Hair Styling products

•  Hair styling aids arrange and maintain hair in a styled position and give the hair conditioning, shine, body, and increased manageability. 
•  There are a wide variety of styling aids including hairsprays, gels, mousses, creams, waxes, lotions, and brilliantines. 
•  Polymers, emollients and waxes are the main functional ingredients in styling products. Polymers bond hair strands together to provide hold. Emollients and waxes – amongst other ingredients – increase single hair fiber interaction and smooth cuticles, imparting shine and reduced hair frizz. 
• Styling aids are in general safe for skin and hair; however, misuse can result in hair damage. 

Types of hair styling products :

• Available hair styling products are: 
  

1. Hairspray 

2. Gel 

3. Mousse or Foam 

4. Wax 

5. Pastes 

6. Oil Sheen Spray 

7. Pomades 

1. Hairspray:

· They are finishing products because they are applied on a finished style.

· They hold and prolong the shape of the hairstyle.

· To change the style after drying of the spray, new quantity should be applied.

· To give whole-head coverage quickly, the spray pattern should be wide-angled to avoid ‘spot welding’

Caution:

Should be removed periodically by shampooing. If hair is not shampooed frequently, hairspray can build up on the hair causing dullness, potential hair breakage, and polymer flaking reminiscent of dandruff.

Persons who are predisposed to lung conditions or those with allergic tendencies should use hairspray products with care.

2. Gel:

· Suitable for short haircuts.

· Formulated in different strengths as well as other attributes such as 'wet look'.

· Applied to towel-dried, damp  hair and distributed on the hair shafts by hand.

· Gel in the hair can be revitalized by rubbing wet hands through your hair.

· Like hair spray, gel should be removed by shampooing to avoid polymer accumulation.

3. Mousse or Foam:

· These are more feminine products.

· Applied in the same manner as a hair gel to towel-dried hair but they do not provide as strong a hold as gel formulations. They also can be applied to dry hair.

· It also produces less flaking and stickiness under moist conditions.

· They can add volume to the hair.

· Most of them are suitable to be used with electric hair dyer to give control and hold the style.

· Like hair spray, gel should be removed by shampooing to avoid polymer accumulation.

4. Wax:

· Its advantage is that it can be reshaped frequently again without addition of a new quantity.

· Suitable for persons with very short hair.

· They can give a deep shine to the hair.

· Being greasy is one of its drawbacks.

5. Pastes:

· Most of them are “reformable” (can be reshaped again without further addition of a new quantity)

· Their advantage over waxes is that they are not greasy.

6. Pomades

· Also known as cream brilliantines.

· Designed to straighten, condition, moisturize, and add shine to kinky hair.

· They contain petrolatum, waxes, lanolin, and vegetable or mineral oils.

· Examples: Palmers hair food, Dax, Red fox lanolin, Casanova hair food.

Benefits of Pomades:

 Help to minimize combing friction in tightly kinked hair,

 Reduce frizziness and prevents hair breakage with styling through lubrication.

 Moisturize the hair and the scalp due to the effect of petrolatum.

 Act as a styling product to allow the hair to remain close to the scalp with some curl reduction.

CAUTION:

Those who are prone to the formation of acne should avoid hair pomades containing olive oil and other vegetable oils.

7. Oil Sheen Spray:

· This is an aerosolized oil which is sprayed onto the hair on a daily basis to moisturize, decrease combing friction and add shine to the hair.