will achieve that really hot "moderate hold, moderate shine" look that the ladies are absolutely losing it over).

Pomades are your slicked-back, Don Draper-style products. They'll provide that classic, shiny look with a medium to very strong hold that is well-suited for your everyday style or formal dress. And, unlike a gel, they can be restyled all day long without any unsightly dandruff-like crumbling that some gels cause when they restyle and break to flaking.

Make them wet, make them dry, creams are flexible in use and will provide a nice, soft hold for you to wear every day. They're also very good at drawing out some of the natural benefits of your hairstyle without weighing it down like a noose around the goose. I usually get a little volume out of the nice matte finish that many of these fabled creams provide.

And then there are extreme hold hairsprays. A light cloud of a high-quality spray will give you an uncomplicated and easy style. It's a nice set it and forget it product to help men maintain a perfect hair day at work with basic lines. It will dry on the hair and resist any awkward moment you might have with any moisture in the environment.

Hair Care Tips for Men

Both your appearance and well-being require healthy hair. To keep your locks looking great, you’ll need to wash with shampoo and conditioner, possibly use some kind of oil for shape and moisture (argan and coconut are great), and avoid too much heat. But this sort of grooming won’t be enough to promote scalp health. You'll also be missing a key part of your hair growth journey.

A quality haircut now and then (every six to eight weeks) will rid you of split ends. This layer of your hair has lost the follicular component of your upper hair, and the odds are high that it is no longer functional, suggesting that it doesn’t make sense to keep it. This trimming isn’t likely to promote hair growth by default, but trimming hair makes it healthier; it takes away the dead, damaged pieces, and allows the hair to reshuffle itself, creating an overall more pleasing appearance. It also makes you feel good! After a fresh haircut, you’ll feel more confident because you’ll feel more professional.

Using a solid shampoo and conditioner makes a ton of sense for the health of your hair and scalp. Better products with fewer toxins and nasty chemicals do the same (2-in-1s likely aren’t what you should go for here). Research for and into your hair products. Target those that offer natural ingredients, but also those that are still functional for shampoo and conditioner.

Outside of your hair’s well-being, regular haircuts will (as mentioned above) make you feel more confident and more like a good man, simply because they are one of the fundamental pillars of grooming. A groomed man has his stuff together; he knows what he wants, what he likes, and how to get both.

The hair styling products that you wear can tremendously affect the shine and overall health of your hair.

The products we put in our hair can impact—either positively or negatively—its texture. From shampoos and conditioners to styling gels and serums, it’s all important!

There are so many different brands on the market, so how do you chose which one is the best? The most important thing to know is what your hair type is. Does it have the essential vitamins it needs to stay healthy? Lastly, how will this product improve my hair?

I encourage anyone interested in styling to curate the products used depending on what needs they would like to obtain. On Partners Hair Online, we offer a wide range of hair products for any desired style or hair type.

Like most things, the best way to gain and maintain the health of your hair is consistency. Providing regular care and trims can determine how beautiful you want your hair to be.

Some additional tips for a great consistent hair routine include the following:

Perform protective styles, such as rodents or a flat twist updo. Too much heat is never safe for your hair in the sun, What are some of your favorite hair styling products or tips?