In conversation: Mr Jamie Stevens

You may have seen the post, but on 5 May this year I walked into the hair salon owned by Jamie Stevens and the way my hair looked, the way I styled it and the way in which  I cared for it changed forever. If you didn’t see the write up (it is rather gushing) of my new hair style I really recommend that you do (and you can do easily by clicking here). I found the entire experience amazing, and while I could remember some of what was said as we chatted I really wanted to share some of the conversation - so today you have a Q & A session with Jamie Stevens. 

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This wasn’t your run of the mill conversation with a hairdresser or barber, you won’t find any “are you going anywhere nice on your holidays” patter here. Instead we talked about why Jamie became a hairdresser, and as my hair was styled I had the opportunity to ask about the MR range from Jamie Stevens while picking up some tips.

Why did you want to become a hairdresser?

My mother, grandmother and great-grandfather were all hairdressers so you could say hairdressing runs in my blood. By the age of eight, I was already helping my Mum in her salon which I then went on to take over from her at 18 and have never looked back.

When did the MR range launch?

We launched the MR by Jamie Stevens range in October 2015 going directly into 360 Boots stores nationwide.

What inspired you to create your own range of hair styling products?

Hair loss is a big concern and causes real fear and anxiety for a lot of men, whether they care to admit it or not. As someone who has thinning hair, I hope that getting men to talking about the issue will stop them suffering in silence whilst also addressing how prolific and serious it can be for self-esteem and confidence. The solution doesn’t have to be expensive - I wanted to create high performance products that combine effective treatment with the best ingredients so that men no longer have to be afraid. 

What has the feedback on your products been so far?

We have overwhelming feedback, it has been incredible so far, actually really emotional for me as so many men and also women have sent us messages saying it's changed their lives and made them feel so much more confident. This is why we aim to continue developing and giving something new to the market.

If you had to pick your favourite product from the range, what would it be and why?

Salt spray has to be my favourite, it is a versatile product that can be used to blowdry into the hair to give the hair a slightly thicker feel or you can spray into wet hair and let it dry in which gives the hair a matt like beach look.

The disguise sprays, there is nothing like it out on the market, a water resistant colour spray which instantly makes your hair look thicker.....It's like having a hair transplant but in a bottle and it's only £18 not thousands of pounds and best of all it's pain free! 

Did you see a gap in the market, was there something about the offer already out there that you didn’t like or you found frustrating?

Working in men’s hairdressing for so long and winning a lot of awards I felt the market was crowded in styling but nothing was there for an inexpensive alternative to helping people with hair issues. I felt this was a big part of the market that could really work for so many people and is one of the reason the disguise spray and fibres are such a significant part of the launch. It helped create a men’s range for everyone plus the range is suited to all ages from 16-60. 

Most of the products have our trademarked ingredients system PPX which helps reduce the rate of hair loss and keeps the hair you have thicker, fuller and stronger.

Do you see the range expanding further?

I always see the range expanding, we have had a great initial launch and I always see us adding to that and tinkering so watch this space. 

How did your life change when you became hairdresser in residence for the X Factor?

It changed in a big way as it gave me a platform to be showcased to 10’s of millions of viewers in the consumer market and allowed me exposure to many more people, with the continuation of my residency my profile continually raised and got me to a point where I felt confident enough to launch the range.

If you could offer one haircare tip to a regular man on the street, what would it be?

So many guys don’t actually know how to treat their hair so I would say make sure you use a specific shampoo and conditioner for men and not just whatever is in the shower, e.g. your partners or shower gel and most importantly when you get out of the shower don’t dry your hair roughly, pat it dry, I know so many people really rub their hair aggressively with a towel to dry it and this undoes so much of the smoothing work done in the shower. Invest in quality products to look after your hair as you only have it once! 

If you could give one styling tip to someone like me who uses a lot of product, what would it be?

Try cocktailing, where you use a base of wax and then your usual styling product of say a paste. Apply it  from back to front rather than from front to back, you’ll find less product build up at the front and it makes styling so much easier, particularly for your new style where you don’t want too much volume on top.

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I will be writing about my experiences with the products over the next few weeks now that I have had the chance to really give them all a good try. While Jamie said that one of his favourites from the range is the Salt Spray (which I agree is great), for me at the moment I'm torn between the cocktailing wax and paste to style my hair or the shampoo and conditioner which have left my hair feeling and looking fantastic. 

My hair is naturally very fine but there is a lot of it. After my hair had been cut using the shampoo and conditioner for three weeks solid has added body to it and keeping the style flat to my head not only makes my massive forehead look smaller, but it also covers the receding zones brilliantly, even when stood in really bright sunlight, or well lit rooms. 

If you haven't seen the MR range yet, go on read Jamie's blog The Grooming Room where you can see the positive effect his products can have on your life.

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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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Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade

After my first foray into pomade territory when styling my hair I was approached by Black & White to try their old favourite Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade. Having been impressed with my first try of pomade due to both the ease of styling and the results I couldn’t wait to try this one. 

Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade

Rather than slap it on once and then jot down my thoughts I’ve been using the pomade now on and off for around four weeks so it has been applied and used to style as my hair has grown from around two inches in length to three. To hold three inch spikes in place, and keep them in place this needed to be good. 

The pomade comes in a 50ml tub and is available from a number of stores - I’m not a price comparison website for man stuff (although there is an idea) but a casual search showed that it is available from Superdrug here for £4.65. At that price it isn’t going to break the bank.

Black & White have been around since 1922 and this is what their website says about them:

‘Black and White Wax is the definitive hair styling icon. With over 90 years of styling throughout the decades, it remains at the forefront of hair styling. From creating on trend looks straight from the catwalk or emulating the cool styles directly from the streets, the list is endless.

With celebrity fans such as supermodel Linda Evangelista and Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson, Black and White Wax is the quintessential styling product you must have to achieve today’s must covetable looks – male or female.

There’s a reason why Black and White Wax is still going strong decades later – its original, unchanged pluko formula is versatile and pliable; ideal for sculpting and creating texture for an all-day hold.

Black and White Wax is available from Superdrug, Boots, Tesco and Sainsbury’s and from our website so there’s no excuse for you not to be in possession of the best wax in the world!’

First of all, this smells amazing. It has a lovely rich coconut fragrance (think Pina Colada) that lingers for a good ten to fifteen minutes after using it (I seem to have gotten over my dislike for coconut since I started blogging).

Given the ingredients of petrolatum, paraffin, Zinc Oxide and parfum I expected quite a thick texture but was mildly shocked that it looked like and had the texture of Vaseline! Weird city people, weird city. 

Rather than put me off it struck me that this would make it more pliable, and I was right (I’m always right - always good to remember) smoothing and warming between my palms was simple and applying it to slightly damp hair made the application a breeze. 

The pomade clings to each strand as you massage it from root to tip - and using my palm I brushed from one side to the other until my hair had stood up. Once this was done I styled a few larger spikes. All of this was done in under three minutes (something of a record for me styling my hair).

Even an hour after applying I could alter the style, the pomade is simply that pliable. Top marks for application.

Yes, I am praying for decent photographs....

See, I said it looked a bit like Vaseline!

It smooths and warms to become really pliable

Feel free to call me a chinless wonder....

The hold was also brilliant and it lasted for well over ten hours with a lovely matte finish to my hair once it had completely dried in. Result!

Now, it can’t all be good and for me hair styling products are a pain and I like to be in and out of the bathroom in minutes. While styling with this pomade is a breeze the petrolatum sticks to your hands and when you try to wash it off you find that its waterproof making your hands look and feel greasy. For me this was a big downside until we encountered biblical like rain earlier in January 2015 - while I could be liken to a drowned rat that had been doing backstroke down the Thames my hair stayed in place. Bonus! 

The residue basically makes your hands waterproof lol

This is a reasonably priced product that smells wonderful and delivers a long lasting hold. The matte finish on my hair makes it look like I’m not wearing any product and that I like. On the downside it takes an age to wash your hands after styling. 

I’m impressed and found that the hold didn’t alter despite my hair getting longer and you can’t argue with that.

RECOMMENDED 

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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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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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Fishshape Hair!

As a first foray into the world of product blogging I was handed a small pot of Fishshape texturising cream to test and give my feedback on. There is a picture of me to the right-hand side of this article giving an idea of the length of my hair, but needless to say over the years I’ve tried a number of gels, creams, clays, putties and waxes all with varying results.

In all honesty I hadn’t heard of Fish or any of their products and looking at the way it’s packaged it probably wouldn’t be something that would catch my eye or make me pick it up as an impulse buy. That is why I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the way in which it came into my possession and the results of using the product.

The product blurb as you would imagine plays up the benefits of using the product – it’s the ultimate texturiser by all accounts. Not shy with their claims then! Described as more subtle than wax, it is designed for short to medium length hair and can be used on dry or towel dried hair. I’ve been using the cream since just after having my hair cut down to around an inch in length and up to now while it’s three to four inches in length.

When using the cream they say only a pea sized amount is needed. I beg to differ! Enough to cover the entire tip of my finger (and I have big hands) is needed to shape and sculpt properly, especially when applying to completely dry hair. The texture of the cream is on a par with most moisturisers and is very easy to spread across your palm and apply evenly. It does leave some residue, but that’s to be expected.

It smells lovely, a rich clean and fresh fragrance – there are no chemical aromas coming from your head or hands.

Styling is a breeze – the cream clings to the shaft of the hair and allows for spiking and sculpting that is really easy. However, as my hair has grown in length I have struggled to style it and maintain upright spikes in my hair, even when twisting them. This is down in part to the fact that the hold weakens quite substantially as hair gets heavier. It’s no ultra-firm gel though so this can be forgiven especially as those annoying white flakes that comes an hour or so after applying alternatives such as styling mousse, gel or wax.

This product won’t have you brushing flakes off your shoulders as though you are suffering from a severe bout of dandruff and will give you the confidence and reassurance of a long lasting hold.

I would recommend for use if your hair is shorter than two inches in length. The cream will keep your style, won’t leave your hair looking greasy and those pesky flakes are a thing of the past.

Try it - I think you’ll like it and it is available from Boots retailing at around £6

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