FishFix Hardcore Hold Controlling Wax

It is safe to say that I’m not a big fan of hair wax, I’ve never found a brand that has a texture I can stand in my hair, is easy to apply and can provide the level of hold I need.

I’ve tried most things, most recently the FatFish Pliable Hold Easy Sculpting Stick and was less than impressed. It was therefore a bit of a surprise when Fish Soho’s PR people asked if I could take a look at FishFix Hardcore Hold Controlling Wax. 

In the continuing quest to find something to give my hair some style I couldn’t wait to try the wax out. My hair is currently approaching three inches in length so from experience I would expect a wax to struggle with the sheer amount of hair and the density when styling. FishFix wax was going to be truly tested.

In a nutshell, to say that I was sceptical about how this was going to play out would be an understatement, in fact I set my hopes low, so low they were lower than the bar at the limbo world championships. 

Fish Salon market this as:

‘Tackle life head on (get it, head, hair, genius)! Combining the holding power of gel with the smoothing properties of wax. The wax should give controlled and defined style with the finish being neat with superior hold.’

As soon as the lid was off two things struck me immediately, it smells lovely, clean and fresh unlike most waxes that have a chemical aroma to them and it didn’t look to have the same texture. The wax in the pot looks almost like some form of cream rather than a wax. 

My curiosity about the texture couldn’t wait to style my hair and I plunged my fingertips straight in to see what it felt like. First of all it is incredibly soft wax so any amount of pressure and your finger slips straight to the bottom of the pot, this suggested that it would be easy to apply. 

After washing my hair and leaving it slightly damp I ran my fingertips over the top of the wax. The picture below shows how much I actually needed to style my hair - not much at all which when you consider this is a 100ml pot it’s likely to last me for well over a month when using daily.

Rubbing the wax into my hands I found the whole application process to be a breeze, it spreads onto the shaft of the hair and is really easy to massage from root to tip. Styling was so simple and within minutes my hair was covered, spiked and ready to go. 

Normally when applying wax, gels or cream I normally get sticky hands and have to wash them immediately, I didn‘t in this instance and was so impressed I kept touching my arms to see if it was a delayed stickiness, it wasn’t and I was amazed. 

I have a terrible habit of touching my hair which usually leads to a loss of hold and the build up of a sticky residue - with FishFix neither of these was an issue.

The wax took around two to three minutes to completely dry in my hair (in the afternoon sun) and the spikes were rigid. They didn’t feel crunchy or solid as they do when using wax, instead it remained pliable and when a few strands slipped down they were really easy to re-style.

The hold lasted for a good six hours until I hit my bed. In the morning the spikes on the top of my head were still rigid and there were no signs of those pesky white flakes that come over time with hair styling products. 

If you are looking for a change in styling product, want something that provides a long lasting and defined hold this is for you. As with all Fish Soho products this will be available at Boots and is reasonably priced. When you take into account how little is needed each day then it represents a great product that delivers real value for money.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

What is your favourite hair styling product? Why not tell me in the comments section below.

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The Monday Montage

Welcome to the Monday montage here at BeautyKingUK - after a week of posting away I thought I would give a little round up.

In the last week I’ve covered a number of topics, mainly writing about products that I’ve been using. This post is a little summary of my activity with links so that readers can track back to earlier ramblings for ease of reference.

When I started this blog if you had told me I’d be writing up reviews nearly every day I’d probably try and have you sectioned under the Mental Health Act. 

I genuinely had no idea that I would take to it so quickly, have not a care in the world if people I work with see it and most of all enjoy the relaxation I get from spewing forth my opinions and the things that make me laugh in my head.

The week started with a post on Mandara Spa - Tropical Blooms Softening Bath Milk, a lovely product that I really do love a lot. It actually didn’t get the attention it deserves when you consider the results I experienced using it.

Always guaranteed to get me sleepy if I have a bath using this - it’s chill out pampering at its best.

I then went with the top five aftershaves I couldn’t be without. Yes, any regular reader will know that I likes my aftershave and having to limit the choices to just five was a struggle. It really could have been a lengthy list. If you decide to try one from the list you should seriously consider Bvlgari Pour Homme as it has a little of everything for everyone.

On Wednesday I spent the evening trying to write up my thoughts on Fish Sportfish Revitalising Hair, Face and Body Wash. I’m not sure why but I found it be a real struggle to write - whereas normally I can pour an opinion/article onto the page within about 30 minutes this one took hours. 

Thursday was a good writing day, I managed to finish my thoughts on Ted’s Grooming Room Step 02 Shave Gel and publish some random facts about myself as part of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award Nomination.

A busy weekend was rounded off with me asking if £20 was a lot of money to spend on a cleansing gel. I thought it was, my Twitter followers and those using the #bbloggers hashtag disagreed. Yes, I felt tighter than a fishes bum!

That didn’t deter me though and my final post of the week about Thalgo Gel Nettoyant Detoxifiant Visage went up yesterday.

Taking up blogging has given me something to do, I really do like sharing my opinions. Every time I get new followers there is a sense of achievement. 

This may seem a little weird but knowing that people are reading my ramblings is actually touching.

I put out on Twitter earlier today the question, what should I write about next - Lush wins and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on a few of their products throughout the week.

Last of all, thank you to all who read my blog - I really do appreciate it when you take the time to pour over my stuff and comment.

What would my readers like to see on this blog in the future? 

Should I stick with aftershaves and beauty products or expand more into the weird and often dark life that is BeautyKingUK? Let me know.

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Fish Sportfish Revitalising Hair, Face and Body Wash

I’m kind of going through a Fish love-in at the moment so when I was asked if I would like to try Sportfish, their new three in one body wash I jumped at the chance.

While I love the hair care range, with Fishshape Hair and Superfish Fishpaste Hardcore Hold Matt Effect Putty I wasn’t overly keen on their sculpting wax.

I hadn’t known that they had branched out from hair care products, so to receive a 250ml bottle that retails at Boots for £3.99 I couldn’t wait to put it through its paces.

Sportfish, revitalising hair, face and body wash. It sold as:

"Cleanse and revive your entire body post workout with the 3 in 1 Sportfish Revitalising Hair, Face and Body Wash.

Developed by cutting edge Fish Hairdressing Salon in Soho, London, this is the ultimate sports bag essential for men who like to play hard, yet look great, with minimum fuss.”

First things first, I had a flashback to my youth and the dawning of the “take two bottles in the shower, not me I take 2 in 1” adverts. It made me giggle slightly but anyway, I digress.

As this claims to be a three in one I’m going to rate the product based upon the effect of:

• Cleansing and removing body odour;
• Fragrance;
• Effect on face;
• Effect on hair;
• Value for money.

The cleansing ability of this wash is not to be underestimated - it lathers up brilliantly into a lovely rich foam. It covers easily and not much is required which means that this 250ml bottle will last for a few weeks. In the words of Mr Burns from The Simpsons “Excellent“!

What is surprising with the body wash is that the fragrance is quite subtle. Normally with a body wash for men it tends to be really strong to try and wash/mask the manly body odour we build up generally just being men.

After using the product even after a night crammed into a sweaty bar there are no hints of stink - and that ladies and gentlemen is key here.

As the body wash starts to lather up the fragrance does become more pronounced. It has top notes of coconut but actually then becomes slightly chemical - it doesn’t feel organic so to speak. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t fantastic. However, in terms of something for the bag I’d say its completely inoffensive.

Using this on my face I found that it really did leave my face feeling smooth and fresh. The only drawback was that prolonged use did see my forehead starting to dry out more. I combated this by reverting to a double dose of my L’Oreal Men Expert moisturiser.

I don’t know about sports bag essential for me, I’ve broken out into a sweat thinking about reaching for my tea but it certainly is a very nice product that would suit someone on the go - the bottle is compact, a little goes a long way, it has good results in the three key areas it claims to and does smell that bad.

In my books that means that it’s recommended, however if you have a certain need such as dry skin and are looking for something to moisturise your skin I would say you would need any additional product to go with this.

RECOMMENDED 

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Fat Fish Pliable Hold Easy Sculpting Stick

Having been a Wella fanatic for years I was well and truly converted to Fish products after my visit to Amsterdam.

Taking #hairontour with the SuperFish Hardcore Hold Matt Effect Putty and nearly being washed away by the rain made me change brands. The hold was fantastic.

After I had sung the praises of the product I was asked to try Fat Fish Pliable Hold Easy Sculpting Stick. This is how a 75ml, 2.5fl.oz stick fell into my hands.

You can expect to pay £7 for the stick. When it arrived I took one look at the tube and thought it looked like an old school roll on deodorant rather than something for my hair.

First of all, the marketing blurb,

‘Perfect for that ‘just out of bed look’, use Fatfish to give a textured pliable hold with control and shine. Designed for short and mid-length hairstyles, it allows you to apply a controlled amount of wax onto your head without getting messy hands. Fatfish uses natural Candelilla Beeswax so you can easily mould, shape and define your style.’

At the moment my hair is around 3 inches in length - I’d consider this mid-length.

After washing my hair I tried applying using small circular motions as directed. It was evident that wax was being rubbed onto the strand of the hair and I didn’t have to push to hard. A fair amount of wax accumulated.

I found that due to the length of my hair I had to use my hands to style the spikes and I did get messy hands, something that the stick is designed to avoid.

However, the hold was great and as it’s a wax there was no residue in my hair of those ghastly white flakes I find on my shoulder later in the day as gels wear off.

Does it offer control? Hell yeah. It controls for hours on end, in fact after applying in morning at 8 a.m. it was still holding firm at 3 a.m. the following morning.

Does it offer shine? In my opinion, not really unless you really massage the wax in for a few minutes. If you do spend the time, and I’d say around 15 minutes massaging it in yes you would get a better shine but this isn’t a look I’m after.

If you are looking for a messy bed-head look and have short hair, really short then this is for you. It would also suit a sort of Gareth Bale style (he’s a footballer for Real Madrid). 

Since I first tried this I’ve had my hair cut back to around an inch and it does offer a great hold and texture for short hair.

Looking at the wax as a whole it looks good but I have never really been a big fan of wax and I’m not sure if that’s swaying my opinion. This product sits there with TX wax from my teenage years, it does the job but only until my hair, which is quite heavy reaches 2 inches in length. It’s good with certain styles but I personally like a product that is suitable for all lengths - yes, I know, high maintenance!

It is easy to apply to short hair and with short hair it will be easy to style. If that’s your bag then this is for you as applying it couldn’t be simpler and is seems to last for ages. I never notice the stick getting smaller.

RECOMMENDED for short, under an inch hairstyles.

Let me know what your favourite hair styling product is by commenting below.

Thank you for reading.

Postnote:

Want to read more about #hairontour and the fabulous hold of SuperFish Hardcore Hold Matt Effect Putty, you can HERE.

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Wella Shockwaves Ultra Strong Power Hold Hair Gel

I have probably spent the last week praising Soho Fish products but behold, for man has several hundred hair products and brands to choose from.

I have to say, after having my ‘Happy Mondays’ cut shaved off and spiked at aged 24 (after people said my hair made me look 40) it was recommended by the butcher of my locks that Wella’s styling mousse was best for the hair type and length.

For a while it did the trick but as the length of the spikes increased they started to droop. Another product was required. I tried everything (and it cost me a fortune) and in the end I settled on Wella’s Shockwave range and the Ultra Strong Power Hold gel.

In terms of hold, only the Shockwaves Tuff Stuff beats this gel.

There you go; you don’t have to read any more unless you want the full analysis.

Ultra Hold became a mainstay in my bathroom - it was cheap and widely available, and remains so to this day. A small 200ml tube costs between £2-£3 and you can often find them on multi-buy offers.

Back when I first started using this in 2003 the packaging used to provide the same promises as every other Wella styling product. The gel has a special micro-defuse system that separates individual strands leading to a firmer, longer lasting hold with the added advantage of easier styling. In addition to this, the gel should (in theory) brush out when required. Now, they have the ‘re-style with H2O’ marketing blurb that says you can reactivate the gel with wet hands to reset.  No offence, but of course you can re-style it if you wet it! It’s a gel!

So, with this being ‘Ultra Strong’ I expected amazing results.

Application and results:

When applying gel, it’s always recommended that you apply to fresh washed hair that is slightly damp. Not only does this mean your hair is clean before application, it also makes the gel go further as it is mixed in with the moisture already present in your hair.

I applied the gel to my hair after it had been dried slightly with my hair dryer. The gel’s fragrance when it leaves the tube is quite strong, with a fresh clean aroma with hints of apple. Although the smell was pleasant, the fragrance died down as soon as it was applied.

Taking into account the length of my hair (3-4 inches usually) and the messy look I go, a lot of the gel was needed to cover every strand. In fact, approximately 25ml was required. It was absorbed fairly quickly and was extremely easy to apply to the actual strands of hair.

The gel seemed thicker than the Wet Look version and this did become apparent when styling. It was far, far easier than using a wax, putty or clay. The spikes in my hair stood up immediately and once gentle heat was applied, dried very quickly meaning that further hair inspections weren’t needed prior to leaving the house.

Once dried, the gel set my hair like cement. I’m not joking here; nothing would possibly move it. I could jump up and down, shake my head and not a hair would move. As this is the major function of a hair gel, and the main criteria for any future purchases, it scored 10/10.

But, I don’t just take final results into consideration when making the decision which gel to use and the overall performance of the gel has to be taken into account.

Yes, it has fabulous hold, it made my hair look shinier, but, to the touch my hair felt far too crisp and a greasy residue was left on my hands after touching it.

The gel didn’t leave me with any white flakes on my clothing while out and about, but in the morning the usual problems that occur with gel were evident. My hair was full of white flakes, so much so, simply applying more gel was not an option. My hair had to be washed to remove the flakes. Brushing it out was not an option. I have since had my hair cut and don’t use as much of this gel as I had previously, but I still wake in the mornings to find a head full of white flakes. So, it wasn’t a problem with the amount of gel used, it is a problem with the gel.

Apart from the crispy feel and the white flakes in the morning, this gel was great; it kept my long(ish) hair in place for well over 8 hours which is an achievement.

So the good points:

• It’s easy to apply
• Cheap, especially when bought on offer
• Holds hair in place for in excess of 8 hours
• Made styling easier
• Dried quickly when left to dry naturally
• Makes hair look shiny
• Easy to wash out
• Only a little is required to style short lengths of hair
• Smells clean and fresh

The bad points:

• A lot of gel is required to style longer lengths
• Makes hair crispy tot he touch
• Leaves hair looking fluffy in the morning
• White residue in hair once the gel was worn out

Would I recommend this product? Yes I would. It has downsides, but most styling products have these and the ones applicable to the Ultra Strong are nowhere near as bad as other products I’ve used in the past. The amazing hold it provides is worth the little drawbacks detailed above.

If you need a strong product to style your hair, this is for you.

RECOMMENDED for short hair, messy styles and people who don’t touch their hair a lot.

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