You're Applying Your Hair Product All Wrong

By Dan Michel, Men’s Health

 

Styling your 'do is easy—just run it through your hair and walk out the door, right? That’s what I thought until I went to master stylist Martial Vivot who used a technique that blew my actual mind. Of course, he’d been using this method his whole career, so he was wondering why I was so shook when I saw him work his magic. Once he explained it, I knew I’d never apply hair product the same again. Here’s the secret.
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First, find your correct product. Creams and light pastes are good for finer hair while pomades and waxes are good for thicker, unruly hair. We’ve tested a bajillion here at Men's Health. Here are a few of our favorites from lightest hold to strongest.

• Lightest hold: Martial Vivot Creme
• Light hold: Blind Barber 30 Proof Styling Cream
• Flexible hold: Jack Black Wax Pomade
• Medium hold: Fellow Barber Texture Paste
• Heavy hold: American Crew Heavy Hold Pomade
• Extreme hold: Axe Styling Spiked-Up Look Putty

If you want a buttoned-up wet look, apply your styler to damp hair. For a matte look, apply to dry hair. Be sure to choose the right amount. Use too little and it won’t give the right hold; too much will make you look like an extra from A Night At The Roxbury.

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[post_ads]A dime-sized dollop is great for short hair, nickel-sized for hair under three inches, and up to a quarter for hair longer than three inches or if you want an extra tight hold. Work the product completely into your hands until there are no clumps—and then comes the trick:

Apply your product from back to front, rubbing it in vigorously the whole way through. “Don’t start in the front or the product might collect in the most visible part of your hair, which will look uneven and can even make your hair look thinner than it really is,” say Vivot. He also makes sure to apply product at the root of the hair, not just the tip, to better control how it lays.

Once you’ve worked it into your locks, style your hair until you look suave as hell. (If you need ideas, check out these Best Hairstyles For Men.) You can also lock in your look by using a blow dryer on medium to high heat, holding it about six inches from your hair. It’s a simple technique that’ll ensure even application and easy styling. Try it once, and you’ll never go back—or look like a derp with clumps of pomade in your mane.

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