The best men’s hair products to achieve any style
Pastes, pomades and everything in between… let British GQ and senior Ruffian's barber Jake Murphy take you through the only masterclass you'll ever need
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As with workman's tools, hair products are only as good as the person that wields them – and yet, to the man who has truly mastered his product(s) of choice, the world of fantastic hair comes wide open. Give a man a pot of clay, and he may fumble through a passable look, but teach him how to style his hair using wax from the pot, and he will never have a bad hair day again.
With this entirely unique and non-plagiarised principle in mind, we took our hair product and styling questions to someone who knows better than even those of us who have spent untold hours practising with wax and the like: Jake Murphy is a senior barber at the Covent Garden branch of Ruffians. For the remainder of this article, he is your guide in the art of follicle fashioning. Got your pick of the best men's shampoo for you? Clutching your new conditioner? Then let's begin.
Below is a curated selection of the best hair care products for men, hand-picked and tested by our grooming editor and in-house grooming experts. Owen Gough, Senior Commerce Writer, takes care of all British GQ's grooming and self-care content and tests each brand and product for a total of two weeks. During testing, he assesses the overall value for money on offer, as well as any standout features like included scents, holds, styles capable, and how each one is good or bad for different hair types and lengths.
If there's one product from this list that we reckon should work for anyone with shorter styles, it's clay. “The all-rounder,” senior barber at Ruffian's Covent Garden Jake Murphy calls it. “With clay you can achieve nearly any desired style: flick it up, lay it down, part it, mess it…just apply when the hair is wet for a natural finish.”
Get a short-back-and-sides every time you sit down in the barber chair? This is your saviour: an affordable choice that'll last all day. “Day to day I use this the most,” Jake says: “Be it effortless, low-maintenance looks or textured side-partings, it can handle any job.”
Like clay but lighter, paste works best when worked into damp hair. Jake's assessment? “I tend to use paste to emphasise natural waves and highlight texture in softer cuts. If you like the flow and movement of a mid-length cut, be it pushed back, or the fresh out-of-bed look, apply when wet or damp for shape and control.”
It might look similar to clay and paste in the pot, but pomade is a different beast altogether. A retro choice that helped Elvis Presley's hair look like that, it is nevertheless, Jake says, “so much more than the ‘1950s hard-part slick-back haircut’.”
Distinguished styles, such as those associated with Mad Men's Don Draper, may be the thing it's most commonly associated with, but Jake insists that the tincture can offer far more. “Curlier hair can benefit from pomade: rake it through with your fingers while wet, then either air dry or diffuse with a hairdryer to achieve defined curls. The wet look is dismissed by so many, but I often find once a client tries it out, they rarely go back.”
Our advice? Be sparing with your use of this product, and opt for water over oil-based in order to give yourself an easier time washing it out later.
Anyone who had the (mis)fortune of attending a high school in the UK will know hair gel all too well. Likely you'll agree with Jake when he notes that the product “transports me to my preadolescence, a time of spike hair, bleached tips, and the occasional mini-fringe.”
Mercifully, those days are long gone. Now, gel can perform quite dizzying follicle feats. “Varying strengths can leave your hair stood on end all day, while a lighter hold can be used to achieve the perfect quiff if applied pre-blowdry in damp hair," Jake confirms.
“A powerful tool” indeed, though heed this barber's advice: “Like pomade, avoid if you have fine or thinning hair, as it may leave your hair looking oilier or greasy.”
A marketer's way of saying that its product is texturising, salt spray is the thing to purchase should you want to look debonair and tousle. “Apply a couple of spritzes to damp hair, then one or two more to your hands and work it through,” says Jake.
The result? Fly-aways and greys will disappear, shorter, finer hair will appear thicker and you'll look appropriately nonchalant despite the effort you put in. Working by absorbing hair oils to improve definition and volume, it's a quick spritz fix, but make sure to “avoid using on curls and frizzier hair as it tends to leave a 'dried-out' look.”
The photoshoot staple, wax is a stylist's go-to thanks to its formulation “betwixt wet and dry”. “For weddings and photoshoots I would bring out the wax," says Jake. "The light will catch it just right.” Easier to use (and wash out) than a pomade, it's another boon for those with thick hair, who “can benefit from the stronger hold and subtle sheen of this product”.
“Versatility manifest,” Jake rather grandly proclaims. Hairspray, he declares, is “the ultimate accomplice. It can be used in conjunction with all other products, and also stand strong on its own.”
Though it may seem like we're teaching you to suck eggs here, it's worth noting some basics from the master: “Spray just above the hair and let it settle on top as opposed to blasting directly to avoid a greasy look,” he says. “For hairstyles with a little more 'flair', like quiffs or a pompadour, spray and comb into wet hair immediately before blowdrying to achieve greater heights than ever before!"
How much hair product should I use?
The initial instinct is to slap on as much product as possible to tame your unruly locks – especially if you've got longer hair – but, in most cases, less is more. Depending on which product you end up choosing (sprays are inevitably different), you only need a small pea-sized amount of wax, pomade or gel to mix in the palm of your hand to cover your hair. Of course, if you've got shoulder-length hair or longer, it will take a bit more, but you certainly shouldn't be dumping half a pot of gel on your hair every day.
Experiment with your hair and gradually increase the amount you use; it's easier to increase the amount you use rather than attempt to remove product once it's already in your hair.
Should I wash out old hair product every day?
Are you a ‘no poo’ kinda guy? Some men dislike using shampoo and conditioner every day and swear by the scalp-nourishing benefits of not washing your hair regularly. We won't be wading into that debate today, but if you're using a lot of product or an especially strong hold, then you should be cleaning it out to give your hair a breather regularly.
A strong shampoo and conditioner will break down the product and hydrate the follicles, eliminating the risk of a severe bed head day and also reducing the likelihood of dandruff and itchy skin.
Which type of hair product is best?
The answer to this question is entirely down to your own preferences, hair length, and desired style. Buzzcuts and short hair styles will find little joy in gels and pomades, but some light wax can be a great shout for small touchups and combatting wind hair.
Sea salt spray is excellent for mid-length hair styles, gently coaxing your hair to do what you tell it to without becoming too heavy or purposefully styled. The beach-bum look is achieved with sea salt spray, so if you want to emulate the luscious locks of Patrick Swayze in Point Break, head in that direction.
Gels and pomades are for more heavy-duty styling – like the mid-2000s mohawk – as they offer the longest and firmest holds. If you take your time to style and tweak your hair style, like with a quiff, pompadour or slick-back design, then we suggest you check out those options.
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