No, you’re not the only going through a struggle when reading the directions on the back of your new hair styling product. Beauty lingo is a bit confusing for many, but the more you know about it, the easier it’s going to be for you to choose and use the hair styling products.
It seems that no less than 65% of women are interested to know a lot more about how to use their products in order to get that perfectly looking hair. Understanding what you’re using and how to get the best out of your hair product definitely helps. Having said that, here are some of the words that are common, yet quite confusing in the hair product world. Going through the basics may be clearing things for good, after all.
Clay
Spencer Winn, a colorist at Bumble and Bumble Salon in New York City, pinpoints that there are many products that go as “clays”, leading to a matter texture and a flexible hold for your hair. Many men hairstyling products out there are described as clays.
Hair clay is in fact a rather new name for men’s hair styling products. Typically clay based, this product varies in thickness so you can find both really thick or thinner clays. The regular clay base is bentonite, which is made with volcanic ash.
There are many benefits of hair clay so you should keep them in mind:
- It ensures a matte finish with a natural feel for your look
- It provides great hold and stability, lasting throughout the entire day
- It can add nice volume to your hair, without weighing it down
- It’s great for textured hair styles
Not only hair clay is good for styling your hair, but it’s also good for the health and well-being of your hair strands:
- It boosts hair growth as it’s full of nutrients
- It heals and nourishes the skin and hair
- Natural clays eliminate impurities from skin and hair, while leaving the natural oils behind
- It works as a natural moisturizer and conditioner, reducing frizz and flyways.
How to Use Texturizing Clay
Pomade
In the world of hair care, pomade is a regular hair styling product that comes in a tiny tub. It’s quite common for pomade to look putty and with a matte consistency, ensuring a medium hold to the hair. It works as a shaping cream that holds a styles or gives better definition to the waves.
When choosing your hair pomade, the style and look you’re going for are important. Here are some types of pomade that ensure best results in various hair styles:
- Cream pomade
You should go with this type of pomade if you’re going for a polishes look with your hair straight back. This pomade is great as it’s not shiny and goes great for a casual look. Rub only a bit of it into your hands, using the fingers to brush it on your hair. You can apply it on both damp and dry hair for putting the flyways under control.
- The clay men’s pomade
If your hair is on the fine hair and it’s not able to hold any hairstyle, laying straight most of the time, you want to go with a clay pomade that is going to give your hair a bit of texture. Use the fingertips for massaging the clay through the damp hair, achieving a messy look.
- The texture pomade
A low-maintenance and grungy look also means lack of shine. Use a texture pomade for a matte finish on your hair. Apply it over your dry or damp hair. This pomade is great for the casual look, with no effort attached to it.
Balm
As you can tell from the name, the hair balm is quite similar to the balm you’re using for moisturizing your lips. Justine Marian, a celebrity hairstylist, tells us that hair balm is what you put in your hair for hydration, hold and finishing. Hair balms are typically more moisturizing, adding definition to your wavy hair or curls. There are hair balms that also add some texture as they contain glycerol that penetrates and expands the hair fiber.
Diffuse
This term relates to the attachment you place on the head of your blow-dryer. You may have noticed it a lot on the back of curly hair styling products. Marian reminds us that the diffuser looks like a large round device with some large prongs that are able to cradle your hair. You’re typically using the diffuser if your hair is wavy or curly.
In order to get best results when using the diffuser, you need to use the blow-dryer on the high heat setting and the low pressure at the same time. You should tilt your head to the side you’re blow-drying. When you’re blow-drying the left side, tilt your head to the left side. It’s important that the hair falls freely into the diffuser before you turn on the blow-dryer. You also need to push the diffuser up so that it touches your hair gently. You need to be patient about the drying process. Try not to touch your hair with your hands until your hair isn’t completely dry. If otherwise, you’re going to have to deal with the frizz later on.
Damp
This is one word you may have heard quite a lot until now. It’s not wet and it’s not dry, but it’s important to remember that most hairstyling products are formulated to be applied to damp hair. Winn notes that “damp” means towel-dried and evenly saturated hair. Not clear enough for you? A damp hair doesn’t have any more water droplets dripping off of it.
Work-through
This expression means you’re going to distribute the hair product evenly throughout the hair. You may work-through a product by putting it first in your hands, working your way through the hair afterwards. Winn pinpoints that the best way to do it is to work the product through your hair, root to ends, parting your hair in sections. This way you’re going to reduce the risk for tangling and apply the product evenly. It’s like in the case of skin care, and you should work your hair product into the hair shaft just like you’d do with a lotion over your skin.
Tousle
Are you aiming for the beachy waves? Get in control over your hair styling vocabulary and the meaning of “tousling”. Marian notes that “tousle” is just a fancy name for actually “shaking” the hair. You should put your hands underneath the ends and mid lengths, shaking it up at the roots. Continue by removing your hands, grabbing the hair at the mid lengths, lifting it and shaking it nice and easy as you’re letting go. This action is going to ensure a natural flow to your hair and add a bit of volume too.
Scrunch
This word is also an action word. As marian the expert explains, in order to scrunch the hair, you need to tilt your head so that your hair falls thanks to gravity. Continue with using the open palms of your hands for pushing up the hair. Give your hair a gentle squeeze with your hands. You’re going to want to use this kind of movement for reviving your curls. You should also use the styling trick for working the mousse into your hair.
You may use scrunching for all types of hair, when you’re determined to get a messy and lived-in finish for your hair.
Post originally published on instyle.com
