Rate & Reveal: What’s in Your Hair?

Studio 5 Beauty & Style Contributor Holly Stone breaks down what each product does and reveals her favorites picks.

MOUSSE

Mousse adds volume to hair, can control frizz and flyaway, and provides moderate styling control. One of the lighter weight hair styling products, hair mousse is usually applied to wet hair before drying and styling. Hair mousse may also be referred to as styling foam. There are various “holds” from light to firm. Best for Normal to Oily hair. For Dry hair, look for hair mousse that contains natural conditioners and vitamins, but no alcohol.

Favorite Firm Hold: Paul Mitchell Extra Body Scuplting Foam, $9.99

Favorite Light Hold: TriDesign Fashion Styling Mousse, $11.50 (has sun protection in it!)

GEL

Gel is used to aid in the styling process of many different hairstyles, though hair gel is most useful at providing a “wet look.” Hair gel is also useful for “crunching,” a styling term that refers to bunching up strands of hair to boost any natural or chemical curl or wave in the hair. Even though hair gel creates a superb wet look and works well with air dry styles, it can also be used when blow drying and heat styling. There are various holds from light to firm. The more firm the hold, the more sticky the gel.

Favorite: Kava Sculpting Gel $11.99

NOTE: When dealing with personal care products, generally the first 3 ingredients make up 90% of the product. In MOST hair gels, the main three ingredients are water, alcohol and a polymer. Kava is a unique line which lists botanical extracts as the first 7 ingredients.

POMADE

Pomade is a greasy or waxy styling aid used for the sole purpose of delivering high shine with NO hold, and can make the hair look slick. Best for Normal to Dry hair. If you have Oily hair, either use sparingly or opt for a hair gloss.

Favorite: Kava Passionflower Gloss $11.99 (South pacific herbs provide conditioning for an added bonus)

WAX

Wax comes in either a crème or a spray. This styling aid is good for texturizing and gives greater manipulation when styling. Best for sculpted hairstyles. Suited for all hair types.

Favorite Spray: tri Spray Wax with Color Protectors $12.75

Favorite Crème: d:fi d:struct pliable molding crème $12.99

HAIR GLOSS

Glossing or polishing drops, also retailed as anti-frizz serum among other names, are designed to smooth rough hair shafts, thus reducing or eliminating frizz. Most products are applied in small amounts and can be used on wet or dry hair. If you struggle with fly-away or frizzy hair, try using a hair gloss product. Suited for all hair types. If Oily, use sparingly.

Favorite: Keratonics Smoothing Essence $25.75*

Available at: www.neways.com or call Tammy Babbitt at (801) 418-2000

*20% discount does not apply.

HAIR SPRAY

Favorite: My favorite hair spray of ALL TIME is: tri AEROGEL, $15.99. It holds firmly without making me feel like a helmet head and isn’t sticky.

Avoiding Build-Up: Styling products can build up on the hair follicles over time with frequent use. To remove this build-up, simply use a clarifying shampoo once every few weeks. Follow up with a conditioner after washing hair with a clarifying shampoo and then style as usual.

Styling Bonus: One of the main struggles women have when it comes to hair and hair styling is not being able to see what you’re working with! I recently discovered a pretty cool solution: The C-It-All Mirror. It is an acrylic mirror (therefore lightweight and won’t break) that you can attach to a wall or door opposite a mirror (extremely easy!). It allows you to see the back of your head without holding a mirror in your hands! Perfect for hands free styling. A great accessory for a segment on styling products. I have it in my bathroom and LOVE it!

C-It-All mirror, $49.95

(801) 328-4883

www.c-it-all.com

citallmirrors@gmail.com

All products can be found at Taylor Maid.