got2b Glued Spiking Wax by Schwarzkopf

Last month I wrote about a bargain purchase in Manchester, got2b Spiking Glue by Schwarzkopf - it was an urgent buy after I had forgotten my hair products and was hours away from giving a eulogy at my grandfathers funeral. As part of a buy two for £4 deal I also picked up a 75ml tub of the got2b Glued Spiking Wax, like the spiking glue, promising ‘screaming hold’. 

Without going into the usual hilarity that is my own mental illness (the voices, the voices), I needed to style some long hair, some four inches in length and I needed to do it quickly. By the time that I got around to using this, opting to use the glue on the actual day I wasn’t in need of screaming hold, just something to keep my then five inch long spikes upright.

This is what Schwarzkopf say about the spiking wax:

‘The first wax from got2b with screaming hold for remouldable extreme styles without the crunch. Moulds like a wax, holds like a glue!

How to use: Rub a small amount of wax between your palms, work into dry hair and style as desired.

Extra tip:

For outrageous spikes twist a small amount into the hair tips.’

First thing first, I love the smell of this wax, it is so fresh and reminds me of the Fructis gels I would use in my teens. While the teen flashbacks resulted in me shuddering at the clothes I used to wear, the strong apple fragrance is simply lovely. While writing this up I have literally had my nose buried into the pot sniffing away.

If you can get over the lovely fragrance the next thing that is a little bit weird is the actual texture of the wax. Expecting something that would need to be warmed to make pliable I was presented with what can only be described as a cream like substance. 

With the texture of a cream it makes the spiking wax so easy to apply, but even easier if applied to slightly damp hair. When I apply to dry hair I find it just a little bit too tricky to style into spikes and have to make do with a choppy look after I had it cut down. When applied to damp hair spikes are a breeze and when dried hold as well as when applied to dry.

In terms of hold, the claims of being ‘screaming’ it isn’t far from the truth, it does hold and hold and then hold a little bit more. It’s excellent. When applying early in the morning the style is still going strong at three the following morning after a night in a sweaty bar and nightclub. Nothing knocks this off its stride.

Now for the best bit, how my hair looks when styled. This leaves my hair with a great matte look finish, which when styling shorter lengths looks good in my opinion. It also retains a bit of pliability so the style can be changed. 

Unlike the slue, where hair feels crunchy, there is no danger of this and while changing the style can result in a little residue on the hands it isn’t as bad as my experiences with Wella products.

As someone who can take or leave wax I have found over the last couple of weeks that more and more I am reaching for the spiking wax over every other hair styling product I have to choose from. It is excellent value for money (hey, it only cost me £2), makes styling easy, holds hair brilliantly and leaves it looking really quite natural.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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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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