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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got2b Spiking Glue by Schwarzkopf

I picked up got2b Spiking Glue by Schwarzkopf back in December 2014 - it was an expletive ridden time as I unpacked my bags to dress for a funeral only to find that I had forgotten anything that could be used to style my hair. Disaster (OK, the funeral was worse)!

After I had finally stopped swearing and lashing out at an imaginary punching bag (stress relief tip - try it, it works) I pulled myself together and wandered to the nearest Tesco where rather than going with something I had used before, and in true blogging style I picked this up along with a got2b cream, both for just £4 (and only so I could write about them here).

So, after basically paying £2 for this I wasn’t expecting anything of note, it just had to get me through four hours and I’d be happy. Just four hours….

You really can’t miss this stuff as it comes in bright yellow packaging. The 150ml tube tells me that this provides ‘screaming hold’ (a new one for me, but as a Manc, had it said ‘banging’ it would have made me laugh). Sorry, I digress somewhat. The tube also states that this is for spikes, to provide a chunky style with ultimate hold. 

On with the show…..

I washed my hair, dried it so that it was slightly damp and then squeezed enough of the white glue into palm. The picture below shows how much I used originally - big mistake! 

You really don't need to use as much as I did!

The glue smells so very synthetically fresh with an apple aroma. Not great but also not offensive and as a bonus it doesn’t linger around unlike some other hair glues and pomades. 

With a creamy like texture the glue is easy to apply to the hair, strands are pliable and for around ten minutes stay flexible before this starts to dry the style into place. You have ten minutes before the mother of all holds is unleashed. This sets like cement and the chances of moving a stray hair once it has dried are on a par with my odds of winning Mr Patience UK. 

Once set my hair felt crispy to the touch and it reminded me, nay it sent me into a flashback to my youth and using Wella Shockwaves! It wasn’t an enjoyable flashback and the feeling that you could snap your own hair off is quite frankly very weird (weirder than me writing this blog). 

Now, if you haven’t already got the idea that this has great hold you’ll be staggered to learn that it kept the hold in place for well over twenty, yes twenty hours and even the morning after a heavy night, Mancunian rain and a walk across country back to my hotel not a hair was out of place. In fact the glue is water resistant which I hadn’t noticed until I got back into my room.

Personally I use this now when my hair is stupidly long so that I can have long spiky hair that will stay in place, and that it does when using got2b spiking glue.

For £2 I really couldn’t argue with this product. Like most glues you do start to get a bit of bit flaky residue after ten hours but it isn’t that noticeable. This represents great value for money and a hair styling product that will keep your hold in place. The fragrance could do with toning down a bit as I don’t like synthetic smells that much and the crispy feeling was weird. It did the job though and kept on doing its job hour after hour.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Osmo Grooming Gift Pack 2014

Like Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive I have no recollection where the Osmo Grooming Gift Pack 2014 came from (until I was reminded it was posted to me months ago - sorry @lauzzenger), it seemed to just appear one day, was placed into the bathroom where it sat until I couldn’t find my usual hair styling product as I rushed out of the door (probably late for something or another).

Having spent my 20s using solely Wella products the last year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for my hair, and it has been spoilt (look out for my 2014 top five hair styling products coming soon) in the most part with some excellent gels, pastes, creams but it has also been battered by some dross. 

Bearing the above in mind and having never, ever heard of Osmo I expected the latter, dross, especially as the gift set included a large tube of clay, my hairs natural enemy.

So what do you get in the grooming gift set? Well, for £14.95 (available from the Feel Unique website here) you get:

- Osmo Matte Clay Extreme 100ml

A clay that claims to provide extreme hold using a texture wax for natural expression. With a matte finish it should take only a small amount to style and shape styles.

- Osmo Shaper Maker 100ml

A versatile cream shaper, for moulding, styling, texturising whilst adding shine and control.

- Osmo Effects Detoxify 250ml

A deep clarifying cleanser designed to effectively strip away the build up of other products on your hair removing impurities whilst retaining the hair's natural moisture which should in theory mean heavy and shiny finish.

On the Osmo website here they talk the gift set us as:

‘One For The Boys!

‘A slick, stylish and seriously cool range designed to deliver the ultimate in originality, texture and look definition.

SUITABLE FOR:

All you smooth, slick operators who crave staying power!’

Well, all of the products smell amazing - the clay and cream give off a very fragrant fresh fruity aroma - a blend of watermelon and apple while the shampoo has a blend of eucalyptus and tea tree which is really refreshing and cleansing.

The shampoo, while lathering up well, this comes from chemical agents that have been added.

As I said earlier, I first used the Osmo Shaper Maker in a rush, but the cream was really easy to scoop out, spread through my hair and style my usual spiky look. Boom, done, but the residue on my hands was sticky and needed me to abort quick exit to wash my hands properly. The hold was magnificent - it kept my spikes up for well over ten hours before it started to lag a bit. Bearing in mind that this has an Osmo Hold Factor that is mid range. 

There were no flakes on my clothes and the residue in the morning was minimal. In terms of finish to my hair it did look shiny, like I had applied a gel in fact. Top marks for me on this one.

Finally, with a bit of time to test and style my hair using the clay. I’m not a fan of clay, I actively hate it. I’ve never found one that is easy to apply and style with. I have now. The clay becomes really pliable really quickly when rubbed between the palms. Only a tiny amount the size of a fingertip is needed and applying to hair is simple.

With such a tiny amount I expected little hold but it styled into a fantastic matte look that held again for in excess of sixteen hours. My style actual held as I slept and was ready to go again in the morning. It has the top Osmo Hold Factor and boy, it holds.

Each product has the potential to last for ages as very little is needed to wash or style with which means this isn’t a set that will be in with the empties within a month. I would expect the hair products to last for months on end, even if used on a daily basis.

Taking the £14.95 price tag into consideration this gift set represents excellent value for money and would make a great gift. I’m not a fan of the shampoo, but for the hairstyling products alone and the hold they achieve I would recommend this either as a gift or for someone looking to try a different solution to their hair styling issues.

RECOMMENDED

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The Monday Montage

It’s Monday, and while I’ve had an epic writing session over the weekend I wanted to look back over the posts that have graced these pages over the last week before going into full blown aftershave and moisturiser mode.

As I’ve said before, and as you can see from the posts I’ve made over May and June I neglected the blog while off work really living up to the nickname of ’Sicknote’.

In something of a rare week, posts this week were a mix of things I really like and some products that I’ve been trying that to be blunt left me frustrated, angry and annoyed.  Seriously, this week some products had me venting my spleen (and then some)!

The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel + Giveaway

The Legends wasn’t one that had me annoyed (frustrated yes that I couldn’t recreate a style isn’t their fault) in fact it has me fascinated in the fact that you can use one gel to achieve so many styles.

Not only is it a great hold gel, oh no, I have a giveaway of the stuff. You can enter my clicking here.

Commes des Garcons 2

Up next was Commes des Garcons 2, a unisex fragrance that costs the Earth and delivers as much as a Post Man on strike. This one really did rub me up the wrong way and I’m surprised I haven’t had a solicitor’s letter yet.

To view Stephen in full blown vent mode click here.

#BGOmeetup

In a stunning display of tardiness I posted up my thoughts on the #bgomeetup in King’s Cross. It was a great night; I met lots of lovely people but most of all I won a prize for the best selfie.

You have to click here to see the Lizard King in action with Verne Troyer.

Shockwaves Style Control Spray

The name of the product couldn’t be more misleading; it lacks the ability to control the shortest of styles. While it is cheap, it didn’t work for me and left my hands sticky and my hair looking a right state.

You can read more about the hairspray here.

Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label

The last post of the week had me laughing - the bottle always reminds me of melting biros on Bunsen burners in science at school.

Is it aftershave heaven or hell? You have to click here to find out.

Coming up this week.........

• We have aftershave with Invictus by Paco Rabanne;
• A little bit of The Bluebeards Revenge moisturiser;
• Groomed hair and body wash.

Hope you have the time to take a peek at my latest posts. Is there anything you would like to see me review here?

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Shockwaves Style Control Spray

After having my hair cut quite short I went through a rotation of trying different hair products to find the best hold that looked cool. I first picked up the Shockwaves Style Control Spray from Boots after being impressed with their mousse and at £2.79 for a 250ml can the voices in my head said give it a try - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The spray once dried is meant to give a strong hold for hours for every type of style. I chose the ‘strong’ version thinking it would be easy to apply as my hair tends to spike naturally after years of the same style - how wrong I was.

After washing and drying my hair I held the can five to six inches away from my hair and started to spray fairly liberally. 

Having something of a childhood flashback I expected the spray to have a strong chemical smell that would seem to remove all oxygen from the room. Instead I was greeted with an extremely pleasant clean and fresh fragrance (bonus). It wasn't as harsh as other brands and didn't make me cough or retch.

I had spiked up my damp hair and after spraying noticed that they spikes had gone flat very quickly, and before it had dried. I put this down to fact that I might not have dried my hair enough and set about styling the spikes back in.

My can went straight in the bin after a styling nightmare, hence a stock image

The spray seemed to dry very quickly after this (in less than 30 seconds) and my style was set. In the time it took top put on a shirt and return to the mirror the spikes that I had thought had dried solid had actually become lopsided and weren't being held up at all by the spray (not a good look - think Tin Tin stuck in a wind tunnel).
I applied more spray and tried again to style, by this point I had used what felt like a third of the can. Again, after around five minutes of restyling my hair had gone flat again, my hands were sticky and I had to go back and wash my hair before using a different product. 
The actual feel of my hair when styling with the spray was crisp to say the least and it gives the impression that your hair isn't going to fall out of place. The problem though is that the solid crispy hold was of a style I didn’t want. 

Even though I was trying to get my hair styled into a spiky effect I have in the past used hairspray that did the job very well. The Style Control Spray didn't come close to having the hold of other brands. 

So, the good points:

• Cheap. Usually retails for £2.79 in most supermarkets and large chemists.
• Dried quickly. No hanging about waiting for it to dry.
• Nice smell.

The bad points:

• Doesn't give a strong hold, although it does give that impression on first application.
• Lasts for about 10 minutes at a time!

Overall I wasn't impressed with the Style Control Spray. It didn't do the job it was meant to and in comparison with other sprays it is a weak contender in the market. 

In short, it’s a lemon on short styles and there are much better products out there.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Have you picked up a lemon hair styling product? What would you avoid in the future?

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Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive

First of all, if you think this is going to be about some form of glue, glue sniffing or tips on what adhesive will get you tripping the light fantastic I will ‘fess up - this is actually about hair paste, for styling your hair.

*Whoosh* and everyone moves their cursor to the back button on their browser!

For those still reading (and without a nasty red rash and spots around their mouths) I’ll continue.

I’m not sure how the two samples of Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive came into my possession. One day it was another of those brands I’d never heard of, the next, there were two 15 ml sample sachets sat by the basin in the bathroom.

Paste was a product I hadn’t thought of using before - I’ve been through mousse (no thanks Nicky Clarke), wax (a deffo no-no Mr Wella), gel, cream and clay. Hell, at one stage in my youth I used hair spray - readers, picture a better looking Shaun Ryder* with his curtain hairstyle and that was me.

Paste had passed me by - to my shame.

After losing the Madchester compulsory cut of the 1990‘s I went to short spikes and that is how it has remained for years, and years and god knows, years.….

I’m trying to grow my hair out to sample a new style but with that comes the comments such as “your mullet is out of control - (JB**, 24 April 2014)”, which means that styling is a must. Gel has been tried and failed - the hold fades after a few hours and it doesn’t hold the style, wax is pointless in hair over 4 inches in length and clay would require a team of navvies to apply.

I wanted a sort of Beckham look with my hair swept back and staying back.

Structure claim that their Paste Flexible Adhesive defines and creates texture with a firm but flexible hold and a completely matte finish. Their strap-line to this is ‘Style is about instinct, creativity, passion. We’ll provide the tools. You build the structure.’

This is the first time I’ve read that and it has brightened my mood - someone somewhere thought that sounded cool or mysterious, and they probably were sniffing glue at the time!

On opening, the paste was stuck to the side of the packet - it’s like Polyfilla (that’s for filling cracks for those not familiar) it’s so thick and gooey. Fingers were dabbed in and it was like iron to a magnet. My fingers were covered and I had to wipe some off. It all wanted out!

It doesn’t really have a smell, or so I thought. My other half suggested it had a smell like Fructis hair products, which tended to have hints of apple. Personally I couldn’t tell.

My hair had just been washed and was damp when I extracted enough to rub between my palms - it spreads really easily and as you apply it onto the hair it soaks in quickly and almost immediately makes the hair pliable. It’s awesome for styling people.

After rubbing it into the strands of hair and down the sides I brushed in the swept back style. It was instant - where the brush had been the hair stayed and it was solid. Jumping up and down didn’t move the style.

My hair however wasn’t rock hard to the touch and wasn’t shining off the lights - it does have a great matte finish and how it feels is well….weird city.

I touch my hair throughout the day, and when I touch my hair with this in it feels a bit greasy - it doesn’t look it but one brush through with the hand and you are off to the bathrooms to wash your hands. It comes off to the touch.

That aside, after 15 hours the holding power is still there and you can’t grumble with that. If you are looking for bonus points for this, well there aren’t the slightest hints of white flakes, even in the morning. So no white flakes in your hair making you look like you haven’t heard of Head & Shoulders and no embarrassing flakes on your clothes while at work or out on the town. Result!

A 75 ml tune of this can be bought for around £9. Personally I’ve never, and I mean NEVER found a product that holds like this and is so easy to wash out. The only problem I find is that first thing in the morning I wake up looking like this….

Source

Forget the morning look, Structure has a styling product here that is simply fantastic for use on longer hair. A 15 ml sachet has lasted me a week up to now and I expect about another 3/4 uses out of what is left so this actually goes a long way for the price.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

*An image of Shaun Ryder is below - he was the lead singer of popular Manchester band Happy Mondays during the 1990’s at the start the mental music scene in my beautiful home town.

Source

**Names have not been changed to protect the guilty.

Thank you for reading, before you go I would love it if you could answer the two easy questions below. Please leave your thoughts in the comments:

1 - Should I continue to grow my hair out or go back to spikes like in the picture on my homepage?

2 - Should I dye my hair again? I've been going grey for 20 years, but haven't dyed my hair since I was 28 (7 years). 

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Wella Shockwaves Shaping Wax

Hair styling in my house is something of an art form - I have a shelf of everything from gel, to putty to wax. 

After years of trying to find the right products for my hair I’ve even dabbled with mousse and clay.

Wella was always a favourite after first having my hair cut into spikes. The length went from around nine inches in length to 3 inches. As I decided I liked the look I went even shorter to an inch.

Being as adventurous as you can be when choosing what to slap onto your hair I opted to part with just £2 for a small 75ml tub of the Wella Shockwaves Shaping Wax. 

Source

The Shockwaves range has always been a personal favourite but in a nutshell this stuff is pants and in a true Bryn style* and in my best Welsh accent I tell you for why. 

The products claims to offer quick and easy styling. This is meant to be a strong hold wax that will sculpt and shape any hair, individually separate strands, give texture and brush out easily after use. It doesn’t.

I’ve had a numerous bad experiences with wax in the past, and found that once it had been applied, it could take days to wash out leaving my hair looking greasy and unkempt. 

After looking at the product in the tub it was clear that this wax wasn‘t as thick as others and I was fairly confident that this one wouldn’t be as bad.

I applied the wax to my hair after it had been dried. White in colour, it has a similar colour and texture to lard. Nice! 

Surprised by the fragrance, while looking vile it actually smells lovely. A clean crisp aroma not too dissimilar to Nivea body lotion. It was very subtle and definitely not overpowering.

My hair at the time of using this wax was around two inches in length. I needed to use a substantial amount of wax to completely cover my hair. The wax was absorbed very quickly. 

Styling was a breeze, the new texture to my hair was wonderful. As the wax hardened my hair became very rigid, but not crisp (likes it does when I use a gel). 

It did take about 30 minutes for the wax to start to harden, so this did mean that I had to keep checking in the mirror to make sure it was still looking OK.

Once hardened the wax didn’t make my hair shinier, it started to look greasy. The longer it stayed in, the more it looked greasier and greasier. This has never been a look I’ve aspired to have, even when under the influence. 

The wax kept my style in place all night, but sadly another downside was when it came to washing it out. It doesn’t brush out, and it actually took three washes to get all traces out of my hair.

So the good points:

• It’s easy to apply
• It’s Cheap
• Holds hair in place for in excess of 10 hour

The bad points:

• A lot of wax was required for styling
• The tub didn’t last very long
• It took 30 minutes for the wax to harden
• My hair looked greasy 3 to 4 hours after application
• A nightmare to wash out

Would I recommend this product. No.

While it smells nice and does have great hold, the fact that your hair looks like it has been dipped into a deep fat fryer means that you will look a state. That’s a guarantee.

Combine the look with the fact that it will take you around an hour to remove all traces of it then it’s sadly one of those products you should just steer well clear of. There are better waxes on the market that offer better hold, better value for money and are easier to wash out.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Have you had a hair product nightmare? Why not share it with me in the comments section below.

*Post note/obscure cultural reference

If you are not familiar with the BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey - the actual reference can be found here and if you scroll to two minutes and sixteen seconds you’ll see what I mean! 

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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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