What is Hair Wax?

When it comes to styling your hair, getting the right products can make all the difference. Understanding what type of product to use for your hair type and style is the first step in knowing how to choose the best products, but what is hair wax? What is the difference between hair wax and hair gel?

Let’s take a look!

Hair wax is a thick hair styling product that contains wax that helps to hold, give texture and shine to the hair. Usually, hair wax is made up of beeswax, castor wax and rosin.

Hair wax is different from hair gel because it gives you an immovable hold that can withstand humidity, while hair gel lets you create a certain style and then leaves that style in place.

Hair wax is like hair gel's more laid-back cousin who can afford to chill and kick back with a beer - hair gel is tense and on its toes all the time, which is why it never takes off its shoes around the house. It has to be on its toes because there are so many styles to keep up with! But wax doesn't need to do all this, because it's already on top of its game.

In order for a product to really get its name as “wax” though, it has to contain more than 50% of wax ingredients.

Benefits of Hair Wax

Hair wax is a hairstyling product used to attain a well-groomed, voluminous look to one’s hair. The use of hair wax as a styling product is comparatively new as compared to hair gel.

Hair gel has been around for a couple of decades now and was popularized by the hip hop scene. Whereas those who used hair gel tended to groom their hair into a spiky or smooth look that made it look like it had just been blown out, those who use hair wax tend to keep their hair neat but with volume. There are two main types of hair wax, hard wax and soft wax.

Hard wax is more for long-haired people than others. It adds volume and texture perfectly to long-haired men. It is also more suited for thick, strong and curly hair than others. Preferably thick waxes should be used on thick or strong hair, while thinner ones should be used on fine or thinning hair.

Here are some of the other benefits of using hair wax:

Hair wax can help you enhance the look of your natural hair as the primary use of hair wax is to give texture and spike up short hairstyles by giving direction and a bit of hold to layers, bangs & much more.

Hair wax is easier to remove than a hair gel as there is less of a slimy or greasy texture left after you wash it out. This can also mean that you do not need more shampoo to remove hair wax from your hair.

Hair wax is extremely easy to layer because it gives you targeted tack and control. It is a buildable product and can be the most straightforward yet laid-back wax that can give effective results if applied correctly.

Hair wax is a product that does not require the use of running water or any help from electrical hair stylish tools because it makes for a pretty handy styling aid all by itself. It can easily repurpose as a gel or a hair holding agent that can provide texture as well. You can get full control over your styling process because of its application which is fairly easy to master.

Side Effects of Hair Wax

If you are worried about hair loss, it’s better to avoid hair wax. Because hair wax can remove the natural oils from your hair.

Once your follicle gets damaged or infested with bacteria, it weakens and needs to repair itself. It does so by replacing the damaged cells with healthy ones.

Hair wax or pomade, as it is also called, is very much like hair gel. This means that it has the same effect on your hair as hair gel does. To be more specific, pomade may help keep your hair in place, but it may also make it more difficult for your body to repair damaged follicles. This can result in hair loss over time. Another side effect may be dandruff.

Some of the other possible side effects of using hair wax include severe itching, burning sensation in the scalp, dryness, repeated use/addiction, permanent damage to the hair follicles, brittle, damaged or weak hair, soiling on clothes/skin/sheets while applying gel or wax.

The worst part is that many of the products that are marketed as hair wax are actually an inferior form of hair gel. They can still leave your hair with a sticky residue.

Most of the hair wax also contains a high amount of alcohol which can easily dry out the scalp, making your hair dry. Dehydrated hair and scalp are more prone to breakage and the dense hair wax blocks the hair follicles making it difficult for them to breathe freely. Naturally, all the hair follicles will stop functioning properly after a few days of continuous use of hair wax, thereby leading to hair loss.

Take Away

Waxes are creamy products that range from a heavy, creamy texture to a medium, more oily formula. Hair wax is a medium hold styling product for textured hair. They can provide a more polished look with a stronghold. Common types of hair wax include beeswax, petroleum jelly, cork extract, lanolin, or “natural” beeswax.