Pros and Cons of Hairstyling Products

Gels, mousse, hair creams, hair sprays, hair wax... you name it, I'm sure you've tried it. Whether it worked or not, all of us have used hair products at one time or another. Some of us use products for the look it gives, some for the texture, and some for its nourishing effect. Whatever are reasons were, all of us have gone through the "shoot and miss" dilemna when choosing the right product for you. Here are a few tips that hopefully help you through in choosing what's right for you.

Hair Gels.

Since the 80's hair gels has been a mainstay in salons for its hairstyling needs. A classic solution for taming wild and unruly hair, hair gels contains polymers and glycols that give a natural hold and shine that would hold whatever hairstyle you shaped. Humidity resistant additive makes gel-styled hair last the entire day and ensure a wet-look to your style. Alcohol-additives, however, makes long-term use of this product not advisable as it could damage your hair and cause more harm than good. Development of water-based gels makes this product less-harmful but is not as humidity and sweat resistant as alcohol-based hair gels.

Hair Mousse.

Appearing in the late 80's and early 90's, hair mousse was a revolutionary product when it first came out. Providing a very firm hold while retaining natural softness to your hair, it was ideal for producing a natural, everyday look to your hair. However, it was later found out that long-term use could be harmful to your hair as this product also contains alcohol-based ingredients that could definitely harm your hair.

Hair Spray.

A salon styling-aid, hair spray provides a very stiff hold for those very radical hairstyles. Along with hair gels, hair sprays came out in the 80's and produced those very wild-looking hairstyles well known during that decade. Resistant to heat, humidity, water and sweat, hair spray is perfect for special occasions that require long-lasting hairstyles. But again, alcohol content makes this product not ideal for everyday use.

Hair Creams.

Light and oil-based, hair creams provide a nourishing effect to your hair. Oil additives also provide a nice light hold to your hair that provides a natural look to your hair. However, this product lacks that long-lasting effect of other products as it does not contain humidity-resistant and water-resistant properties.

Hair Wax.

The most recent product that came out of the market, hair wax combines some of the positive qualities of creams and gels. Containing beeswax, it provides the nourishing effect of oil-based products while retaining a firm hold of alcohol-based products. Able to hold even the most radical styles, hair wax made possible all the styles we see today. The natural look it gives eliminates the "stiff" look produced by hair gels or sprays and the wax provides natural resistance against humidity and water. However, like alcohol, wax could be harmful to your hair when used for prolonged period of time.

So take your pick, but whichever you chose make sure that you do everything in moderation because too much of anything could do more harm than good.

Hollywood Baldness

To an ordinary guy, his hair is his crown and glory. What more to a male Hollywood celebrity whose bread and butter is his looks? Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 men will suffer from varying degrees of baldness and being a celebrity does not exclude anyone from this predicament.

So how do stars deal with this? Short of doing drastic hair follicle replacements and surgeries or modern medications, here are a few trick that Hollywood stars use to make their heads look like “glamour” written all over it.

Toupees

Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart were known for having hairpieces especially made for them and styled for them. Although this is the easiest and quickest remedy for baldness, it does have its consequences. Aside from being expensive and would require frequent maintenance, hairpieces are known for having an “artificial look” when exposed to daylight. It might look good on the cameras but it would make an ordinary Jow look ridiculous and would not be advisable for everyday use. Not to mention, winds exceeding 10 mph would definitely blow everything away and reveal to the world your “secret.”

Hair extensions

Receding hairline is the most common pattern of baldness. It is also the most difficult to hide. What to do? Make the most of what is left. Attach artificial hair to your own hair. Matthew McCounneghey, Brendan Frazier, and Ben Affleck are rumored to have utilized hair extensions in (or maybe even out) of the silver screen. While hair extension do have a not-so-drastic approach and, by all means, can be an everyday remedy, like toupees, it still has an artificial look in it and would only work with today’s cinema magic.

Drastic Hairstyles

This is the most common remedy that celebrities do to address their baldness. While comb over style ala-Donald Trump works well for elderly celebrities (as well as for the common grandpas) it does seem kind of out-of-date and has the word “bald underneath” written all over it. Fortunately, there are now modern hairstyles that would effectively hide, or at the very least, reduce the effect of baldness. Jude Law noticeably has a receding hairline, but with the right haircut and proper styling, we could hardly notice it on the silver screen.

Shaving it all of

However, if styling or haircut does not work for you, going all out could be the only way. It’s easy to do for the stylist and easy to maintain for the person. Vin Diesel, Patrick Stewart, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson to name a few are perfect examples of celebrities who went all out when their balding patterns are no longer controllable. Even with their crowns of, these celebrities still look dignified, attractive and retained the “glitter and glamour” celebrities are known for.

So take your pick; hair extension, new hairstyles, or going bald? Whatever you chose, pick the one that would make you feel comfortable and confident about your self.

Don’t worry. In this day and age, Bald is beautiful.